Asian American Center on Disparities Research: Research Studies

Many studies (McClellan & Winters, 2006; Neighbors, Lostutter, Cronce, & Larimer, 2002) and addiction models (Solomon, 1980; Wise, 1988) suggest that enhancing positive mood states may be a major motive for engagement in addictive behaviors such as gambling. Motives may be viewed as a question of why, that is, why a person does something. In contrast, expectancies may be viewed as a question of what, that is, what someone expects to be the outcome of a behavior. Although there are many similarities between behavioral motives and expectancies, questions about behavioral motives may not be applicable to those who do not engage in the studied behavior, since the emphasis of motives is on why, in lieu of asking why not. Questions about behavioral expectancies can be balanced between the positive (benefits) and negative (risks) aspects of a behavior, asked to those who do and do not engage in a behavior. In prior studies on expectancies of drinking behavior, positive and negative expectancies of drinking had different effects on attitudes, intent, and frequency of drinking behavior (Earleywine, 1995; Lee, Greely, & Oei, 1999; Stacy et al., 1990). However, to our knowledge, there has been limited research on expectancy models of gambling behavior.

The purpose of the this study is to develop parallel personalized expectancy models of gambling and drinking behaviors. Drawing from established measures of gambling, drinking, smoking, and substance abuse motives and expectancies questionnaires, we develop parallel item sets to ask univeristy students about to the expected outcome of gambling and drinking behaviors. We examine the relationship between behavioral expectancies to involvement and problems with these two behaviors, personality factors, sociodemographic factors, and other forms of psychological distress.

Addictive Behaviors - Risk Factors and Patterns of Gambling and Drinking among Asian and White American Young Adults

Primary Investigators: Nolan Zane, , Anne Saw, Gloria Wong, and Shu Xu

Most studies on gambling have focused on White, middle-class samples, but some research suggests that there is an overrepresentation of non-Whites among problem and pathological gamblers in the general population (e.g., Volberg & Steadman, 1988; Volberg & Steadman, 1989; Lieberman, 1988). One study has extensively examined ethnic differences in gambling. Lesieur and his colleagues (1991) found that Asian Americans had the highest rate of gambling relative to African Americans, Whites, and American Indians. Among university students, Chan, Zane, and Saw (2008) and Saw, Zane, and Chan (2007) have found similar rates of gambling between Asian Americans and White Americans, but higher rates of problem gambling for Asian Americans.

Similar to other areas of social science, research on gambling and drinking has suffered from a lack of specificity in articulating the hypothesized relationship between a certain predictor/correlate and the mental health problem of interest. This project proposes to provide more conceptual clarity in teasing out the factors specifically associated with gambling and drinking problems. Accordingly, the research will employ a design that can distinguish between the common psychosocial factors that predispose or make a person vulnerable to developing pathology as opposed to the specific factors that shape engagement in potentially addictive behaviors and problems with these behaviors. This study will examine the specific nature of three types of risk factors hypothesized to be related to gambling and drinking: personality factors, sociodemographic factors, and psychological distress.

NLAAS - Beyond Marital Distress: Examining Factors Associated with Marital Violence among Asian Americans

Primary Investigators: , Nolan Zane, and David Takeuchi

Until recently, the topic of marital violence had not received considerable attention among researchers studying socio-psychological issues among Asian Americans. With the upsurge of literature on this topic with, it becomes apparent that marital violence does indeed occur and that more research is needed to understand this phenomenon among Asian Americans. Existing research on marital violence in the Asian American community has overwhelmingly examined victims of abuse and their experiences and thus our knowledge of victims of marital violence tends to be greater than our knowledge of perpetrators within this community. Additionally, unlike research on marital violence in the mainstream society which comes from nationally representative samples, majority of the research among Asian Americans comes from specific geographic locations and thus making it difficult to draw conclusions and generalize the findings to Asian Americans nationally. Lastly, while the extant literature provides us with valuable information about important risk factors of abuse, many researchers have often failed to control for marital distress. Therefore a unique aspect of the current study is the investigation of risk factors associated with marital violence independent of marital distress among a national sample of Asian Americans.

The present study utilizes data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) to identify factors that put one at risk for marital violence while controlling for the quality of marriage. Chinese-, Filipino-, and Vietnamese-American men were examined as were risk factors such as immigration stress, general stress, and psychopathology. Examination of such factors may help to elucidate greater insights into the issue of marital violence among Asian Americans.

NLAAS - Biracial Mental Health, Identity & Adjustment

Primary Investigators: , Nolan Zane, and David Takeuchi

This study looks at biracial mental health on a nationwide scale, and compares biracial to monoracial populations in an attempt to determine how the complexity of ethnicity is related to functioning and psychological distress. Results from the 2000 US Census show that 6.8 million people (2.4%) marked more than one race category (US Census Bureau, 2001) with the overwhelming majority (93.3%) reporting exactly two races. Despite the presence of this rapidly growing minority group, little if any research has been conducted on biracial mental health. Most studies conducted with biracials are severely limited in size and data collection methods. Data from the present study comes from the first ever national epidemiological household survey of Asian Americans in the United States: the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). NLAAS is the largest, most rigorously conducted psychiatric epidemiological and service use study of Asian Americans and Latinos in the U.S.

Future research may include: (1) Identifying how psychosocial factors such as parenting styles, peer group ethnicity, neighborhood/school ethnic make-up, primary household language, phenotype, parent ethnicity, and personality styles may lead to varying ethnic self-identities and bicultural adaptation modes in the adolescent biracial population. (2) Examining the academic performance of biracial students as a function of ethnic self-identity and bicultural adaptation mode. (3) Studying the effect of ethnic self-identity development and different bicultural adaptation modes on biracial social and psychological adjustment outcomes.

NLAAS - Prevalence and Correlates of Lifetime Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts among Asian Americans

Primary Investigators: , Tonya Fancher, Milin Ratanasen, Stanley Sue, and David Takeuchi

Few studies have examined the role of culturally relevant factors in suicidal behavior among Asian Americans. Using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) (Alegria et al., 2004; Heeringa et al., 2004), the current study examined the role of culturally related variables (family conflict, perceived discrimination, and ethnic identity) on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a nationally representative sample of 2,095 Asian Americans. Important covariates were sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, years of education, household poverty, and nativity status), depressive and anxiety disorders, and number of chronic conditions. Gender related correlates were also explored. The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts was 8.8% and 2.5%, respectively. Female gender, family conflict, perceived discrimination, and the presence of lifetime depressive or anxiety disorders were positively correlated with suicidal ideation and attempts. A high level of identification with one’s ethnic group was associated with lower rates of suicide attempts. Among Asian men, but not women, the presence of chronic medical conditions was associated with suicidal ideation. Findings highlight the contributions to suicide risk of cultural factors and gender differences in Asian Americans.

NLAAS - Show Me the Money: The Value of Education on Annual Income among Asian Americans

Primary Investigators: , Stanley Sue, Nolan Zane, Young Il Cho, and David Takeuchi

Previous studies of Asian Americans have been mostly comprised of unrepresentative samples. Data from the present study comes from the first ever national epidemiological household survey of Asian Americans in the United States: the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). NLAAS is the largest, most rigorously conducted psychiatric epidemiological and service use study of Asian Americans and Latinos in the U.S. The current study examines factors and moderators of economic success among Asian Americans.

Previous literature on mainstream populations indicates that there is a positive relationship between educational attainment and economic success. However, little has been done to examine which factors affect economic success independently of educational attainment. Moreover, little is known about whether some factors moderate the relationship between educational attainment and economic success within the Asian American population. This study tested several factors that could moderate the relationship between educational attainment and annual income so as to determine why Asian Americans may receive less economic return for their educational investment.

Asian Primary Care Integration Project Program Evaluation with Asian Community Mental Health Services

Primary Investigators: and

The Asian Primary Care Integration Project Program Evaluation assesses the effectiveness and impact of a project integrated primary care and wellness services into Asian Community Mental Health Services' behavioral heath services. This project is a collaboration between Asian Community Mental Health Services and the Asian American Center on Disparities Research (AACDR) at the University of California, Davis.

Chinese Research Instrument Adaptation and Validation

Primary Investigators: , , and Nolan Zane

Although English-language measures are frequently translated and used in surveys conducted in Asian languages (Sue & Chang, 2003), the validity of some translated measures may only be assumed and untested (Beaton et al., 2000). The internal and external validity of these translated measures may be unreported in research publications and affects confidence in the research. The aim of this study is to adapt several commonly used psychometric instruments from English to Chinese, and to validate the adapted measures through factor and item-level psychometric analysis. The measures in this study include a variety of social, personality, and clinical measures commonly used to assess Chinese Americans. In addition to adapting and validating psychometric instruments, translation work on research documents and treatment manuals to support the Clinical Effectiveness project is also a part of this study.

Ka Lokahi O Na Kanaka Mentoring Program Evaluation

Primary Investigators: Nolan Zane, , and Patrick Uchigakiuchi

Ka Lokahi O Na Kanaka’s evaluation examined the effectiveness of a community-based intervention approach involving individual mentoring combined with group and family support activities to prevent or reduce methamphetamine and inhalant use among at-risk Asian/Pacific Islanders. The mentoring approach used in this study was age and gender specific and culturally appropriate for the targeted population. This project focused on early adolescent Hawaiian, Samoan, and Filipino males and females between the ages of 11-14 attending middle school in a low-income urban area of Honolulu, Hawai`i who are at-risk for drug abuse. Measures examining changes in drug use, including methamphetamine and inhalants, as well as behavioral, family, and school functioning were documented to evaluate program effectiveness. The evaluation consisted of both a process and an outcome evaluation. The former addressed questions concerning the extent to which the intervention was implemented as planned in the community youth service program. The latter addressed questions concerning the effectiveness of Ka Lokahi O Na Kanaka in achieving its main outcome objectives with the targeted populations of at-risk Filipino, Samoan, and Hawaiian youth. This project involved a collaborative and community initiated prevention program involving the YMCA of Honolulu—Kalihi Branch, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawai`i, the National Research Center on Asian American Mental Health (NRCAAMH) at the University of California at Davis, and two middle schools in the Hawai`i State Department of Education.

Mediators of Racial Match's Effect on Counseling Outcomes

Primary Investigators: and Nolan Zane

This analogue study examines the effect of ethnic match in psychotherapy and counseling. One of the most consistent findings in ethnic minority mental health research has been that when clients and therapists are of the same ethnicity, this tends to be related to greater satisfaction and better treatment outcomes. However, the ethnic match effect has varied considerably across studies. This could be because the underlying mechanism for how ethnic match operates has not yet been empirically tested. For minority mental health clients, what is it about interacting with a same-race provider that results in a greater desire to return for additional sessions? The goal of this study is to determine how ethnic match functions and under what conditions it improve outcomes in counseling for Asian Americans. To the degree that we can determine what mediates ethnic match’s effect on outcomes, we can accentuate those processes in therapy to provide better treatment for Asian American mental health clients.

Stereotype Threat among Asian Americans’ Academic and Social Skills

Primary Investigators: and Nolan Zane

Over the years, stereotype threat has been proposed by researchers as a key issue in areas such as academic and athletic performance. However, these studies have been limited to specific ethnic groups (e.g., African Americans and Caucasian Americans); it is possible that stereotype threat impacts other ethnic groups, such as Asian Americans differently due to the nature of the stereotypes that exist for this group (i.e., positive stereotypes pertaining to Asian Americans’ academic performance). It is also likely that stereotype threat can impact other arenas of performance for such a group, such as interpersonal relationships, communication, language, and social interaction; Asian stereotypes that are closely associated with social awkwardness are also common. Therefore, this project seeks to examine both positive and negative perceptions about Asian Americans to better understand the effect of stereotype threat on academic and social domains.

Variations in Emotion Regulation

Primary Investigators: Nolan Zane, , Carmel Gabriel, and Lauren Berger

A major issue in the provision of mental health care is the ability to provide effective treatments for different ethnic groups. Discovering the specific ways in which Asian Americans vary from White Americans in coping with and expressing their emotions may help mental health service providers be more aware of how they can effectively treat members of various ethnic groups. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine if there are cultural variations in emotion regulation, particularly in response to negative emotions. Since the magnitude of variation may depend on a specific target emotion, we are examining four target emotions: depression, anxiety, anger, and shame. Findings from this study may better equip mental health service providers with the knowledge they need to apply more culturally-sensitive practices in psychotherapy.

What Really Happens with Positive Stereotypes? The Effects of Positive Stereotypes on Math Performance

Primary Investigators: , Oanh Meyer, Manveen Dhindsa, and Nolan Zane

The effect of positive ethnic stereotypes on academic performance seems to vary depending on the type of stimuli used to elicit ethnic identity. Previous research has suggested that under certain conditions, positive ethnic stereotypes can facilitate performance, whereas under other conditions, they can impede performance. The aim of this study is to determine if variations in salience of ethnic identity can account for the positive and/or negative effects of these stereotypes on performance among an Asian American sample. Moreover, because prior research has produced mixed results as to what mediates the stereotype threat phenomenon, this study tests various constructs as mediators of the effect of positive stereotypes on performance.