Research Paper Summaries
In-depth Studies and Scholarly Contributions by Dr. Su Yeong Kim
Motives to Play Drinking Games and Their Unique Associations with Drinking Game Behaviors and Consequences
Summary: This study investigates associations between a number of dimensions of acculturation and self-reported health among Filipino American, Korean American, and Vietnamese American adolescents in the United States. Recognizing that immigrant adolescents are exposed to difficult cultural contexts, the study investigates how different aspects of acculturation, language, cultural activity, and identification make a contribution to adolescents' perceptions regarding their physical as well as psychological health. In a cross-sectional data set including 502 adolescents (approximately mean age = 15), the authors explored the associations between U.S. cultural orientation, heritage cultural orientation, and bicultural orientation with self-rated health in the three ethnic groups. Acculturation had been measured with a series of different indicators, from language use, cultural familiarity, and identification with U.S. cultures or with heritage cultures. Key findings are that a greater orientation toward the American culture, namely in language usage and identification, acted as a robust predictor for good self-rated health over time. In contrast, greater orientation towards only the heritage culture itself did not foreshadow good health and, in some cases, went hand in hand with poor health. Of significant interest, adolescents with a bicultural orientation (i.e., high on US as well as ethnic/cultural engagement) had the best health ratings, illuminating biculturalism as a psychological asset in helping towards adolescent well-being. Group-specific analyses also showed some variation. For example, the favorable effect of orientation in the United States was largest among Korean American adolescents, whereas Filipino and Vietnamese youth were variable in their responses based on gender and nativity. The study highlights the significance of group-based and multidimensional strategies for acculturation in assessing the health outcomes for Asian American adolescents. Findings warrant the development of culturally tailored health interventions based on fostering bicultural adaptation, rather than assimilation or exclusion.
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