Racial Identity, Family, and Psychological Adjustment in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults

272 Pages·2015·2.97 MB·English

University of Windsor
Scholarship at UWindsor
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
2012
Racial Identity, Family, and Psychological
Adjustment in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults
Vanessa Chong
Follow this and additional works at:http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd
Recommended Citation
Chong, Vanessa, "Racial Identity, Family, and Psychological Adjustment in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults" (2012).Electronic
Theses and Dissertations.Paper 4797.
This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These
documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative
Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the
copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of
the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please
contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208.
University of Windsor
Scholarship at UWindsor
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
2012
Racial Identity, Family, and Psychological
Adjustment in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults
Vanessa Chong
[email protected]
Follow this and additional works at:http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd
Recommended Citation
Chong, Vanessa, "Racial Identity, Family, and Psychological Adjustment in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults" (2012).Electronic
Theses and Dissertations.Paper 4797.
This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These
documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative
Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the
copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of
the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please
contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208.
Racial Identity, Family, and Psychological Adjustment in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults.

by Vanessa Chong

A Dissertation
Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
through the Department of Psychology
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the
University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
2012
© 2012 Vanessa Chong
Racial Identity, Family, and Psychological Adjustment in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults

by

Vanessa Chong

APPROVED BY:
______________________________________________
R. Lalonde
Department of Psychology, York University

______________________________________________
W. Park
Department of Social Work, University of Windsor

______________________________________________
C.Thomas
Department of Psychology, University of Windsor

______________________________________________
S.Towson
Department of Psychology, University of Windsor

______________________________________________
B. Kuo, Advisor
Department of Psychology, University of Windsor

______________________________________________
J. Bayley, Chair of Defense
Department of Education, University of Windsor
iii

DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY

I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this dissertation and that no part of this
dissertation has been published or submitted for publication.

I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s
copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any
other material from the work of other people included in my dissertation, published or
otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices.
Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the
bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have
obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my
dissertation and have included copies of such copyright clearances in my appendix.

I declare that this is a true copy of my dissertation, including any final revisions, as approved
by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this dissertation has not
been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.
iv

ABSTRACT
The purpose of the current study was to examine the interrelationships among biracial
identity, family, and psychological adjustment variables in biracial young adults. A mixed
methods design was used to investigate a large sample (N=356) of Asian-White biracial
young adults (aged 18-30) from Canada and the United States. This study was based on the
Multiracial Heritage and Personal Affiliation (M-HAPA) Model of biracial identity, which
incorporates the integrated, singular, and marginal identity orientations and posits identity
fluidity and dominance (Choi-Misailidis, 2004). Additional variables included family
relationship quality, two aspects of racial-ethnic socialization (cultural socialization and
preparation for bias), and four aspects of psychological adjustment (self-esteem, positive
affect, psychological distress, and internalized oppression). Exploratory factor analyses were
conducted to test the psychometric properties of measures developed or adapted for the
current study. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to identify the biracial
identity orientations and family variables that predicted psychological adjustment, as well as
test whether family relationship quality moderated racial-ethnic socialization and
psychological adjustment. Results demonstrated that: 1) internalized oppression was
predicted by marginal identity, singular-majority identity, and minority cultural socialization;
2) psychological distress was predicted by marginal identity and poor family relationship
quality; and 3) positive affect was predicted by integrated identity, better family relationship
quality, and minority cultural socialization. Family relationship quality was not found to be a
significant moderator. Cluster analysis was also used to group participants according to
patterns of scores on biracial identity orientation subscales. Three groups were identified: the
Integrated Asian-White Dominant group, the Asian Dominant group, and the White
v

Dominant group. The Integrated Asian-White Dominant group demonstrated better family
relationships and less psychological distress than the Asian Dominant and White Dominant
groups. The Integrated Asian-White Dominant was also higher on White cultural
socialization than the Asian Dominant group. The White Dominant group was higher on
internalized oppression than the other groups. Evidence for identity fluidity and dominance
was found. Participants were also asked qualitative questions related to biracial identity
development, the positive aspects of being biracial, racial-ethnic socialization, and
internalized oppression. Thematic analysis was used to identify overall themes.
vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix
LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii

CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….....1
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Racial Identity ...................................................................................... 5
Biracial Identity Models .................................................................... 12
Family and Racial Identity Development .......................................... 24
Psychological Adjustment ................................................................. 34
Internalized Oppression ..................................................................... 42
The Present Study .............................................................................. 49
III. METHOD
Participants ........................................................................................ 65
Measures ............................................................................................ 70
Procedure ........................................................................................... 89
IV. QUANTITATIVE RESULTS
Preliminary Analyses ......................................................................... 91
Planned Analyses ............................................................................. 108
V. QUALITATIVE RESULTS
Thematic Analysis ........................................................................... 131
Qualitative Themes .......................................................................... 135
VI. DISCUSSION
The Psychological Implications of Racial Identity .......................... 156
Biracial Identity Theory ................................................................... 162
Internalized Oppression in Asian-White Biracial Young Adults .... 166
Family Influences ............................................................................ 173
Limitations of the Present Study ...................................................... 186
viii

Clinical Implications .........................................................................190
Recommendations for Future Research ............................................193
Conclusion ........................................................................................200
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................201
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Screener and Demographic Questions ................................................217
Appendix B: Item Modification ................................................................................224
Appendix C: Content Analysis Tables .....................................................................232

VITA AUCTORIS .........................................................................................................259
ix

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1 Demographic Characteristics......................................................................... 68

TABLE 2 Summary of Scales and Scale Modifications ................................................ 71

TABLE 3 Factor Loadings for the Multiracial Heritage Affiliation and Personal
Awareness Scale ............................................................................................ 93

TABLE 4 Factor Loadings for the Biracial Preparation for Bias Scale ......................... 96

TABLE 5 Factor Loadings for the Internalized Oppression Scale for Biracial
Individuals ...................................................................................................... 98

TABLE 6 Means and standard deviations for key study variables .............................. 100

TABLE 7 Means and Standard Deviations of Demographic and Key Variables by
Gender .......................................................................................................... 102

TABLE 8 Means and Standard Deviations of Demographic and Key Variables by
Country. ........................................................................................................ 103

TABLE 9 Means and Standard Deviations of Demographic and Key Variables by
Parent Race ................................................................................................... 104

TABLE 10 Summary Correlation Table for Biracial Identity, Family Variables,
Psychological Adjustment, and Social Desirability ..................................... 107

TABLE 11 Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analyses Predicting Negative
Psychological Adjustment from Biracial Identity ........................................ 110

TABLE 12 Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analyses Predicting Positive
Psychological Adjustment from Biracial Identity ........................................ 112

TABLE 13 Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analyses Predicting Negative
Psychological Adjustment from Family Variables ...................................... 114

TABLE 14 Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analyses Predicting Positive
Adjustment from Family Variables ............................................................... 116

TABLE 15 Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analyses Predicting Biracial
Identity Orientation from Interactions Between Family Relationship
Quality and Minority Cultural Socialization ................................................ 118