AUTHOR=Jin Joel , Zhou Vanessa , Taone Trevor , Ichimura Emi 

TITLE=#NotTheSame: Asian American subgroups moderate the relation between campus racial climate and perceived burdensomeness during the COVID-19 pandemic

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.982535

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.982535

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The present study examined the effect of campus racial climate on perceived burdensomeness, a suicide risk factor, among Asian American college students during the COVID-19 pandemic-related anti-Asian racism. To disaggregate this data, there was a test of whether Asian American ethnicity subgroup identification as Southeast and South Asian or East Asian changed the association between campus racial climate on perceived burdensomeness. The current sample included 148 college students, 73 Southeast or South Asian American and 75 East Asian American. Study participants were enrolled at a small, liberal arts institution located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Researchers collected data across 3 days (April 9-12, 2020) by online questionnaire. Both groups reported similar levels of campus racial climate and perceived burdensomeness. Bivariate correlations indicated that campus racial climate was positively correlated with perceived burdensomeness for Southeast and South Asians only. Moderation analyses revealed that a negative campus racial climate was related to greater perceived burdensomeness among Southeast and South Asian, but not East Asian American students. This finding supports the need for disaggregation of Asian subgroups in mental health research to understand the diverse experiences within the Asian American community. Further, there is a need for higher-education institutions to consider tailoring interventions and supports to fit the unique cultural and sociohistorical experiences of ethnic and racial subgroups among Asian American students.