Psychological Correlates of Parental Ethnic-Racial Socialization among Asian American Emerging Adults

In this paper, studies conducted on parental ethnic-racial socialization (PERS) in Asian American emerging adults are reviewed to assess how PERS correlates to psychological constructs such as: ethnic identity, self-esteem, psychological well-being, social competence and connectedness, life satisfaction, and symptoms of depression. Results indicated a significant association, but differed depending on the method of PERS used. Cultural socialization messages were generally associated with positive psychological outcomes while promotion of mistrust messages were mostly associated with negative psychological outcomes. The results also demonstrated a need for more qualitative studies to be conducted, and for the use of a PERS scale specific to Asian Americans. Further research should additionally consider ethnicity, gender, and generational status differences when measuring PERS.