Profiles of Asian American parent‐ and adolescent‐reported ethnic‐racial socialization: A person‐centered analysis

Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS), the communication of parent worldviews about race and ethnicity to children, is important for youth development. Most research only examines parent or youth reports of these socialization practices in isolation, and few have focused on Asian American families. The present study addresses these gaps, incorporating both parent and youth reports of ethnic-racial socialization practices in Asian American families. Participants were 466 Asian American parents (Mage = 46.52 years, SD = 5.21), including 317 Chinese Americans, 118 Korean Americans, and 31 Filipino Americans, and their adolescents (Mage = 14.72 years, SD = 1.91). Most parents (94%) were born outside of the United States while most adolescents (80%) were born in the United States. Parents comprised 377 mothers (81%) and 89 fathers (19%). Participants resided across 30 U.S. states. Dyads completed the Asian American Parental Racial-Ethnic Socialization Scale (Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 2016, 22, 417), measuring seven ERS dimensions. We conducted latent profile analyses to identify patterns of parent and child reports of parental ERS messages and examined associations between profile membership and Asian American youth adjustment (mental health, academic grades, social competence, ethnic identity development) using the BCH procedure in Mplus. Model fit indices supported a four-profile solution. Adolescents in the High Positive/Low Negative ERS and the Moderate Positive/Low Negative ERS profiles displayed significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to adolescents in the Parent Low Youth Moderate Negative ERS profile, as well as significantly better academic outcomes compared to adolescents in the Parent High Youth Moderate All ERS and the Parent Low Youth Moderate Negative ERS profiles. Adolescents in the High Positive/Low Negative ERS profile exhibited more positive ethnic identity outcomes compared to adolescents in the Parent High Youth Moderate All ERS and the Parent Low Youth Moderate Negative ERS profiles. Furthermore, adolescents in the High Positive/Low Negative ERS profile scored higher on social competence compared to youth in all other profiles. This study provides the first empirical evidence on how both the content (type of ERS message) and process (parent-adolescent agreement on ERS) of ERS transmission impact Asian American youth adjustment. It is not only important for parents to promote positive ERS practices to support youth, but also to ensure that these practices are effectively perceived by their youth.