Feeling Unsafe at School: Southeast Asian American Adolescents’ Perceptions and Experiences of School Safety

Abstract

School safety impacts mental health and educational attainment particularly among vulnerable populations such as refugee youth. Using data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), this study examines the mental health impact of perceptions and experiences that compromise school safety among Southeast Asian American adolescents (N = 645). Higher rates of perceptions and experiences that violated students’ feelings of safety at school were associated with decreased selfesteem and increased levels of depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regressions indicate that in light of perceptions and experiences of feeling unsafe at school, bicultural orientation, importance of identity, and family cohesion have an additive effect in predicting self-esteem and family cohesion has an additive effect with depressive symptoms though no moderation effects were found. Violence and bullying in schools contributes to lasting mental health repercussions and suicidality and has elicited increased attention by media, policy makers, school administrators, educators, psychologists, and parents. Fears of being bullied and feeling unsafe at school are leading causes of students missing school (Kearney, 2008) and can have psychological consequences enduring through the lifespan (Turner, Finkelhor, & Ormrod, 2006). Though all students may be at risk of feeling unsafe at school, some populations such as refugees may be more vulnerable to these experiences. Southeast Asians including Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotian, Hmong, and Iu Mien sought refuge in the U.S. beginning in 1975 with the fall of Saigon and the uprising of oppressive regimes in Southeast Asia (Chung & Okazaki, 1991; Hsu, Davies, & Hansen, 2004; Takaki, 1998). Southeast Asian Americans’ experiences are framed within the context of war and enduring trauma. Often swept under the umbrella of the “model minority,” their unique stressors are often overshadowed by perceptions of their inherent intelligence and success (Cooc & Gee, 2014; Ngo & Lee, 2007). Factors such as premigration trauma, intergenerational transmission of trauma, and disrupted familial and community relationships associated with the war and subsequent migration have a lasting impact on mental 1 Maffini: School Safety Published by Purdue e-Pubs, 2016 Maffini — Feeling Unsafe at School health, educational, and socioeconomic outcomes of Southeast Asian Americans (Chung & Bemak, 2007; Ying & Han, 2008; Kim-Ju, Maeda, & Maffini, 2009; Marshall, Schell, Elliott, Berthold, & Chun, 2005). According to the U.S. Community Survey (2014), poverty rates among Southeast Asian American groups are higher than the national average and educational attainment is lower. This study aims to better understand factors that contribute to Southeast Asian American students feeling unsafe at school and how those experiences impact mental health. Furthermore, this study examines the protective roles of culturally salient variables—bicultural orientation, ethnic self-identification, and family cohesion. Greater understanding of experiences of school safety can better inform policy and prevention programs addressing the specific needs of Southeast Asian American youth.