European American College Students Research Articles

Parental psychological control and emotional well-being among emerging adults: The moderating role of parent-oriented self-construals

It has been well documented that parental psychological control is detrimental to child and adolescent development. Yet, when entering emerging adulthood, the centrality of relationships with parents in youth’s lives may differ across individuals as well as cultures, making both cross- and within-cultural variations in the implications of parental psychological control for emerging adults’ emotional well-being worth exploration. Therefore, this research examined the relations from parental psychological control to youth’s emotional well-being among emerging adults from two cultures, and the moderating role of youth’s parent-oriented interdependent self-construals (i.e., the extent to which youth view their relationships with parents as self-defining) in these relations within each culture. A cross-cultural study was conducted among European American and Hong Kong Chinese college students in the United States and China, respectively (N = 276; 68.1% females; mean age = 20.39 years, SD = 1.33). It was found that youth’s perceived parental psychological control related to their dampened emotional well-being to a similar extent in both cultures. Moreover, these relations were moderated by youth’s parent-oriented self-construals similarly in both cultures, such that the negative associations between youth’s perceived parental psychological control and their emotional well-being were significant only among youth with high (vs low) levels of parent-oriented self-construals. The findings demonstrate the negative implications of parental psychological control for youth’s emotional well-being during emerging adulthood, and suggest that youth’s parent-oriented self-construals may amplify such implications.

Is daily emotion suppression associated with poor sleep? The moderating role of culture.

Emotion suppression is widely assumed to be unhealthy. Yet, this conclusion may be limited to independent Western cultures that value self-expression. In a pre-registered, daily diary study of European American and East Asian college students, we tested whether culture moderates the effects of daily use of emotion suppression on sleep-a critical component of healthy living among young adults. A total of 117 college students (62 European Americans and 55 East Asians) completed two diaries per day for 14 days to assess (a) their daily use of emotion suppression every night and (b) subjective sleep quality and mood upon awakening every morning. Participants also wore actigraphy watches to provide behavioral measures of sleep. The data were collected between 2018 and 2020. We used multilevel models to test cultural differences in the effects of emotion suppression on sleep and mood measures at both between-person (average) and within-person (day-to-day) levels. For European Americans, greater use of emotion suppression across 2 weeks was associated with lower average subjective sleep quality and more tense (vs. calm) feelings upon awakening. At the within-person level, on days when European Americans used emotion suppression more than usual, they had less amount of sleep that night. In contrast, these associations were completely absent among East Asians. These results provide support for the cultural fit hypothesis that how emotion suppression affects sleep health varies by cultural contexts, depending on whether this regulatory behavior is normatively congruous or incongruous with the values prioritized in each culture. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

"Unpacking" cultural differences in social anxiety between Japanese and European Americans: the roles of threat appraisal and attentional bias.

Cultural differences in self-reported social anxiety between people of East Asian heritage and European heritage may be related to differences in independent and interdependent self-construals, which potentially influence the processing of social threat. We examined the roles of two different aspects of threat bias: threat appraisal (Study 1) and attentional bias (Study 2) to explain cultural group differences in social anxiety between Japanese and European American college students. Study 1 demonstrated that sequential mediations of lower independent self-construal and higher appraisal of threat among Japanese could explain their higher social anxiety compared to European Americans. However, Study 2 failed to find the relation between cultural group differences in self-construals and attentional bias. In addition, the cultural group differences in attentional bias were unexpectedly due to stronger selective attention toward neutral stimuli among European Americans, rather than bias toward social threat among Japanese. After selective attention was experimentally manipulated, there were significant cultural group differences in self-reported social anxiety and anxious behavior in a speech task. These conflicting findings suggested that an alternative theoretical framework other than the self-construal theory might be needed to fully account for cultural differences in attentional bias in explaining cultural group differences in social anxiety.

Cultural differences in auditory ecology.

Demographic differences in acoustic environments are usually studied using geographic area monitoring. This approach, however, may miss valuable information differentiating cultures. This motivated the current study, which used wearable sound recorders to measure noise levels and speech-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in the immediate acoustic environment of Latinx and European-American college students. Latinx experienced higher noise levels (64.8 dBC) and lower SNRs (3.7 dB) compared to European-Americans (noise levels, 63 dB; SNRs, 5.4 dB). This work provides a framework for a larger study on the impact of culture on auditory ecology.

Fit for Motherhood: The Glocalization of Maternal Physical Activity in Mother and Baby Magazine

Fit for Motherhood: The Glocalization of Maternal Physical Activity in <i>Mother and Baby</i> Magazine

Latinx college students' anxiety, academic stress, and future aspirations: the role of sibling relationship quality.

Latinx students experience stress at higher rates than European-American college-students in the U.S. and report the highest levels of anxiety among all other college-students, which can be a potential barrier to success. However, family members are identified as important sources of support by Latinx young-adults, and feeling support from family indicates a higher likelihood to remain enrolled in college. Few studies have explored the role of siblings in this relationship. This study examined whether positive and negative relationship qualities (RQ) between Latinx siblings may interact with level of anxiety, predicting academic stress (AS) and future aspirations (FA). Findings indicated that younger siblings with high anxiety and high negative RQ experienced higher levels of AS, while older siblings with low or mean-level anxiety and high negative RQ experienced high AS. Younger siblings with low anxiety, and high negative RQ with older siblings experienced low FA. The findings provide evidence that sibling relationship quality in Latinx students moderates the associations with anxiety, academic stress, and future aspirations, and that the presence of negative relationship qualities carried particular implications for future aspirations and academic stress. Understanding the influence of Latinx sibling RQ on mental health and AS can offer insight into the role of sibling relationships in the context of health, academic retention, and success in Latinx young people.

A Comparison of Chinese and European–American University Students’ Virtue and Mind Learning Beliefs and Academic Achievement in Global Cultural Exchange

The world’s two largest economies, the United States and China, have fundamentally different cultural beliefs about learning. Thus, when examining Chinese learners, Western researchers were confused by the contrasting phenomenon between seemingly poor learning approaches and high academic achievement, i.e., the Paradox of Chinese Learners. In addressing this paradox, Jin Li offered a theoretical framework of the Chinese virtue model versus the European–American mind model to comprehensively understand the differences in students’ learning beliefs and academic achievement between the two cultures. However, Li does not pay attention to global cultural exchange or directly link learning beliefs to academic achievement. Therefore, this paper presents two empirical studies addressing these research gaps. Study 1 adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the learning beliefs of Chinese and European–American university students, and revealed that deepening cultural exchange narrowed the gap between the two models (Study 1a), but the impact of the virtue model on European–American students was weaker than that of the mind model on Chinese students (Study 1b). Study 2 further revealed that both models were beneficial for Chinese students’ academic achievement, whereas only the virtue model benefited European–American students. These findings have important implications for addressing the Paradox of Chinese Learners.

Interdependent self-construal predicts increased gray matter volume of scene processing regions in the brain

Interdependent self-construal (SC) is thought to lead to a more holistic cognitive style that emphasizes the processing of the background scene of a focal object. At present, little is known about whether the structural properties of the brain might underlie this functional relationship. Here, we examined the gray matter (GM) volume of three cortical regions involved in scene processing -- a cornerstone of contextual processing. Study 1 tested 78 European American non-student adults and found that interdependent (vs. independent) SC predicts higher GM volume in the parahippocampal place area (PPA), one of the three target regions. Testing both European American and East Asian college students (total N = 126), Study 2 replicated this association. Moreover, the GM volume of all the three target regions was greater for East Asians than for European Americans. Our findings suggest that there is a structural neural underpinning for the cultural variation in cognitive style.

Culture Moderates the Relationship between Family Obligation Values and the Outcomes of Korean and European American College Students.

Family obligation values have been described as an important element of collectivistic cultures that are related to the development of positive emotional well-being and motivation in high school and college students. The present study tested the hypothesis that culture moderates the relationship between family obligation values and the outcomes of Korean (n = 249) and European American (n = 251) college students. The results provided support for this hypothesis. Specifically, for Koreans, family obligation values were significantly and positively correlated with descriptions of parents as being more supportive of the self-determination of their children, which was found to mediate the relationship between family obligation values and student outcomes. Furthermore, family obligation values were more strongly associated with the motivation, self-esteem, and depression of Koreans than European Americans. European American students expressed lower family obligation values and the intensity of these values were unrelated to their emotional well-being. Family obligation values were positively correlated with reports of self-determined motivation for Korean students, and negatively correlated with reports of self-determined motivation for European American students. The results are discussed in terms of cultural moderation and self-determination theory.

Barriers to mental health service use in Asian American and European American college students.

Barriers to mental health service use in Asian American and European American college students.

An examination of eating and thinness expectancies as predictors of eating disturbances in females: evidence for cultural differences between European American and Chinese college students.

This study sought to examine the utility of eating expectancy, thinness expectancy, and the interactive role of both, in predicting eating disturbances (viz., bulimic symptoms and drive for thinness) in European American and Chinese female college students. A sample of 237 European American and 221 Chinese female college students completed measures of eating and thinness expectancies and eating disturbances. Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that thinness expectancy significantly predicted increases in both drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms (with these increases being greater for European Americans), whereas eating expectancy predicted increases in bulimic symptoms only. In addition, for European Americans, a significant interaction for bulimic symptoms was found, revealing a synergistic increase in bulimic symptoms for those with both a high thinness expectancy and a high eating expectancy. For Chinese, a significant interaction for drive for thinness was found, demonstrating that for those with a high thinness expectancy, a higher eating expectancy was actually associated with a lower drive for thinness. The present findings point to the value of examining for the co-presence of both expectancies in predicting eating disturbances while also highlighting cultural variations in the study of eating pathology. Descriptive cross-sectional study, level V.

The role of enculturation and acculturation in Asian and European American college students’ daily social stress and support.

The role of enculturation and acculturation in Asian and European American college students’ daily social stress and support.

Cultural Factors, Depressive and Somatic Symptoms Among Chinese American and European American College Students

This study seeks to fill a gap in the existing empirical literature about the relationship between somatic and depressive symptoms and their associations with cultural factors among Chinese American and European American college students. In particular, the study examined how three culturally relevant psychological constructs, self-construal, loss of face, and emotion regulation, associate with depressive and somatic symptoms among Chinese American and European American college students and if they can explain possible group differences in depressive symptoms. The sample consisted of 204 Chinese American and 315 European American college students who completed an online survey. Based on multiple regression analyses, European American students reported higher levels of somatic symptoms on the Patient Health Questionnaire–15 (PHQ-15) than Chinese Americans. There was no initial group difference in depressive symptoms based on Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale (CES-D) scores. Correlations between depressive and somatic symptoms, independent and interdependent self-construal, and cognitive reappraisal and independent self-construal were stronger for European Americans than Chinese Americans. Somatic symptoms, loss of face, and expressive suppression were positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas independent self-construal and cognitive reappraisal were negatively associated with depressive symptoms for both groups. When controlling for gender and somatic symptoms, being Chinese American and male was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms measured with the CES-D. These ethnic and gender differences in depressive symptoms were explained by independent self-construal, loss of face, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression. Clinical implications include the incorporation of specific culturally relevant constructs and avoidance of race-, ethnicity-, and gender-based stereotypes to reduce health disparities in depression treatment.

Culture Moderates the Relationship Between Emotional Fit and Collective Aspects of Well-Being.

The present study examined how emotional fit with culture – the degree of similarity between an individual’ emotional response to the emotional response of others from the same culture – relates to well-being in a sample of Asian American and European American college students. Using a profile correlation method, we calculated three types of emotional fit based on self-reported emotions, facial expressions, and physiological responses. We then examined the relationships between emotional fit and individual well-being (depression, life satisfaction) as well as collective aspects of well-being, namely collective self-esteem (one’s evaluation of one’s cultural group) and identification with one’s group. The results revealed that self-report emotional fit was associated with greater individual well-being across cultures. In contrast, culture moderated the relationship between self-report emotional fit and collective self-esteem, such that emotional fit predicted greater collective self-esteem in Asian Americans, but not in European Americans. Behavioral emotional fit was unrelated to well-being. There was a marginally significant cultural moderation in the relationship between physiological emotional fit in a strong emotional situation and group identification. Specifically, physiological emotional fit predicted greater group identification in Asian Americans, but not in European Americans. However, this finding disappeared after a Bonferroni correction. The current finding extends previous research by showing that, while emotional fit may be closely related to individual aspects of well-being across cultures, the influence of emotional fit on collective aspects of well-being may be unique to cultures that emphasize interdependence and social harmony, and thus being in alignment with other members of the group.

Alcohol Metabolizing Polygenic Risk for Alcohol Consumption in European American College Students

Evidence suggests that the nature and magnitude of some genetic effects on alcohol use vary by age. We tested for moderation in the effect of an alcohol metabolizing polygenic score by time across the college years. Participants (total n = 2,214) were drawn from three cohorts of undergraduate college students, who were assessed annually for up to 4 years starting in their freshman year. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) were calculated from genes involved in the metabolism of alcohol, as many of these markers are among the best replicated in association studies examining alcohol use phenotypes. Linear mixed effects models were fit by maximum likelihood to test the main effects of time and the PRS on alcohol consumption, as well as moderation of the PRS effect on alcohol consumption by time. In the main effects model, the fixed effects for time and the PRS were positively associated with alcohol consumption. The interaction term testing moderation of the PRS effect by time reached statistical significance and remained statistically significant after other relevant interaction effects were controlled for. The main effect of the PRS accounted for 0.2% of the variance in alcohol consumption, whereas the interaction of PRS effect and time accounted for 0.05%. Alcohol metabolizing genetic effects on alcohol use appear to be more influential in later years of college than in earlier years. Shifting environmental contexts, such as increased access to alcohol as individuals approach the legal age to purchase alcohol, may account for this association.

Parent–Child Closeness and Parents’ Meaning in Life in Personal Meaning in Life

We examined for ethnic differences in how parent–child closeness and parents’ meaning in life predict personal meaning in life between 187 Asian American and 201 European American college students. Results indicated that parent–child closeness predicted a significant amount of variance in personal meaning in life for both groups. Furthermore, parents’ meaning in life added a significant amount of variance, above and beyond parent–child closeness, in predicting personal meaning in life for Asian Americans, but not for European Americans. Our findings indicate that although parents play some role in contributing to college-aged individuals’ meaning in life, there are still important ethnocultural nuances to consider. Findings from the present study provide a foundation for further research to continue examining the role of parents and familial relationships in meaning in life and other well-being outcomes. Further discussion of the study’s findings and implications are discussed.

Supplemental Material for The Role of Enculturation and Acculturation in Asian and European American College Students’ Daily Social Stress and Support

Supplemental Material for The Role of Enculturation and Acculturation in Asian and European American College Students’ Daily Social Stress and Support

Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma Symptoms in African Americans: Negative Affectivity Does Not Explain the Relationship between Microaggressions and Psychopathology.

Prior research has demonstrated a clear relationship between experiences of racial microaggressions and various indicators of psychological unwellness. One concern with these findings is that the role of negative affectivity, considered a marker of neuroticism, has not been considered. Negative affectivity has previously been correlated to experiences of racial discrimination and psychological unwellness and has been suggested as a cause of the observed relationship between microaggressions and psychopathology. We examined the relationships between self-reported frequency of experiences of microaggressions and several mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety [Beck Anxiety Inventory], stress [General Ethnic and Discrimination Scale], and trauma symptoms [Trauma Symptoms of Discrimination Scale]) in 177 African American and European American college students, controlling for negative affectivity (the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) and gender. Results indicated that African Americans experience more racial discrimination than European Americans. Negative affectivity in African Americans appears to be significantly related to some but not all perceptions of the experience of discrimination. A strong relationship between racial mistreatment and symptoms of psychopathology was evident, even after controlling for negative affectivity. In summary, African Americans experience clinically measurable anxiety, stress, and trauma symptoms as a result of racial mistreatment, which cannot be wholly explained by individual differences in negative affectivity. Future work should examine additional factors in these relationships, and targeted interventions should be developed to help those suffering as a result of racial mistreatment and to reduce microaggressions.

Alcohol Consumption, History of Sexual Assault in Adolescence, and Revictimization in a Sample of University Students in the Western United States.

This study evaluated alcohol consumption as a moderator of the association between adolescent sexual assault and risk of sexual assault in college. It was hypothesized that sexual assault in adolescence would be associated with higher risk of college victimization and that this association would be moderated by alcohol consumption. Predominantly female and European-American university students (N = 201) completed self-report measures of alcohol consumption and sexual assault victimization in adolescence and since enrolling in college at a medium-sized university in the Western United States. Controlling for effects of age and gender, there was a significant interaction between alcohol consumption variables (i.e., typical weekly alcohol consumption and binge drinking) and adolescent sexual assault, such that the greatest risk for sexual assault in college was incurred by the heaviest drinkers with the greatest frequencies of adolescent sexual assault. This study highlights the importance of considering past victimization history in concert with alcohol consumption in efforts to prevent sexual victimization in college.

Loss of face, intergenerational family conflict, and depression among Asian American and European American college students.

Loss of face, intergenerational family conflict, and depression among Asian American and European American college students.