Racial Microaggressions and Asian Americans: An Exploratory Study on Within-Group Differences and Mental Health

Racial microaggressions are subtle forms of discrimination that have been found to have negative effects on the mental health of people of color. Due to the dearth of quantitative research that has examined the influence of racial microaggressions on Asian Americans, we recruited an Asian American sample (N = 157) for the current study to investigate the relationship between racial microaggressions with depression and other mental health symptoms. Recruited from both community and college populations, the sample consisted of 107 Asian American women and 50 men, with varying educational backgrounds, immigration statuses, and geographic locations in the U.S. Using the Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scales (REMS; Nadal, 2011b) and the Mental Health Inventory (MHI; McHorney, Ware, Rogers, Raczek, & Lu, 1992), there were 2 major findings. First, after controlling for education, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that racial microaggressions predicted general mental health problems: F(2, 91) = 11.37, p < .00, with the model explaining approximately 20% of the variance (R-2 = .20, adjusted R-2 = .09). Second, although comparative t tests did not yield significant differences based on gender or immigration status, t tests did reveal that Asian Americans experience various types of microaggression, based on geographic location, education, and age. Research implications for Asian American psychology and recommendations for clinical practice will be discussed.