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Familial Pride: A Protective Factor Against Psychological Maladjustment Among Asian American Adolescents

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Abstract

Evidence suggests that within the context of collectivistic minority groups, familial pride may function largely as a family-based emotion. We examined whether emotions derived from achieving on behalf of ones’ family were associated with positive psychological functioning in Asian American college students. The sample for this cross-sectional design included 219 Asian Americans (M = 19.4, SD = 2.0, 66% women) at a minority serving university in Southern California. Participants completed a self-report survey assessing familial cultural values, depression, self-esteem, family-responsive joy, and the recently articulated construct of familial pride. Along with other familial cultural values (i.e., support, obligation, respect, and family as referent), factor-analytic results supported the use of the novel familial pride measure in this sample. Path analyses revealed familial pride was uniquely associated with lower depressive symptoms, higher self-esteem, and higher family responsive joy. In addition to assessing commonly conceptualized familial cultural values, researchers should seek to understand how the emotional correlates of familial pride are related to psychosocial functioning in Asian American adolescents and emerging adults. Practices aimed at fostering these experiences are likely to promote adaptive development for this population.

Highlights

  • Familial pride is related to family values but functions uniquely in its impact.

  • Familial pride is associated to lower depression, higher self-esteem, and higher joy.

  • Pride is beneficial when embedded within family context for Asian American youth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 296 Eberhart Building, Greensboro, NC, 27402, USA

    Puja Patel, Gabriela L. Stein, Joseph K. Sircar & Michele Chan

  2. California State University at Northridge, 376 Sierra Hall, CSU Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA, 91330-8255, USA

    Scott W. Plunkett

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  1. Puja Patel
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  2. Gabriela L. Stein
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Correspondence to Puja Patel.

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Patel, P., Stein, G.L., Sircar, J.K. et al. Familial Pride: A Protective Factor Against Psychological Maladjustment Among Asian American Adolescents. J Child Fam Stud 31, 3258–3267 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02354-6

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