Study Protocol: Racial Discrimination, Cultural Processes and Wellbeing Among Asian University Students

Study Protocol: Racial Discrimination, Cultural Processes and Wellbeing Among Asian University Students

Cloudia Rodriguez, Ruo Ying Feng, Irene Vitoroulis

Journal paper

University of Ottawa Journal of Medicine

2022

Introduction: Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an increase in racial discrimination and xenophobia directed towards Asian individuals has been documented in several Western countries. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have also led to increases in mental health problems among people worldwide. Individuals from Asian backgrounds are at high risk for experiencing a dual-threat, due to the added risk for racial discrimination, in addition to general life and COVID-19-specific stressors. In Canada, the largest population of first and second-generation immigrants are from Asian origins, while 74.9% of international students in Canadian universities come from Asian countries. Aims: The goals of this study are to investigate the associations between in-person and online racial discrimination and mental health among university students from Asian backgrounds in Canada, the extent to which general coping strategies (e.g., problem-focused, emotion-focused) contribute to better mental health outcomes, and the extent to which cultural processes (i.e., acculturation, cultural identity) affect the associations between racial discrimination and mental health. Methods and Analyses: University students from East Asian backgrounds in Canada will be asked to complete an online survey examining in-person and online racial discrimination, coping strategies, and cultural processes (i.e., acculturation, cultural identity), and mental health. Hierarchical multiple regressions will be conducted to examine the associations between racial discrimination and mental health and the moderating role of coping strategies and cultural processes.