Cultural differences in daily support experiences.

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that Asian Americans (AAs) are less likely to mobilize social support, and find support to be less helpful, when compared with European Americans (EAs). In a 10-day daily diary study of AA and EA college students, we hypothesized that AAs would activate support less frequently than EAs for both stressful and positive events, a cultural difference that would be mediated by group harmony values. We also predicted that AAs would find support to be less helpful, and we explored differences in the sources of support used. Results confirmed that cultural differences in support use were partially mediated by the value of maintaining group harmony through emotional restraint. AAs also perceived received support to be less helpful and more frequently used discretionary rather than kinship support sources. Findings suggest that naturalistic support experiences differ markedly for these groups, with implications for help-seeking behavior and mental health services.

Changes in Parent, Sibling, and Peer Support During the Transition to Young Adulthood

“…Notably, although there were no ethnic differences in parent support at 12th grade, young adults from European American backgrounds reported higher levels of parent support compared to their Asian American counterparts at 4 years after high school. This is in line with research that indicates that Asian American college students are less likely to seek out emotional support from parents than European Americans (Wang et al., ), but also suggests that these differences may emerge in the years after high school. Additionally, although generational status and contextual factors (e.g., type of college, residential status) may moderate developmental changes across this transitional period (e.g., Kaniasty & Norris, ; Tsai & Fuligni, ), we did not find that they moderated changes in support over and above ethnic differences and parent education.…”

“…However, interdependent cultural factors may also affect support‐seeking behaviors in the opposite direction. Research with Asian Americans indicates that they are more likely to access support from friends rather than parents in order to maintain harmonious parent–child relations (Wang, Shih, Hu, Louie, & Lau, ). Other research suggests that Asians and Asian Americans seek support less overall, from family or other sources in their network, for coping with stress than European Americans (Taylor et al., ).…”

“Please Don’t Make Me Ask for Help”: Implicit Social Support and Mental Health in Chinese Individuals Living with HIV

“…Researchers [24, 26, 27] have theorized that in cultures valuing interdependent harmony, such as China, soliciting social support may be perceived as disrupting social networks and has the potential to negatively affect relationships. In such collectivistic cultures where relationships involve social obligation [28], members may be less likely to recruit social support due to interdependent relationship concerns [21].…”

Linkages between mental health need and help-seeking behavior among adolescents: Moderating role of ethnicity and cultural values.

“…Individuals seek to maintain the group harmony through emotional restraint, rather than actively exert influence on the environment to fit their needs through emotional expression (Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Tsai et al, 2006); this may include not burdening others by seeking help or comfort (Kim & Omizo, 2003). Considerable evidence indicates that Asian Americans who value interdependence are less likely to seek support from friends and family in the face of distressing life circumstances (Kim, Sherman, & Taylor, 2008; Taylor et al, 2004; Wang, Shih, Hu, Louie, & Lau, 2010). Professional help is seen as a last resort and not likely to be sought (Kim & Omizo, 2003; Shea & Yeh, 2008).…”