How Should Clinicians Help Patients Navigate “Model Minority” Demands?

Abstract

The "model minority" myth (MMM) has far-reaching implications for Asian Americans in many settings, including medicine. For clinicians working with first-generation Asian American college students, this article considers 3 factors that affect how the MMM plays out in clinical care: clinicians' racial identity awareness, cross-racial dynamics, and the extent to which a patient has internalized racism or oppression.Case JJ is a student doing a rotation in a university clinic. JJ's patient introduces himself as "Todd" and is an 18-year-old Chinese American student who states that he hasn't been feeling well. As JJ talks with Todd, JJ learns that Todd studies electrical engineering and that his parents, brother, and sister run a restaurant in a neighboring state. JJ notices Todd's flat affect and difficulty maintaining eye contact 1 and asks Todd about his courses, part of a curriculum widely known for its rigor and intensity. As JJ leafs through Todd's health record, a clinic note from 3 months ago suggests Todd experienced suicidal ideation. 2,3 JJ continues to try to engage Todd, who says, "Classes are fine. My engineering project group goes out for drinks without me, though, typically leaving me with group problem sets to do alone. I hate that." JJ responds, "I see why you hate it: that's a lot of pressure." Todd denies that this is the case. "Sorry," he says, "I shouldn't have brought it up. It doesn't matter. I just have to get this degree so I can help my family and make my parents happy we came to this country."JJ wonders what to say next. CommentaryResearch on Asian American students overwhelmingly focuses on the existence and impact of the "model minority" myth (MMM), especially on academic performance. The myth suggests that Asian Americans work hard and are successful despite racial

Discriminação racial no âmbito dos serviços de saúde: revisão das políticas públicas

“…No campo da saúde, o racismo institucional existe em vários aspectos, desde a negação em reconhecer as peculiaridades da população negra e as diferenças de acometimento de doenças entre as raças até a ignorância, falta de discussão e profissionalização dos profissionais de saúde sobre questões raciais. Além das atitudes racistas que estão relacionadas às atividades profissionais, há também uma percepção de um sentimento de superioridade envolvido, que incluem ações como olhares diferentes, o silêncio e o desinteresse pela assistência (Tran et al, 2021).…”

“…Segundo a literatura, profissionais e gestores de saúde que não possuem experiência em lidar com a população negra podem ser obstáculos no acesso a saúde, reiterando a discrepância existente caracterizada por fatores socioeconômicos, classe social e etnia (Dal Pai et al, 2018;Miskolci & Pereira, 2019;Tran et al, 2021).…”

Perceived Disrespectful Treatment in Low Income Healthcare Settings Through the Lens of Intersectionality

“…Despite these limitations, our study documented how race, gender, and the intersection of the two shape perceptions of disrespectful treatment by health care providers and staff at low-income health settings and revealed the vulnerability of low-income Asian patients -an often-overlooked population due to pervasive perceptions of Asians as the "model minority" (Tran, Yabes, and Miller, 2021). We also identi ed a stark gender disparity in perceived treatment by gatekeepers, such that women across racial and ethnic groups were more likely than men to perceive disrespectful treatment.…”

“…Asian American men, by contrast, have been marginalized historically within hierarchies of hegemonic masculinity, a function of racial stereotypes labeling them as passive, weak, or effeminate. These feelings of marginalization may be ampli ed for Asian men as well as women receiving care in lowincome health care settings, as economic precarity may violate the "model minority" stereotype, which portrays Asians as successful and self-reliant (Tran, Yabes, and Miller 2021). Thus, we explore how race and gender intersect to in uence self-reported experiences of perceived disrespectful treatment from health care providers and staff in a large nationally represented sample of patients receiving care in lowincome health settings.…”

“…Asian Americans are stereotyped as a "model minority" that has attained high levels of education and economic security in the United States (Tran, Yabes, and Miller 2021). Patients who challenge health care providers' and staff members' assumptions about Asian American achievement may be treated in a way they perceive to be disrespectful.…”