Changes in familial discussions among East Asian American families during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: We examined the degrees of change in familial discussions about racial issues (i.e., race, ethnicity, racism, and discrimination) due to the surge of anti-Asian discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.Background: Asian American family racial-ethnic socialization that teaches the values, information, and perspectives about racial-ethnic group membership and race relations carry great implications for youth development. However, little is known about how anti-Asian sentiments may have contributed to the degrees of change in racial issues.Method: The participants included 143 second-generation East Asian American youth (e.g., Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese) ages 11-18 years (M = 14.96, SD = 1.98). Youth were attending middle (38%) or high (62%) schools in the United States.Results: Latent profile analysis identified four profiles of degrees of change in familial discussions: (a) moderate change in racial discussions about other ethnicities, (b) much change in racial discussions, (c) moderate change in racial discussions about own ethnicities, and (d) little change in racial discussions.Conclusion: Our findings provide a snapshot of the ways East Asian American families' racial discussions are changing, which in turn shape youth's experiences in navigating their social contexts.Implications: The findings provide valuable directions for research and interventions to promote important racial discussion among East Asian American families.