According to Wang & Benner (2016) the Asian American population has been identified as one of the fastest growing populations, which now surpasses the Hispanics. Despite the surge in numbers, Asians remain to be one of the congruent groups of people. Congruence in this case implies that Asians tend to stick more to their families than the Native Americans. The Asians have extended family structures where younger people are supposed to accord their seniors maximum respect. It is not a common occurrence to find Asian children living with single parents.
On the contrary, the Native Americans appreciate nuclear family structures more than the extended types. It is not strange for children to grow up without knowing their relatives such as uncles or aunts. Therefore, Native American families do not seem to be as congruent as the Asians. For instance, once children attain the adult age, they are expected to move out of their parents’ homes and look for their own. A more recent case involved parents who took their 30-year old son to court because he had refused to move out. Michael, who was the accused, was instructed by a New York court to vacate his parents’ house because he had attained the adult age (USA Today, 2018). Such cases are not prevalent among Asian families because most of them feel indebted to each other (Paik et al., 2017). Parents have the perception that it is their duty to teach their children cultural values and other aspects that are important. It is also common for children to inherit businesses from their parents or for parents to expect their children to take care of them in their old age.
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It, therefore, emerges that Asians place a lot of emphasis on cultural socialization than the Native Americans. The objective that this study seeks to investigate is whether cultural socialization has an impact on the mental well-being of people especially among adolescents and young adults. According to Wang & Benner (2016), cultural socialization implies the interaction among people of the same cultural heritage. The interactions are diverse, such as cultural rites, festivals, and social life. Bramlett & Blumberg (2017) emphasize that cultural socialization is necessary for mental well-being. For instance, such socialization brings children close to their parents, an aspect that is beneficial for emotional well-being. Adolescence is a crucial stage where parents need to be close to their children. A significant number of children do not understand what is happening to their bodies as well as emotions. It requires the indulgence of adults to explain and assure them that everything is right. In the Asian family structure, even when parents are not around, members of the extended family provide the necessary support.
Enrique, Howk, & Huitt, (2012) posit that children raised by single parents tend to develop psychological problems. It is because they lack the love and support of one parent, who is usually of another gender. Most of the time, single parenthood involves a single mother, which implies that children grow into adults without a father figure. On a comparison, divorce rates among Native Americans are higher than those among the Asians. The most prominent reason is that Asians appreciate the value of a family more than the Native Americans (Walton & Takeuchi, 2010). It is even highly likely that Asian women can abandon their jobs to take care of their children. On the contrary, Americans, across all the genders attach more importance on the pursuit of the American dream. As a consequence, most of them may have minimal time with their children. Since most families have a nuclear structure, the children may not have anyone else to deal with their emotional problems. Such children may only be left with teachers and their peers to depend on.
Proposed Study
This study seeks to answer some prominent questions. First, does cultural socialization have a significant impact of the mental well-being of adolescents and young adults? Secondly, is there a difference between Asians and Native American adolescents and young adult in regard to mental well-being? If there is a difference, what does it mean for parenting? The key terms that will be used in the study are cultural socialization, family congruence and mental well-being. Cultural socialization, as previously defined implies interactions among members of a common cultural heritage. Secondly, family congruence refers to the attachment among members of a family or the ‘togetherness’. Lastly, mental well-being refers to the presence or absence of psychological disorders such as stress, among other conditions. Most importantly, while most studies acknowledge that there is a significant impact of cultural socialization on the mental well-being of people, they do not define how they can apply in the contemporary context. Most studies do not compare and contrast different cultures within the same study. That means that they are separate studies. This study seeks to fill this gap by trying to connect the different studies to form one study that shows the differences. It will be easier for all stakeholders and policy makers to read a study that reveals the differences of cultural socialization among different cultures than reading different texts. It will be easier and faster to implement the findings.
Hypothesis
Cultural socialization has a significant impact on the mental wellbeing of adolescents and young adults.
Method
The research design will be experimental because the study seeks to test whether cultural socialization has an impact on the mental wellbeing of people or not. To test the hypothesis, it will be prudent to ask people from the two cultures questions related to their mental health. That means that there will be need of questionnaires that will be administered both physically and online. However, the participants, who will be young adults and adolescents, will have to give their consent before they are asked the questions. For those that are below the age of 18, parents will need to give consent. Additionally, it will be necessary to visit health centers, particularly those that deal with mental health to find out mental health cases between the two cultures. However, for ethical purposes, the names of the patients will not be revealed.
Operational Definitions of the Variables
First, the two prominent variables in the study are cultural socialization and mental wellbeing. To place them under operational definition is to classify them as either dependent or independent variables. According to Kaur (2013), an independent variable is that which is changed or controlled in a scientific study while the dependent variable is one which is being tested or measured. In this case, the independent variable is cultural socialization while the dependent variable is mental wellbeing. Cultural socialization is independent because there will be a study of two cultures; the Native Americans and the Asians. The mental wellbeing in this case will be the measure of any emotional disturbance the participants across the two cultures have experienced. Some of the issues will be whether they have ever been raised in foster homes, arrested by the police and prosecuted, diagnosed with any mental problems or if they have ever suffered stressful moments, and if so, when was it and how often?
Participants
The age of participants will range from 15 to 35 years across all the genders. To conduct a comprehensive study, it will involve the participation of 100 people. It is an appropriate number bearing in mind the cost and time constraints. The questionnaires will be administered both physically and online. However, the questionnaires will only be administered after the approval from the relevant authorities in regard to their validity and if they meet ethical standards.
Procedure
The study will begin by conducting research both in the library and from online sources. Such sources will also guide the scope of the study. Secondly, questionnaires will be developed where participants will be required to answer questions or pick on choices that suit them. For better comparison, the study will involve 50 people from each of the cultures, which makes the total number 100. The responses will then be tabulated into categories of ‘Presence or Absence’ of mental disorders. In regard to time, the study is projected to take one week
Results
The data will be analyzed by measuring the variance. That means that an ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) test will suffice. If the variance will be high, it will mean that cultural socialization has a significant impact on the mental wellbeing of individuals. On the contrary, if the variance will be insignificant, it will imply that cultural socialization does not have a significant impact of the mental wellbeing of individuals.
Conclusion and Research Implications
The impact that the study seeks to create is to increase knowledge on the subject of cultural differences. Most of the time, people acknowledge that there is a difference between Asian and American cultural practices but they are not aware of the significance of these differences. It could turn out that one culture has positive values, which another can use to solve problems of its members. In regard to the limitation of the study, time and cost involved may hinder a comprehensive analysis.
References
Bramlett, M. D., & Blumberg, S. J. (2017). Family structure and children’s physical and mental health. Health affairs , 26 (2), 549-558.
Enrique, J., Howk, H., & Huitt, W. (2012). An overview of family development. Educational Psychology Interactive .
Kaur, S.P. (2013). Variables in Research. Retrieved 31 August 2018, from http://www.ijrrms.com/pdf/2013/jul-sep2013/IJRRMS%20Vol.3%20(4)_10.pdf
Paik, S. J., Rahman, Z., Kula, S. M., Saito, L. E., & Witenstein, M. A. (2017). Diverse Asian American Families and Communities: Culture, Structure, and Education (Part 1: Why They Differ). School Community Journal , 27 (2), 35-66.
USA Today. (2018). Usatoday.com . Retrieved 31 August 2018, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/23/judge-rules-30-year-old-must-move-out-parents-house/635924002/
Walton, E., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2010). Family structure, family processes, and well-being among Asian Americans: Considering gender and nativity. Journal of Family Issues , 31 (3), 301-332.
Wang, Y., & Benner, A. D. (2016). Cultural socialization across contexts: family–peer congruence and adolescent well-being. Journal of youth and adolescence , 45 (3), 594-611.
