Belonging in the Psychic Nowhere: Racial Trauma, Racial Melancholia and Related Mental Health Outcomes Amongst South Asian Immigrants in the US
South Asian immigrants have experienced a nuanced immigration history in the US while straddling the Black-White racial binary. Despite their growing presence, research on South Asian mental health is relatively limited and often subsumed under the broader category of "Asian Americans," which obscures unique experiences due to the model minority myth and leads to a paucity of targeted studies, particularly in the U.S. Mental health outcomes, specifically depression, self-harm and disordered eating behaviors are prevalent within this community, and are exacerbated after large-scale sociopolitical events due to increased discrimination. Limited studies examine the intersection of racism and mental health outcomes for help-avoidant South Asian immigrants. This concurrent mixed-method study focused on 1st, 1.5, and 2nd generation South Asian immigrant college students (N=316) to investigate the association between experiences of discrimination, racial trauma, and mental health outcomes; additionally, it examined the roles of the perpetual foreigner syndrome, sense of belonging, and internalization of the model minority myth, by employing the psychoanalytic theory of racial melancholia. Quantitative data were collected via self-report measures, and qualitative data were obtained through group interviews with a subsample of participants (N=10). Correlation analyses and parallel mediation models were conducted to explore these relationships. Results indicated robust positive correlations between perceived discrimination, racial trauma and all three mental health outcomes, as well as robust negative correlations between challenged belonging and all three mental health outcomes. Perpetual foreigner syndrome was positively associated with depressive symptoms and the internalization of the model minority myth presented mixed results, highlighting the need for nuanced understandings of these phenomena. Finally, a sense of belonging significantly mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination, racial trauma and all mental health outcomes, emphasizing its critical role in mental wellness. Qualitative results added rich narratives, clarified mixed results and contextualized racial melancholia. Implications of these findings emphasize the need for culturally sensitive mental health interventions, with trauma-informed and grief-structured approaches, that address the unique experiences of South Asian immigrants. Future research should continue to explore the specific mechanisms through which racial trauma and identity conflict impact the psychological well-being of South Asian immigrants.
South Asian immigrants, racial trauma, depression, self-harm, disordered eating, perpetual foreigner syndrome, belonging, model minority myth, racial melancholia, Clinical Psychology
City University of New York - City College
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations