Gender, Family, and Community Correlates of Mental Health in South Asian Americans

Nausheen Masood, Sumie Okazaki, David T. Takeuchi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Nationally representative data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (Alegría et al., 2004) was used to examine both disorder prevalence rates and correlates of distress for the South Asian American subgroup (n = 164). South Asian Americans generally appeared to have lower or comparable rates of lifetime and 12-month mood and anxiety disorders when compared with the overall Asian American sample. A multiple-regression model fitted to predict recent psychological distress, with 12-month diagnosis as a covariate, found gender differences. For women, lack of extended family support was related to higher levels of distress, whereas for men, greater conflict with family culture, and a lower community social position (but higher U.S. social position) predicted higher distress scores. Findings suggest that mental health services consider a broad framework of psychological functioning for South Asian Americans that reflect their gendered, familial, and sociopolitical realities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)265-274
Number of pages10
JournalCultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology
Volume15
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2009

Keywords

  • South Asian Americans
  • cultural influences
  • mental health

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Sociology and Political Science

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