Perceived racial discrimination, family cohesion, and lifetime suicidal ideation and delinquency among Asian Americans nationwide

Objectives: To test whether the degree of perceived racial discrimination is associated with lifetime suicidal ideation and delinquency among Asian Americans, and to test the moderating effect of family cohesion

Methods: Data were derived from the 2002-2003 US National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS; n=2,095; male=997; female=1,097). After controlling for gender, age, acculturative stress, and the level of English proficiency, linear regression and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the main effect of discrimination and the moderating effect of family cohesion on lifetime suicidal ideation (age 18-95) and delinquency during their youth. Individuals between the ages of 18 to 44 were included within the delinquency outcome.

Results: After controlling for covariates, perceived racial discrimination was associated with lifetime suicidal ideation and delinquency during their youth. Family cohesion was found to have a moderating effect on lifetime suicidal ideation in that strong family cohesion buffers the link between perceived discrimination and lifetime suicidal ideation. However, there was no evidence that the family cohesion buffers the link between perceived discrimination and delinquency.

Conclusion: Finding supports the effectiveness of strong family cohesion in diminishing the strength of the association between discrimination and lifetime suicidal ideation. Thus, the perceived discrimination per se is not a risk factor for the lifetime suicidal ideation unless it is accompanied by lower levels of family cohesion for Asian Americans within the US.