A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults
It was well documented that racial minorities struggle with discrimination that jeopardizes their mental well-being. However, the interaction between cultural identification (CI) and mother tongue (MT) on perceived discrimination among minority communities was unclear. This study adopted a cross-sec...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2023
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/1/115268.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848866731314905088 |
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| author | Ting, Rachel Sing Kiat Lim, Xin Jean Lim, Joy Yung Re Choo, Jia Yee |
| author_facet | Ting, Rachel Sing Kiat Lim, Xin Jean Lim, Joy Yung Re Choo, Jia Yee |
| author_sort | Ting, Rachel Sing Kiat |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | It was well documented that racial minorities struggle with discrimination that jeopardizes their mental well-being. However, the interaction between cultural identification (CI) and mother tongue (MT) on perceived discrimination among minority communities was unclear. This study adopted a cross-sectional survey to investigate how different Chinese in Malaysia (CIM) groups experience in-group versus out-group discrimination based on their MT, and its impact on well-being. We hypothesized that (1) different CIM-MT groups would differ in their in-group discriminations; (2) there would be a pathway from CI to discrimination and to mental well-being; (3) MT would have a moderation effect on the pathway. A standardized online survey measuring CI (national vs. ethnic), perceived discrimination (in-group vs. out-group), and mental well-being (life satisfaction vs. mental distress) was administered to CIM college students. Analysis using ANCOVA and PLS-SEM (N = 288) showed that the English-MT group reported higher in-group discrimination than the Chinese-MT group. Moreover, the PLS-SEM analysis showed that ethnic identity, not national identity, displayed a significant negative association with in-group discrimination, which then significantly predicted mental distress in general. Furthermore, MT was a significant moderator between national identity and out-group discrimination. The findings confirmed that MT could predispose CIM to different exposure of racial dynamics and contexts. In lieu of the detrimental effect of both forms of racial discrimination, we advocate for culturally responsive mental health services for ethnic minorities around the world. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:25:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-115268 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:25:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Springer |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1152682025-02-27T04:30:43Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/ A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults Ting, Rachel Sing Kiat Lim, Xin Jean Lim, Joy Yung Re Choo, Jia Yee It was well documented that racial minorities struggle with discrimination that jeopardizes their mental well-being. However, the interaction between cultural identification (CI) and mother tongue (MT) on perceived discrimination among minority communities was unclear. This study adopted a cross-sectional survey to investigate how different Chinese in Malaysia (CIM) groups experience in-group versus out-group discrimination based on their MT, and its impact on well-being. We hypothesized that (1) different CIM-MT groups would differ in their in-group discriminations; (2) there would be a pathway from CI to discrimination and to mental well-being; (3) MT would have a moderation effect on the pathway. A standardized online survey measuring CI (national vs. ethnic), perceived discrimination (in-group vs. out-group), and mental well-being (life satisfaction vs. mental distress) was administered to CIM college students. Analysis using ANCOVA and PLS-SEM (N = 288) showed that the English-MT group reported higher in-group discrimination than the Chinese-MT group. Moreover, the PLS-SEM analysis showed that ethnic identity, not national identity, displayed a significant negative association with in-group discrimination, which then significantly predicted mental distress in general. Furthermore, MT was a significant moderator between national identity and out-group discrimination. The findings confirmed that MT could predispose CIM to different exposure of racial dynamics and contexts. In lieu of the detrimental effect of both forms of racial discrimination, we advocate for culturally responsive mental health services for ethnic minorities around the world. Springer 2023-08-09 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/1/115268.pdf Ting, Rachel Sing Kiat and Lim, Xin Jean and Lim, Joy Yung Re and Choo, Jia Yee (2023) A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults. Current Psychology, 43 (10). pp. 9064-9077. ISSN 1046-1310; eISSN: 1936-4733 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-05081-3?error=cookies_not_supported&code=091d156d-a990-4aad-90ce-f4395fb1355c 10.1007/s12144-023-05081-3 |
| spellingShingle | Ting, Rachel Sing Kiat Lim, Xin Jean Lim, Joy Yung Re Choo, Jia Yee A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults |
| title | A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults |
| title_full | A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults |
| title_fullStr | A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults |
| title_short | A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults |
| title_sort | preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of chinese malaysians young adults |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115268/1/115268.pdf |