Research looks at internalized racism, suicidal ideation in U.S. Asians

Fanhao Nie, Ph.D., was inspired to explore the relationship of internalized racism and suicidal ideation among Asian adults in the U.S., resulting in a recent study.

An assistant professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Nie noted that suicide has become a major health issue within the Asian community, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Structural barriers in public health and cultural stigma surrounding mental illnesses have exacerbated this problem,” he said.

Nie said previous research on racism and suicide often focused on studying racism as perceived external racism, ignoring the possibility that the racially subordinated may internalize racism, “potentially causing equal or even greater harm to their mental health outcomes.”

Nie, who is also affiliated with the university’s Center for Asian American Studies, based his study on a national sample of 970 U.S. Asian adults, with survey data collected from April to June 2024.

“I set quotas on key sociodemographic variables, such as gender and ethnicity, following the U.S. national census to approximate the sample for the general U.S. Asian population,” he explained.

Nie’s study noted that prior research shows that perceived racism was associated with higher risks of suicidal ideation among U.S. Asians.

He attempted to fill the gap of previous studies by looking at internalized racism and suicidal risks as well as the role of religion in the mental health of U.S. Asians.

Takeaways from the study focused on how subordinated individuals internalize racism, “potentially having a deleterious impact on mental health.”

“My study results suggest that more internalized racism was associated with higher risks of suicidal thoughts among U.S. Asian adults, even after holding various sociodemographic variables constant, including perceived external racism and mental health measures such as anxiety and loneliness,” he said.

In addition, Nie said, the study found that regular attendance at religious services escalated the relationship between internalized racism and suicidal ideation.

It also revealed that certain Asian cultural values “such as emotional restraint and shame,” have exacerbated internalized racism and its adverse mental health impacts.

Since the pandemic, he said, a growing number of U.S. Asians have become more sensitive to the topics of racism, mental health, or Asian American experiences.

While the media and public focused on anti-Asian sentiment, internalized racism, which he said may be more detrimental, has been neglected, according to Nie.

He said more research attention is needed on internalized racism to investigate its causes, effects, and how it may intersect with other social institutions, such as religion, to discover more effective interventions.

Nie suggested that public health professionals working with Asian American clients should take those factors into consideration.

“Given the unique cultural traits and racial experiences of U.S. Asians, to what extent the findings about internalized racism may also speak to other racial and ethnic minority groups in the US remains an intriguing question for future researchers to explore,” he said.

Nie recommended mixed-methods research be conducted to better understand the mechanisms behind the results, such as in-depth interviews with U.S. Asians who frequently attend religious services.