Confronting Critical Health Issues Of Asian And Pacific Islander Americans

First convened in April 1989, the NRAC was formed in response to the poor quality of data, the paucity of health statistics, and the limited epidemiological and health services research on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Asian Americans encounter a range of health issues often unknown to the American public, policy makers, researchers and even clinicians. National research often combines Asian Americans into a single category, not taking into account the differences and complexity among Asian ethnic subgroups. The definition of Asian American derives from the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of Asian, which includes peoples from all the vast territories of the Far East, Southeast Asia and the South Asian Subcontinent. While Census classifications determine demographic measurements that affect equal opportunity programs, the broad rubric “Asian-American” can never describe accurately the more than 50 distinct Asian American subgroups, who together comprise multifaceted diversity across cultural ethnicities, socio-economic status, languages, religions and generations. This volume rectifies that situation by exploring the unique needs and health concerns of particular subgroups within the Asian American community. It consolidates a wide range of knowledge on various health issues impacting Asian Americans while also providing a discussion into the cultural, social, and structural forces impacting morbidity, mortality and quality of life. The volume is designed to advance the understanding of Asian American health by explaining key challenges and identifying emerging trends faced in specific ethnic groups and diseases/illnesses, innovative community-based interventions and the future needed areas of research.

This ground-breaking textbook examines Asian American health from a public health perspective. It provides an overview of the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that influence the distribution of disease and illness in Asian American communities. The book explores the diversity within the Asian community with respect to health seeking behavior and knowledge, socioeconomic status, educational level, cultural traditions, and specific health care needs and issues. By examining the contextual factors that impact health, the book seeks to facilitate a meaningful dialogue and identify creative solutions for health disparities faced by racial and ethnic minority communities.

This book has two objectives: to show that the research does not support the belief that Asians in the United States are well adjusted, and therefore, do not need mental health services; and, to show the effects of cultural differences between Americans and Asians in the recognition and treatment of mental health problems. The book has eight chapters which discuss the following subjects: why Asian Americans should be studied; patterns of disturbance and use of mental health services; cultural issues in recognizing symptoms and identifying disturbed persons; the Asian American family; personality, sex-role conflicts and ethnic identity; improving intervention and treatment; and future directions for Asian American mental health. In each chapter the author reviews and criticizes the research to date these subjects. The author's conclusions include: 1) the rate of mental disorders among Asian Americans has been underestimated; 2) the expression of symptoms is influenced by culture; and 3) the Asian American family has both positive and negative effects on mental health. While the author only briefly mentions the special problems of Asian American refugees, the mental health issues discussed in the book are applicable to all Asian American immigrants, including refugees.

In America's increasingly diverse society, it is imperative that mental health providers prioritize the development of their cultural competence to assure that they are equipped to meet the needs of their clients. Cultural Considerations in Asian and Pacific Islander American Mental Health offers a broad array of perspectives from clinicians and researchers actively working with racially/ethnically diverse populations. This book addresses psychosocial cultural issues that impact the mental health of the growing Asian American population. The book opens with the concept of what and who is an Asian American, as well as the myriad distinctions and differences among various Asian groups. Covered chapter topics include a historical overview of the diverse populations among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans; a discussion of the tensions and similarities between empirically supported treatments and cultural competence; Asian and Pacific Islander American elders and depression; and a psychodynamic perspective regarding the treatment of dual diagnosis with an Asian American client. This book is a must-read for mental health clinicians, students, community workers, school counselors, and nurses who work with diverse populations.

Scholars of psychology, education, social work, and counseling examine such topics as transracial adoption, women's issues, substance abuse, and the racial experiences of 43 different ethnic groups often statistically lumped together. Among the specific topics are Asian Indian women's bicultural experience, political ethnic identity versus cultural ethnic identity, ethnic variations in the adaptation of recent immigrant Asian adolescents regarding, and sexual abuse.