Suicidal Ideation in Asian American Young Adults: Integrating Interpersonal and Sociocultural Factors

Introduction. This study integrated sociocultural and psychological factors to explain suicidal ideation among Asian American young adults. We investigated pathways to suicidal ideation from two major sociocultural stressors—racial discrimination and intergenerational cultural conflict—through interpersonal theory constructs (i.e., perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness) and interpersonal shame (i.e., family shame, external shame). Methods. Participants were 396 East Asian Americans aged 18 to 30. Structural equation modeling examined whether the associations between sociocultural stressors and suicidal ideation were sequentially mediated first by interpersonal shame, then by interpersonal theory constructs. Results. Perceived burdensomeness had the strongest direct effect on suicidal ideation across all models. The indirect paths from both stressors (i.e., racial discrimination, intergenerational cultural conflict) to family shame to perceived burdensomeness to suicidal ideation were significant. The indirect paths from both stressors to suicidal ideation solely through perceived burdensomeness were not significant. Conclusion. Our findings expand interpersonal theory by illuminating the sociocultural stressors that contribute to perceptions of burdensomeness, which in turn are proximally associated with East Asian American young adults’ suicidal ideation. Findings also contextualize their suicidal ideation pathways by highlighting the culturally salient experience of family shame as a mediator in the links between sociocultural stressors and perceived burdensomeness.