COVID-19 and anti-Asian sentiment: The social and psychological effects on biracial children's racial socialization amongst Asian intermarried families

ABSTRACT

This dissertation studies the social and psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Asian intermarried families residing in Midwestern region of the United States, the anti-Asian sentiment experienced during the pandemic by these families, and how such experiences shaped the racial socialization of their biracial children. This study is a qualitative phenomenological study utilizing interview data. Four Asian intermarried women who have biracial child(ren) were recruited. Demographic information was collected prior to interview. The data, concerning research questions, were collected through interview via Zoom. Interview was recorded and transcribed, and the transcription was sent to each participant to review and answer the follow-up questions listed on the transcription. All participants reported their experiences of fear for their life, though none of the participants experienced any anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. They all experienced some forms of microaggressions and such experiences stimulated racial discussions and racial socialization with their spouse and/or their biracial children. Some of the participants' biracial children experienced overt expressions of anti-Asian hate, and Asian mothers discussed such incidents with her children. Their White husbands, while some understood the experiences of microaggression, demonstrated a state of denial or engaged in minimization of their Asian spouse's racial experience.Though the number of international interracially married couple has been fastest growing model of family union, the majority of empirical studies of interracial family is focused on Black and White. This study will fill the gap in the empirical studies on intermarriage in the United States by furthering understanding of the racial socialization of mixed heritage children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)