Where are you from? A validation of the Foreigner Objectification Scale and the psychological correlates of foreigner objectification among Asian Americans and Latinos.

Many ethnic minorities in the United States consider themselves to be just as American as their European American counterparts. However, there is a persistent cultural stereotype of ethnic minorities as foreigners (i.e., the perpetual foreigner stereotype) that may be expressed during interpersonal interactions (i.e., foreigner objectification). The goal of the present study was to validate the Foreigner Objectification Scale, a brief self-report measure of perceived foreigner objectification, and to examine the psychological correlates of perceived foreigner objectification. Results indicated that the Foreigner Objectification Scale is structurally (i.e., factor structure) and metrically (i.e., factor loadings) invariant across foreign-born and U.S.-born Asian Americans and Latinos. Scalar (i.e., latent item intercepts) invariance was demonstrated for the two foreign-born groups and the two U.S.-born groups, but not across foreign-born and U.S.-born individuals. Multiple-group structural equation models indicated that, among U.S.-born individuals, perceived foreigner objectification was associated with less life satisfaction and more depressive symptoms, and was indirectly associated with lower self-esteem via identity denial, operationalized as the perception that one is not viewed by others as American. Among foreign-born individuals, perceived foreigner objectification was not significantly associated directly with self-esteem, life satisfaction, or depressive symptoms. However, perceived foreigner objectification was positively associated with identity denial, and identity denial was negatively associated with life satisfaction. This study illustrates the relevance of perceived foreigner objectification to the psychological well-being of U.S.-born Asian Americans and Latinos.

Validation of Social Connectedness in Mainstream Society and the Ethnic Community Scales.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Social Connectedness in Mainstream Society (SCMN) and the Social Connectedness in the Ethnic Community (SCETH) Scales in two groups of ethnic minorities. We especially examined their theoretical/conceptual and empirical viability in relation to other established constructs of general social connectedness, acculturation, and enculturation. Analyses of two sets of survey data from 200 Mexican American students in California and 134 Asian international students in Minnesota supported (a) construct validity of the SCMN and the SCETH as related but distinct structures, (b) convergent and discriminant validity in relation to acculturation and enculturation, and (c) high reliability. The examination of incremental validity in predicting subjective well-being further supported their distinctive utility in addition to other established constructs of general social connectedness, acculturation, enculturation, ethnic identity, and other group orientation. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

The first puff: forces in smoking initiation among Californians of Korean descent.

This study presents the correlates of initial exposure to cigarettes, variables associated with smoking prevalence and with continued smoking (or not) among adult Californians of Korean descent who have any initial exposure to cigarettes. Among those who have taken a puff, social contingencies contrast those who become current smokers from those who do not. Data were drawn from telephone interviews with adults (N = 2,830) developed from a random sampling of listed persons in California with Korean surnames during 2000-2001. Of the attempted interviews, 86% were completed; and 85% of the interviews were conducted in Korean. Nearly half of all respondents (49.0%) had been exposed to cigarettes, and 41.9% of these reported current smoking, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria (currently smoke and have smoked 100 cigarettes during lifetime). Multivariate analysis suggests that social contingencies may influence both initial exposure to tobacco and continued smoking among Californians of Korean descent. Influences of acculturation on taking the first puff and on current smoking status diverged by gender. Social support increased the likelihood of the first puff among both genders, but the association was stronger among females than among males. Social reinforcers that lead to taking the first puff also discriminated between those who became current smokers and those who did not. Interventions should be directed at these variables among young Korean nonsmokers and new smokers.