The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies on Asian American Parents' Discrimination Experiences and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Asian American parents have experienced significant stressors associated with racial discrimination and anticipatory COVID-19-related discrimination fear during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may adversely impact their mental health. Emotion regulation strategies may attenuate the negative effects of discrimination experiences on mental health, but existing findings have been inconsistent regarding the associations between these factors, particularly among the Asian American population. One hundred ninety-three Asian American parents (Mage = 40.58 years, SD = 6.42 years; 82.4% female) were assessed on their discrimination experiences (racial discrimination in the past year, COVID-19 discrimination fear), emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression), and mental health (depression, anxiety). Significant interactions emerged between expressive suppression and racial discrimination in the past year on depression (b = .02, p = .006) and anxiety (b = .03, p < .001). Cognitive reappraisal did not significantly moderate the associations between discrimination experiences and mental health. Results indicated that greater use of expressive suppression exacerbated the adverse effects of racial discrimination on the mental health of Asian American parents. These findings inform research and practice regarding the deleterious effects of racial discrimination and the differential impact of using various emotion regulation strategies on the mental health of Asian American parents. Public Policy Relevance Statement Asian American parents are at greater risk for mental health challenges associated with experiencing racial discrimination. This risk is exacerbated when parents also suppress their emotions. These findings highlight the need to develop culturally sensitive ways to help Asian American parents effectively manage discrimination experiences and understand the impact of various emotion regulation strategies on their mental health.