Research project rough draft
waffles
SuicideIdeationAmongAsianAmericanFemaleCollegeStudents.pdf
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 1
Suicide Ideation Among Asian American Female College Students:
A Study on Impact Factors
Jessica Truong
San Francisco State University
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 2
Introduction
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among the college-aged population (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). During the past 40 years, the suicide rate
among young people aged 15-34 years has nearly tripled (Barrios, Everett, Simon, & Brener,
2000). Studies have indicated that 6-10% of undergraduate college students have considered
suicide in the last 12 months (Drum, Brownson, Burton, & Smith, 2009) and 24% have thought
about attempting suicide during their time in college (Westefeld et al., 2005). Suicide and
depression is a major mental issue among college aged students. College students represent an
important subpopulation of the United States with as many as 18 million students enrolled in any
time (Turner, Leno, & Keller, 2013). There have been studies highlighting protective and risk
factors for suicide among U.S. college students. Unfortunately, many of these studies neglect the
Asian American community. The ignorance in information is concerning because college
campuses are growing in ethnic diversity. According to the National Center for Educational
Statistics, racial and ethnic minority students made up 31% of the U.S. college population
(National Center for Educational Statistics, 2008). A 2005 study found that Asian American
college students are more likely to seriously consider suicide than their white peers (Kisch,
Leino, & Silverman, 2005). Only a handful of studies have examined risk and protective factors
of suicide associated with Asian American college students so there is not much to refer to. My
study is based on risk and protective factors of suicide that hold true for the Asian American
community.
Gender has been identified as a factor in suicide ideation. My study focuses on the Asian
American female college student experience. Although more males complete suicide than
females, a study using a sample of college students show that females report higher levels of
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 3
suicide ideation (Stephenson, Pena-Shaff, & Quirk, 2006). Scholars believe this is due to the
unique set of stressors presented to the Asian American female (Chung, 2003). These stressors
include racism, sexism, and negative stereotypes about Asian American females. These stressors
can lead to poor self-esteem and dissatisfaction in one’s appearance compared to their White
female counterparts. This unique set of stressors is why suicide ideation is higher among Asian
American females than males. There are even discrepancies on suicide ideation among Asian
American females. Nativity (U.S born) or being an immigrant has shown to be an important
factor in determining risk for suicidal behaviors and for completed suicide rates among ethnic
females. Immigrants are assumed to have a lower risk for suicidal behavior compared to native-
born Americans. This assumption is based on the “healthy immigrants thesis” which explains
immigrants should commit suicide less because they are generally above-average in mental and
physical health (Sorenson & Shen, 1996). According to the study done by Duldulao, Takeuchi,
and Hong, U.S.-born Asian American women are the group that appears to be most at-risk for
suicidal behaviors compared to immigrant men and women, but it is unclear what factors
contribute to this difference (Duldulao, Takeuchi, & Hong, 2009). Their study comprised of 998
men and 1,097 women.
Depression and mental illness are catalysts to suicide ideation. Despite the prevalence of
these issues among Asian American females, those who suffer from these illnesses delay or do
not seek health care all together. Multiple factors have been identified and associated with the
underutilization of mental health services. These factors include: a lack of mental health services
and providers for Asian Americans, the delay of recognizing symptoms and seeking help, the use
of alternative services such as religious leaders, public stigma, language barriers, and
generational status (Yeung, Dougher, & Hahm, 2015). Asian Americans typically avoid mental
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 4
health services because utilizing these resources would require admitting the existence of a
mental health problem. A quantities analysis of the study conducted by the Asian American
Women’s Sexual Health Initiative, highlights the influence of the Asian family and community
stigma on mental health utilization. The study found that parents are dismissive about mental
health concerns. Participant 17 of the study revealed that her parents dismissed her depression
because they could not see anything physically wrong with her and that her parents do not
believe in mental illness (Yeung, Dougher, & Hahm, 2015). This results in the children feeling
lonely and emotionally isolated because they are unable to speak to their parents about their
mental illness. The community still views mental health as taboo subject, resulting in lack of
awareness or acknowledgement of the subject.
Mental illness is a prevalent problem in the Asian American community and it’s time
people start to recognize it. This subject has been brought to the nation’s attention by some high-
profile cases of suicide committed by Asian American college students. Jiwon Lee, a dental
student from Columbia University was found dead, floating in the Hudson River. This prompted
investigators to believe she committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge.
Lee suffered from depression and tried to commit suicide once before. Investigators found a
suicide note on her desk addressed to her family. The note read that “it wasn’t their fault, she
gave up on life and that she was not living up to expectations” (Zhang, 2016). Lee’s case is a
prime example of what can happen when mental illness prevails. We can only assume a few
factors of why she chose to end her life through her suicide note but we will never truly
understand what was going on inside her head. Because little is known about ideation suicide
among Asian American female college students, we should conduct research on preventative and
risk factors.
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 5
Methods
For this research project, I used a survey as my method for collecting opinions on this
topic. The survey consists of 31 questions asking participants about suicide impacts. A total of
24 people participated in this survey. My research focuses on Asian American female college
students. I chose my participants accordingly. I sent out 20 surveys to my fellow female Asian
American Community Health Issues classmates. Additionally, I sent out 20 surveys on
Facebook. I made sure to only send the surveys out to people who I knew where Asian
American, female, and is attending college. This survey took me about one week to create. It was
challenging finding the right questions to ask. Once the survey was created, it took three days
before I collected 24 responses. The survey consists mostly of “yes” or “no” questions and a few
short answers. The time spent on this survey depend on how much or how little detail the
participant would like to share.
The first part of my survey consists of demographic questions. These questions covered
the participant’s ethnicity, age, college status, major, work, nativity, and immigration. Following
this section, I asked participants a series of questions asking for their opinions on suicide and
mental health. These questions ask if the participants believe that suicide and mental health is a
taboo or shameful subject within the Asian American community. It also asks the participants if
they have ever suffered with depression and mental health themselves and if they would seek
help if they do. The survey then focuses on family impacts. These questions ask participants if
they have ever felt pressure from their families to well in school, pursue a certain major or to
study after school and on weekends. Participants were also asked if they could talk to their
families about their emotions. The next section of the survey asked participants to assess their
own feelings in relation to school, family, and the model minority myth. Lastly, I asked the
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 6
participants questions about depression and self-harm. These questions offered a short answer
option, so participants may elaborate on their feelings.
After the survey closed, I preformed some simple statistics by providing percentages. I
divided each category of answers by the total number of responses for that question and placed
them in a table. By doing this, it helped me understand my data. I noticed which answers were
the majority. Calculating my percentages, I found that my survey over represents the Filipino
community. This serves as a limitation to me because majority of the opinions reflected in my
survey represent the Filipino community and few other Asian ethnicities. I will not know if the
opinions on suicide ideation and mental illness found in my survey hold true for other Asian
ethnicities. Native-born Asian Americans were also over represented in my survey. This limits
my data on immigrant female college suicide ideation.
Results
My survey is essentially divided by demographic questions, opinions on suicide and
mental illness, familial pressures, personal success, and questions centered around suicide
ideation in relation to the participant. Of the 24 Asian American female college students that
participated in my survey, 71% (n=17) are Filipino. 100% (n=24) of the participants are aged 18-
25 years old. 71% (n=17) of the participants are U.S born. 55% (n=12) are in their junior year of
college and 67% (n=16) of participants are currently working. These demographic questions help
me understand what population my survey represents. These answers will later become key
factors in the assessment of other responses. For example, those who work have less time to
devote to school work which may lead them to feelings of stress. Based on my results, I can
confidently say that those who participated in my survey are mostly upperclassmen. This fact
may result in some of these participants to feel pressure. They are about to graduate and do not
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 7
want to do badly in their final years. My results also overly represent the Filipino population
compared to other Asian American ethnicities.
The next section of questions is focused on the participant’s thoughts and opinions on the
topics of suicide and mental illness. Eighty percent (n=19) of my respondents think that suicide
and mental illness is a taboo subject in the Asian American community. 83% (n=20) of my
respondents think that suicide and mental illness is a shameful subject in the Asian American
community. 83% (n=20) of survey participants would seek help if they had a mental illness.
These results were not supposed to be shocking because I knew this was the attitude towards
mental illness and suicide in the Asian American community, but having these thoughts and
attitudes confirmed by my respondents shook me a little. These thoughts and attitudes toward
suicide and mental illness make people think that it is shameful to have a mental illness. It
prevents people from accepting their illness. They are too scared of what others may think to
confront it. This leads to people not doing anything about their mental illness or suicide ideation
which can result in fatal consequences Even though the majority responded that they would seek
help if they had a mental illness, the responses that said they wouldn’t is concerning. Those who
responded that they wouldn’t seek help may be a result of feeling shame for having a mental
illness/suicide ideation.
Family plays a major role in our lives. Sometimes their expectations are too much for the
individual to handle. 79% (n=19) of participants say that they feel pressure from their family to
do well in school. 83% (n=20) report that their families equate success with good grades.
Knowing that my participant’s families want them to do well in school does not prove that
family is a risk factor for suicide. 63% (n=15) of respondents reported no pressure from their
families to pursue a certain major. Asian Americans have always been associated with
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 8
“traditional majors” such as business, biology, nursing, and computer science. If anyone goes
outside the norm, they are questioned. Asian American families are stereotyped on having a
strong emphasis on academic success. 71% (n=17) of participants reported that they grew up in a
strict household, but 71% (n=17) also said they felt no pressure from their families to study after
school and on weekends. When asked if the participants could talk about their emotions with
their families, 58% reported yes. Family was also identified as someone participants can turn to
when they feel depressed. Based on my survey findings, I cannot conclude if family is a
protective factor or a risk factor. Although the participant’s families place an emphasis on
academic success, they seem to be supportive of the participant’s personal pursuits.
People give themselves a lot of pressure to succeed in what they do. This pressure they
put on their minds and bodies can strain them mentally and physically. 92% (n=22) of
respondents feel great stress and anxiety on doing well in school. 79% (n=19) of respondents
admit that they compare themselves to others. 58% (n=14) of respondents say that they equate
success with good grades. 83% (n=20) of participants reveal that they feel like they will let their
family down if they do not do well in school. 92% (n=22) of respondents put pressure on
themselves to succeed in school. A high percentage of participants also disclosed that they
compare themselves to others. With social media these days, it’s easy to see what your classmate
from high school is doing. Comparison to others can lead to feelings of mediocrity and
depression if you do not measure up. When asked if participant’s felt pressure to uphold the
model minority myth, 54% (n=13) reported that they sometimes did. These results reveal that the
participant’s place a heavy burden on themselves to do well in school for both themselves and
their families. Comparison to others and the social pressures to be the “model minority” may
play into this pressure.
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES 9
The very thought of suicide and mental illness is a sensitive subject. It can be difficult for
individuals to speak about their feelings towards depression and suicide ideation. The next series
of questions in the survey is focused on the topic on suicide ideation. When asked if participant’s
ever felt like life is not worth living, 67% (n=16) responded “no”. These questions can be
triggering. If they answered “yes” to that question, they were asked to elaborate on their feelings.
Most participants skipped that question or answered with “pass”, “I don’t know”, or “I don’t
want to talk about this”. 61% (n=14) reported that have they have not thought about harming
themselves or taking their own life. Those who answered “yes”, were required to answer a
follow up question: When did you have these thoughts? Six out of seven participants answered,
“during high school”. Participants were then asked what triggers them to have thoughts of self-
harm. Majority of the answers revolve around the theme of school, especially during finals.
Reponses also reveal the feeling of inadequacy as a trigger to these thoughts. One participant
responded with “Feeling lost and confused on what I'm doing career wise. Feeling like I took too
long in school and am behind everyone in my high school class.”. Lastly, participants were asked
if they have someone to talk to when they are depressed. 71% (n=17) reported that they did have
someone to talk to when they are depressed. Friends, family, and significant others were
recognized as the people the participants go to for comfort.
Conclusion
My survey was created to find some insight on suicide ideation among Asian American
female college students. What I found was that the subject of suicide and mental illness is still
considered taboo and shameful. This attitude may lead those with a mental illness not to seek
help due to the associated feelings of shame. Results have also shown that the family can be
either a risk factor or a protective factor. High percentages of the respondents report that they felt
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES
10
pressure from their families to do well in school and felt like they would let their family down if
they did not. In contrast to this, when participants were asked if they had someone to talk to
when feeling depressed, family or certain family members were identified as an important
protective factor. Academic performance is a risk factor for suicide ideation. Majority of the
participants report putting great pressure on themselves to succeed in school. Once asked when
participants had thoughts of self-harm, a staggering amount reported that they had those thoughts
in high school. Participants reveal that not doing well in school is the main factor for them to
have thoughts of self-harm. Additionally, friends and significant others have been identified as
supportive factor with most survey participants saying those people are who they go to when
they are depressed.
My three main findings were 1) Although family puts significant pressure on the
individuals to do well in school, participants still feel comfortable going to their family when
feeling depressed. 2) Relationships with individuals outside of the family serve as a protective
factor with individuals going to their friends or significant others for consoling. 3) School is a
major risk factor for thoughts of self-harm with participants revealing they are most vulnerable to
these thoughts during tests and finals. Although this is what my findings show, I do not think
anything is a definitive answer besides school being a risk factor for thoughts of self-harm. I
believe my findings came out this way due to the questions I asked the participants. These
responses were not necessarily what I was looking for. I was looking for more definitive, solid
answers. Due to the lack of questions I asked, I did not receive the results that I wanted. Even
with 31 questions, I was barely scratching the surface. When it comes to collecting opinions, I
think it is best to ask as many questions as you can think of. Writing survey questions is a tricky
task. I thought the questions I wrote covered all aspects of what I was looking for but it didn’t.
Running Head: SUICIDE IDEATION AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALES
11
Looking back on my survey questions, I find them not to be very good. I wondered why I asked
some of the questions I did because it didn’t seem to fit the flow of the survey. My findings are a
direct result of the questions asked. I should have asked better questions or asked more
questions.
There have not been any studies done on suicide ideation among Asian American female
college students. I believe that is because it is a very specific population. I will be comparing my
study to Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Asian American Students’ Suicidal
Ideation: A Multi-campus National Study by Y. Joel Wong, Chris Brownson, and Alison E.
Schwing. Their study explored the risk and protective factors associated ideation among 1,377
Asian American college students across 66 college campuses whereas my own study consisted of
24 participants and a few campuses. Their study focused on the concept of “belongingness”
because a sense of belonging is proven important to the adjustment of a college student (CITE).
In addition to belongingness they sought out other factors that have previously been cited as a
risk or protective factor. Some factors included mental health, gender, and academic
performance which I also sought after in my own study. Their study however used these factors
(mental health, gender, academic performance, etc.) and three indicators of belonginess (living
with a family member, living with a partner, and active participation in at least one student
organization) to find the percentage of those who had morbid thoughts and those who have
seriously considered. This is where our studies differ. Although, we had similar determining
factors in our studies, our results were not the same. Their study focused mostly on belonginess
so their questions did not go in depth about academic performance and mental health compared
to my study which did.
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Understanding risk and protective factors of suicide ideation is vital to the health of the
Asian American community. We have already established that suicide ideation and tendencies
stem from mental illness. There are a bountiful of factors that that contribute to the development
of mental illness. These factors include societal and familial pressures. Those who suffer from
mental illness are not well. Two thirds of Americans who complete suicide was suffering from
depression at the time of their deaths. Depression that is untreated, undiagnosed, or mistreated is
the number one cause of suicide (11 Facts About Suicide). By studying more in depth about
factors we already know contribute to suicide, we may be able to identify symptoms and develop
prevention methods and programs to help save lives. Suicide is a quiet killer among Asian
Americans. It is prevalent but people do not want to speak about it. Suicide is the eight-leading
cause of death among Asian Americans and the second cause of death for Asian Americans aged
15-34 (Duldulao, Takeuchi, & Hong, 2009). Mental illness is an invisible disease. The happiest
looking person could be quietly suffering from mental illness. In order to keep the Asian
American community healthy, we must understand what makes them sick, physically and
mentally. Identifying factors that result in mental illness is a difficult task. Mental illness and
suicide is still regarded as a taboo subject so those who suffer from it may not want to
acknowledge it and seek help. More study needs to be done on my why young Asian Americans,
especially young women have the most thoughts of self-harm during their time in school.
Prevention efforts should include raising more awareness about mental illness in the Asian
American community. Since suicide rates are highest among Asian American youth, schools
should implement a mandatory workshop for all its youth. If we can identify a problem before it
happens, lives can be saved.
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