“We can make an impact”: A mixed method examination of Asian American parents’ and adolescents’ bidirectional racial-civic socialization

Little is known about Asian American family processes that support adolescents’ civic engagement, especially in the context of anti-Asian racism. This convergent mixed-method explanatory study examined bidirectional racial-civic socialization (RCS) between Asian American parent–adolescent dyads around racial discrimination and how RCS relates to adolescents’ civic engagement. Using observations of 78 Asian American parent–adolescent dyads discussing anti-Asian hate, exploratory qualitative analyses identified how critical consciousness is intertwined in bidirectional RCS. In surveys with 449 dyads (Mparent-age = 46; 81% mothers; Madolescent-age = 14.6; 48% girls), actor–partner models found that adolescent-driven RCS related to higher adolescent civic engagement, especially when adolescents were high in critical motivation. Findings have implications for facilitating racial-civic bidirectional socialization and promoting Asian American adolescents’ civic development.