Self-construal and socio-emotional development among Vietnamese-American adolescents: An examination of different types of self-construal

This study examined how four different types of self-construal affected perception of socio-emotional adjustment (i.e., anxiety, depression, distress, self-esteem, family cohesion, peer support, pro-substance abuse attitude) and perception of relationship with community (i.e., sense of community, adverse neighborhood) in a sample of 152 Vietnamese-American high-school adolescents. Using cluster analysis, the four-type self-construal model postulated by Kim, Hunter, Miyahara, Horvath, Bresnahan, & Yoon (1996) was replicated in this sample. The bicultural students (i.e., those with strong interdependent and independent self-construal) reported greater perceived adjustment across all measures except anxiety when compared to other groups (marginal, interdependent, and independent) in the study. Implications of the findings are discussed.