Death and Dying in Four Asian American Cultures: A Descriptive Study

Among ethnic minorities, the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) American group is the fastest growing, and, as a whole, is quite longevous. Although there is a significant literature on the history and religious traditions of API cultures, little has been published on death rituals and beliefs of the American descendants of these groups. The purpose of this study was to begin to explore cultural variations in response to the process of dying and grieving among four Asian American populations--Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Filipino. To this end, key informants and focus group interviews were conducted with members of these ethnic groups, and significant differences among, and within, groups were found. The small size and Hawaiian base of the sample preclude generalization of findings to the United States as a whole. However, this study provides health care workers with information that can increase their awareness of and sensitivity to Asian American approaches to death and dying.