Does Ethnicity and Culture Affect Health and Wellbeing?

Researchers at Deakin University in Melbourne are investigating the impact ethnic identity and acculturation has on the health and wellbeing of young people in Australia.

The researchers, Associate Professor David Mellor, and Jessica Wong are looking for adolescent Australians aged between 12-18 years to complete a questionnaire which includes measures of self-esteem, depression, anxiety, stress, risky behaviours, ethnic identity and acculturation.

The research team is hoping its research will add to our knowledge and understanding of how ethnic identity and acculturation influence health and wellbeing.

Previous research in countries such as the USA has shown that when people move from one country to another there are many adjustments to be made.

Some of these adjustments relate to finding a balance between the cultural ways of the old country and those of the new.

Other adjustments include defining one's identity – that is who one is.

These issues are also important for children of immigrants, even if these children were born in the new country.

Research has found that people who have difficulty with these adjustments are affected adversely.

For example, their wellbeing and engagement in risky behaviours may differ from people whose families have lived in the new country for several generations.

Therefore, the researchers from Deakin Uuniversity are interested in finding out if these kinds of outcomes are also likely to be found in Australia amongst young people of Chinese background.

If you wish to participate in this study, please visit http://www.deakin.edu.au/psychology/research/ethnicidentity