A Systematic Review on Racial Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms Among Asian Americans in the United States from 2009-2019

A growing body of research suggest that experiencing racial discrimination is associated with the development of mental health problems. Lee and Ahn (2011) conducted a meta-analysis that documented the relationship between racial discrimination and psychopathology, including depressive symptoms among Asian Americans. However, evidence of an increase in racial discrimination in the last decade requires examining to what degree its link to depressive symptoms has changed since Lee and Ahn (2011)’s seminal study. To address this issue, I conducted a systematic review of research on racial discrimination and depressive symptoms among Asian Americans from 2009-2019 in the United States. I used PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global to perform my search. My aims were to: 1) understand the relationship between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms, 2) understand how studies vary across sex, age, measures, socioeconomic and ethnic subgroup (e.g., Chinese Americans, Vietnamese Americans). My results demonstrated that the relationship between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms was primarily positive. Factors regarding sex, age, measures, and socioeconomic status varied across studies. Future research should focus more on current issues regarding Asian Americans and use meta-analytic techniques to further investigate any potential moderators such as socioeconomic status and ethnic subgroups.