Associations between gendered racism, racial identity, and nicotine use among Asian American men

The present study utilized an intersectional framework to examine if two forms of gendered racism, psychological emasculation and messages about Asian American men being undesirable partners, were associated with Asian American men's nicotine use. We also examined the potential mediating roles of two racial identity statuses, racial conformity and racial immersion.

A sample of 356 Asian American men living in the United States of America (USA) completed a cross-sectional survey via Qualtrics containing measures assessing the aforementioned constructs of interest. The primary analysis examined separate parallel mediation models, situating psychological emasculation and undesirable partner as separate independent variables, racial conformity and racial immersion as parallel mediators, nicotine use as the outcome, and age and employment as covariates.

In separate parallel mediation models, the links between psychological emasculation and undesirable partner on one hand, and nicotine use on the other, were completely mediated only by racial conformity, and not significantly mediated by racial immersion. Specifically, greater endorsement of gendered racism was associated with greater conformity with (and internalization of) these gendered racist beliefs, which in turn were associated with greater nicotine use.

Researchers and practitioners may consider racial conformity as an interventional target to ameliorate Asian American men's nicotine use. Future studies should continue to examine other culturally relevant and/or potentially protective constructs (e.g., on the basis of gender, race, and its intersection) that may mitigate Asian American men's nicotine use.