Covid-19 Discrimination and Social Anxiety in Burmese Refugees
The Role of Acculturation and Peer Social Support
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8134107 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elli Cole (0000-0001-6208-5028, University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Shu Su (0000-0003-4172-9474, Youth & Family Services, corresponding author), Mengxi Zhang (0000-0002-2996-5346, Virginia Department of Health), Jill K Walls (0000-0003-1088-1908, Youth & Family Services), Jill Walls (Ball State University), Jenni Thang (0009-0009-0194-869X, Purdue University West Lafayette) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1556-2948 • E-ISSN: 1556-2956 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15562948.2026.2641523 |
| OpenAlex | W7138333766 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 75 |
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, discrimination against Asian refugees surged. Discrimination is associated with higher social anxiety, which may be mediated by acculturation, yet the negative effects could be buffered by social support. This study examined whether COVID-19 anti-Asian discrimination would predict greater social anxiety in Burmese refugees through acculturation and whether social support moderated these effects. A moderated mediation analysis found that marginalization mediated the relationship between COVID-19 discrimination and social anxiety. Peer social support moderated the relationship between discrimination and social anxiety. These results add to the growing literature on the negative psychological effects of COVID-19 on Asian refugees
Acculturation · Burmese · Mediation · Moderated mediation · Refugee · Social anxiety · Social discrimination · Social support · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · COVID-19 and Mental Health
Theoretical perspectives
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Perceived Ethnic Discrimination in Relation to Daily Moods and Negative Social Interactions
Mental Health of Newly Arrived Burmese Refugees in Australia
A meta-analysis of acculturation/enculturation and mental health.
Racism and discrimination in Covid-19 responses
Factors that influence Asian communities' access to mental health care
Social Support and the Significance of Shared Experience in Refugee Migration and Resettlement
Racial/ethnic discrimination and well-being during adolescence
Refugee and migrant health in the Covid-19 response
The cross-national epidemiology of social anxiety disorder
Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Among Adolescents
Discrimination, mental problems and social adaptation in young refugees
The relationship between postmigration living difficulties, social support, and psychological distress of Burmese refugees in the United States
Community integration of Burmese refugees in the United States
Discrimination and Mental Health Among Sexual Minority College Students
The Impact of Acculturation Style and Acculturative Hassles on the Mental Health of Somali Adolescent Refugees
Post-Traumatic Stress and Social Anxiety Among Children of Syrian Refugees in Jordan
A New Beginning
We still keep our culture to stay alive”
Contributions of acculturation, enculturation, discrimination, and personality traits to social anxiety among Chinese immigrants
A Portrait of Refugees from Burma/Myanmar and Bhutan in the United States
Stereotypes of Black American Women Related to Sexuality and Motherhood
An Intersectional Analysis of Gender and Ethnic Stereotypes
U.S. Immigration Policy and Immigrant Children's Well-being
Social support and resilience among Burmese adolescent refugees
Acculturation stress and social support for young refugees in regional areas
Acculturation orientations and mental health when facing post-migration stress
Association of “#covid19” Versus “#chinesevirus” With Anti-Asian Sentiments on Twitter
Friendships Fighting Prejudice
Cultural, self-esteem, and demographic correlates of perception of personal and group discrimination among East Asian immigrants
The Relationship Among Trauma, Acculturation, and Mental Health Symptoms in Somali Refugees
Mental Illness Public Stigma and Generational Differences Among Vietnamese Americans
The Role of Social Support in the Association Between Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Among Young Immigrants in Norway
Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaptation
The Pain of Exile
Asians and Asian Americans’ experiences of racial discrimination during the Covid-19 pandemic
Perceived discrimination and acculturation among Iranian refugees in the Netherlands
Acculturation, discrimination and wellbeing among second generation of immigrants in Canada
Variations in the assessment of acculturation attitudes
Perceived everyday discrimination and psychological distress
Development of a New Scale for Measuring Acculturation
Experiences of Covid-19-related anti-Asian discrimination and affective reactions in a multiple race sample of U.S. young adults
The effect of acculturation and social support on change in mental health among young immigrants
Immigrant Youth
Politicizing immigration in Western Europe
The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
Perceiving pervasive discrimination among African Americans
Status of immigrants’ country of origin and Americans’ assimilation expectations
Emerging adulthood
Factors Influencing the Acculturation of Burmese, Bhutanese, and Iraqi Refugees Into American Society
Social Support and Acculturation in Chinese International Students
The role of discrimination, assimilation, and gender in the mental health of resettled Somali young adults
Trauma and Mental Health in Resettled Refugees
The Effects of General Social Support and Social Support for Racial Discrimination on African American Women's Well-Being
Perceived Discrimination, Social Support Networks, and Psychological Well-being Among Three Immigrant Groups
The Psychosocial Adjustment of the Southeast Asian Refugee
The social context of assimilation
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |