Perceived discrimination, cultural identity, and psychological well-being among Chinese-Italian young adults: A mixed-methods study

Although globalization and immigration have become increasingly prominent phenomena, research on Chinese immigrants has primarily focused on the United States rather than Europe. To address this gap, a project titled "CCCC - Chinese Cross-Cultural Connections" was conducted to examine how various individual and social factors influence the identity development of adults of Chinese descent aged 18-25 who were born, raised, and/or currently live in Italy. As part of this project, the current thesis focuses on 136 Italian-Chinese young adults who were interviewed and asked to produce an identity map, a pictorial representation of hyphenated identities (Sirin et al., 2008; Sirin & Fine, 2007). These interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data on the identity integration strategies of the participants and the challenges they face in managing the two cultural affiliations. Analysis of identity maps and responses to open-ended questions revealed that most participants manifested integrated or parallel identities, revealing a positive adaptation and integration of their Chinese and Italian cultural identities. Quantitative analysis showed that identity configurations were significantly associated with national identity scores. Higher levels of perceived discrimination were linked to lower psychological well-being, and participants with a conflicted identity configuration reported significantly lower well-being than those with an integrated identity. Moreover, at low levels of Chinese ethnic identity, greater discrimination was associated with lower psychological well-being, whereas a stronger Chinese ethnic identity attenuated this negative relationship, acting as a protective factor. The effect of discrimination however, did not vary according to the Italian national identity of the participants. Future research should include more representative samples of Chinese-origin immigrants across different cultural contexts to further explore the association between cultural identities and well-being. More cultural support programs, anti-discrimination policies, and cross-cultural activities are needed to promote minority youth’s well-being.