This study examined how four different types of self-construal affected perception of
socio-emotional adjustment (i.e., anxiety, depression, distress, self-esteem, family
cohesion, peer support, pro-substance abuse attitude) and perception of relationship
with community (i.e., sense of community, adverse neighborhood) in a sample of 152
Vietnamese-American high-school adolescents. Using cluster analysis, the four-type
self-construal model postulated by Kim, Hunter, Miyahara, Horvath, Bresnahan,
& Yoon (1996) was replicated in this sample. The bicultural students (i.e.,
those with strong interdependent and independent self-construal) reported greater
perceived adjustment across all measures except anxiety when compared to other
groups (marginal, interdependent, and independent) in the study. Implications of the
findings are discussed.
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