Date of Award
1999
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Health and Human Sciences
First Supervisor
Dr Christopher Sonn
Abstract
The present study, a replication of Szapocnik, Kurtines and Fernandez's (1980) study, measured the relationship between bicultural involvement and psychological wellbeing for second generation (i.e. born in Australia) Chinese migrants in Perth, Western Australia. Ninety volunteers participated in the study. They were all Australian citizens, over l 8 years of age, and spoke English. Two studies were conducted. Firstly, four volunteers participated in semi-structured interviews to provide a context to data yielded from the quantitative study. Secondly, eighty-six second generation migrants (i.e. born in Australia) completed a questionnaire that included the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire (B1Q) and the General Health Questionnaire, Version 12 (GHQ-12). The B1Q was used to identify an individual's ethnic identity orientation as monocultural, assimilated or bicultural. The GHQ-12 measured psychological wellbeing. A one-way ANCOVA compared the two scores while controlling for age, gender, parent's culture of origin, education level and employment status. The results found a positive relationship between biculturalism and psychological wellbeing. Monoculturalism and assimilation were negatively related to psychological wellbeing. These findings supported contemporary research and contradicted past research findings. Further study is required to ascertain types of biculturalism in the Australian context, and which types of bicultural orientation is linked to increased psychological well being.
Recommended Citation
Kensit, D. A. (1999). Bicultural Involvement and Psychological Well-Being in Second Generation Chinese Migrants in Australia. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/815