2024 Partcipants
Development of The Asian American Intergenerational Dialogue Study
Faculty advisor/course instructor: Supriya Misra
Entry #15
“Good luck with that!” is what many colleagues said when we told them about our mental health study asking an Asian American young adult and their family member to participate together. Mental Health, Racism, and Trauma are not often discussed in many Asian American households due to stigmas and generational differences in understanding each of these topics. Our study aims to promote intergenerational dialogue about the mental health impacts of racism and trauma among Asian American young adults and their older adult family members through 15 dyadic (two-person) interviews. To design the study, we first reviewed existing research to gain a better understanding of the problem that has been addressed. Through this, we were able to design a pre-interview survey, a 90-minute interview guide including an interactive activity, and a post-interview survey to reach our study aims. We created multiple versions of the materials, received feedback from different stakeholders (friends, family, faculty), and participated in mock interviews with each other to see how the questions and activities felt to be asked and answered. These feedback and practice processes helped us develop our research praxis and methodology into what it is today. Reflecting on our personal experiences and purpose in this study drives us to acknowledge intergenerational silence and continue creating space for difficult conversations within our community.
Past Partcipants
2023
Exploring perceptions related to the dual use of tobacco and cannabis among young people
Faculty advisor/course instructor: Juliana van Olphen
Entry #15
As the legalization of cannabis continues to rise across the country, its use is rising as well. Dual use of cannabis and tobacco is also increasing, yet little is known about user preferences and patterns of dual use. The purpose of the study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and use related to tobacco and cannabis. Forty youth and young adults residing in Berkeley or Oakland were recruited using flyers, social media advertisements and word of mouth. To be eligible, young adult participants had to be between 18 and 24 and had to report using cannabis 3 or more days per week and youth had to be between the ages of 15 and 17, with at least 1+ day of cannabis use per week in the past 6 months. The final sample included 20 young adults and 20 youth who participated in an in-person in-depth interview. Standard qualitative methods were used to analyze the interviews. Themes identified included that participants had a preference for cannabis over tobacco and, in comparisons of the 2 substances, associated tobacco with more negative health effects. Participants also discussed many important benefits of cannabis use. Better understanding young people’s perceptions and practices related to cannabis and tobacco can help inform public education campaigns to increase awareness of the negative health consequences of chronic cannabis use.