Exploring South Asian American Identities, Acculturation, Contexts and the Intersections of Mental and Physical Health: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Despite being the second largest Asian immigrant group in the United States, South Asian Americans are highly underrepresented in the psychological literature. Considered a ‘model minority’, South Asian Americans are a target of discrimination based on their Brown identity and religious affiliations, making it critical to examine their experiences. Extending the integrated conceptual framework to research pertaining to South Asian Americans published from 2012 to 2022, the aim of this scoping review was three-fold: (i) to identify the demographics of South Asian Americans included; (ii) to identify whether there was discussion or assessment of contexts of emigration and settlement, religious or sociocultural values or beliefs, and individual interpretive processes or everyday activities; and (iii) to identify which aspects of psychological functioning are studied. Utilising PsycInfo, Scopus, and EBSCO, 103 publications met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Indian Americans were the most studied subgroup. Acculturation and physical/mental health, or relationships, parenting, and identity were frequently studied domains. The review highlights the critical need for future studies to examine the diversity of South Asian American experiences, assess relevant contexts, beliefs, values and worldviews and explore individual meaning-making processes using culturally sensitive methods. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's community and social impact statement.