Suicide, Identity, and Acculturation:
Study of a Social Problem Within the Hmong
Community
Presented at the
UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium
By
Machiline Xiong
May 15, 2004
Hmong Culture
• Children
Traditional Gender Roles
Withhold Emotions
Academic Success
• Family Structure
Husband Ultimate
Authority
Large, Extended Families
Hmong Culture (cont.)
• Respect the Elders
• Collectivism vs Individualism
• Hesitancy to use Western
Resources
Reliance on Elders
Spiritual Healers
Source: Sacramento Bee
What is a Social Problem?
• A condition or issue that threatens the quality of life
and the most cherished values of most people in a
society, leading them to recognize and agree that
something should be done to remedy that condition.
(Kornblum & Julian, 2001, p. 4)
Unless a problem is perceived or recognized as
potentially harmful, there will not be a response or
attempts to find a solution.
Overview of the Study
• 15 participants from San Diego and Fresno Counties
• Semi-structured interviews conducted
Gender
9 males
6 females
Ethnicity
• 27% Non-Hmong
• 73% Hmong
Occupation
• 5 Students
• 2 Media Sources
• 3 Business Professionals
• 2 School Counselors
• 3 Clinical Health Professionals
Table 1
May 2001
8th Suicide
2001
Aug. 2001
Southeast
Asian
Meeting
Nov. 2001
Suicide
Prevention
Program
Aug. 2002
Media
Headlines
2002
2002
Refugee Information
Exchange Conference
July 2003
Assembly Bill
78
2003
March 2003
HND Conference
Washington, D.C.
Main Research Questions
• How did the string of teen suicides affect the
acculturation of the Hmong?
The suicides were used by community leaders as a means
to accelerate the acculturation of the Hmong.
• “Prior to us, other resources have been looked at as the enemy,
but when we go with them and explain to the Hmong families
what we’re doing and how we can help them to prevent future
conflicts, they’re pretty receptive and they understand.”
- Clinical Health Professional
Main Research Questions (cont.)
• How might the acculturation status
of the Hmong be correlated with the
suicides?
Children are raised to put the
interest of others first so they often
carry the burden alone
• “I usually don’t talk to anyone
when I’m having problems…I
might tell a friend at school, but I
don’t go into detail. …That’s just
how I deal with it.”
- Student
Conclusions
• Immigrant community leaders can use
traumatic events to facilitate acculturation
• Suicides used to present to larger audience that
the Hmong had a social problem
In Summary…
• “The process of becoming an American is most simply called
"Americanization," which must always be a two-way street.
All Americans, not just immigrants, should understand the
importance of our shared civic culture to our national
community.”
(U.S. Commission on Immigrant Reform Report 1997)
Acknowledgements
• Dr. Paul Jesilow
• Dr. Valerie Jenness
• Funding:
UCI Undergraduate
Research Opportunities
Program
• Participants from San
Diego and Fresno
Counties
For more information, please contact:
Machiline Xiong
Department of Psychology & Social Behavior
University of California, Irvine
xiongm@uci.edu