Collective trauma requires collective healing: The association between racial trauma and radical healing in Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between racial trauma and radical healing in Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). It was hypothesized that racial trauma symptoms would be positively associated with radical healing, which includes five components: critical consciousness, radical hope, strength and resistance, cultural authenticity and self-knowledge, and collectivism.

Method: Participants were 436 AANHPI adults who completed a cross-sectional survey comprising questionnaires that assessed each study variable. A multivariate regression was conducted to examine the association between symptoms of racial trauma and components of radical healing in AANHPIs.

Results: Racial trauma was significantly associated with some components of radical healing and not others. Specifically, racial trauma symptoms were positively associated with critical motivation, critical action-sociopolitical participation, collectivism, cultural authenticity and self-knowledge, and radical hope. Racial trauma was not associated with critical reflection-perceived inequality, critical reflection-egalitarianism, or strength and resistance.

Conclusions: AANHPIs who experience racial trauma may respond to the oppressive nature of racism by engaging in radical healing. Findings suggest the importance of promoting radical healing through programs and interventions to support AANHPIs in healing from racial trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).