Profiles of Antiracist and Antisocial Online Behaviors among Asian American College Instagram Users: Associations with Academic Adjustment and Substance Use.

Abstract

Asian American college students spend more time online compared to their peers, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, online racism against Asian Americans has continued to increase. In response, students may engage in positive behaviors such as antiracist actions and coping with racism, while negative behaviors such as online antisocial behaviors and problematic internet use (PIU) are also common. However, little research has examined how these experiences influence Asian American students' academic adjustment, partly because the model minority myth portrays them as uniformly high-achieving and well-adjusted. Theories further underscore the importance of cultural factors in shaping both Asian American students' behaviors and their adjustment. This study examined co-occurring patterns of four online behaviors (antiracist actions, coping with racism, antisocial behaviors, and PIU), and their links to three domains of college adjustment (educational, relational, and psychological) substance use, and their associations with cultural factors. Participants were 235 Asian American students (M_age = 20.36, SD = 1.50, 47.2% women) who completed an online survey. Latent profile analysis revealed three profiles. The Antiracist (highest antiracist/coping, low antisocial behavior, moderate PIU) profile reported higher overall college adjustment. Both the Antisocial (moderate antiracist/coping, highest antisocial and PIU) and Low Engagement profiles reported lower college adjustment, but the Antisocial profile reported greater substance use whereas the Low Engagement profile reported lower substance use. Cultural correlates were differentially related across profiles. Findings highlight both protective and maladaptive roles of online behaviors and highlight the importance of considering cultural factors, and their impact on college adjustment and substance use.