Degree Date

2024

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Social Work and Social Research

Abstract

The United States has undergone a significant increase in cultural diversity, with Asians being the fastest-growing immigrant group. Their population has almost doubled from 11.9 million in 2000 to 22.4 million in 2019, marking an 88% increase in less than two decades. Presently, Asians make up 6% of the total U.S. population and are estimated to grow to 46 million by 2060, representing over 10% of the U.S. population. Asians are often considered a model minority due to their higher educational and health status compared to other minority groups. However, they are still perceived as "perpetual foreigners" regardless of their length of stay and generational status in the country. During the pandemic, they became the target of pandemic-related racism that was supported by a political agenda. Amidst unprecedentedly heightened racism and collective trauma in the Asian community, bicultural and bilingual Asian human service workers play a critical role in providing culturally and linguistically aligned health and social services. However, these dedicated workers have not received much attention. Therefore, this research, based on the Asian Critical Race Theory, investigates how the racial positioning and racial realities of Asians in the United States relate to the working conditions of bicultural and bilingual Asian human service workers. This study uses a sequential exploratory mixed-method approach to explore the connection between racially informed factors and the working conditions and burnout of workers in the health and social service fields. The study applies the Job Demands and Job Resources Model to understand this link. The findings of this study support the need to better support a diverse and resilient workforce in the health and social service fields to achieve racial equity for an ever-growing Asian population.

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