Social Connectedness and Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Black and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Emerging Adults

What happens when the same social worlds that offer young adults connection—families, friendships, faith communities, and digital networks—also become places where stigma, discrimination, and silence can shape mental health?

Mental health and help-seeking do not occur in isolation. Families, friendships, faith communities, neighborhoods, and digital networks can provide connection and support, but they can also be contexts in which stigma, discrimination, and expectations about mental health shape whether distress is recognized, discussed, or brought to professional attention.

In the MRI-funded project Social Connectedness and Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Black and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Emerging Adults, Dr. Hans Oh (University of Southern California) examines how these relational contexts influence mental health and decisions about seeking care among Black and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) emerging adults.

Emerging adulthood is a developmental period characterized by increasing independence, identity formation, and changing social networks. For Black and AANHPI young adults, these transitions may occur alongside experiences of racial discrimination, mental health stigma, structural inequities, and barriers to culturally responsive care. The project examines how social relationships may either buffer these stressors or contribute to the conditions under which they affect psychological well-being.

Digital environments are an important part of this relational context. Exposure to online racism and discriminatory content may contribute to psychological distress, but its effects may differ depending on the social resources surrounding an individual. Close friendships, family cohesion, religious communities, and access to emotional or practical support may influence how racialized experiences are interpreted and managed. Conversely, loneliness or difficulty discussing personal concerns may increase vulnerability.

The study draws on survey data collected in 2025 from 2,800 emerging adults across the United States, including 1,600 Asian American participants and 1,200 Black or African American participants. Participants represent diverse geographic, socioeconomic, gender, and ethnic backgrounds, allowing the research team to examine both shared and subgroup-specific patterns.

The project assesses multiple dimensions of social connectedness, including close relationships with friends and family, emotional and practical support, comfort discussing private concerns, religious participation, and loneliness. These relational factors are examined in association with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and perceived need for mental health support.

A central aim is to determine whether stronger relational resources are associated with better mental health and greater recognition of the need for help. The study also examines whether social connectedness moderates the effects of online racism—for example, whether supportive relationships buffer the association between racialized experiences and psychological distress, or whether loneliness intensifies it. Analyses will further explore how these processes vary across social and demographic contexts.

The quantitative component is complemented by approximately 100 in-depth interviews with Black and AANHPI emerging adults. Participants discuss identity, family and community relationships, discrimination, stigma, religion, treatment preferences, and their experiences deciding whether and where to seek support. These accounts allow the researchers to examine not only whether social relationships are associated with mental health outcomes, but how particular relationships become sources of support, barriers to care, or both.

Integrating survey and interview data is central to the project’s mixed-methods design. Quantitative analyses will identify broader patterns in social connectedness, psychological distress, and help-seeking, while qualitative findings will provide insight into how those patterns are experienced and interpreted in everyday relational contexts. Together, these approaches will inform a culturally grounded framework for understanding how social networks shape responses to distress and pathways toward care.

The project also incorporates community participation in translating its findings. A Community Advisory Board will contribute to the development of culturally relevant materials for practitioners, community organizations, and the public, while emerging adults from Black and AANHPI communities will participate in dissemination efforts.

By situating mental health and help-seeking within families, friendships, communities, and digital environments, this project advances a relational understanding of psychological well-being. It recognizes that social connection is not uniformly protective: its effects depend on the nature of relationships, the resources they provide, and the broader contexts in which they operate. Understanding these processes may help identify more culturally responsive pathways to support and mental health care.