McNair Scholar 2021 Maria Xiong
Maria Xiong is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, minoring in Family Social Science. Her research interests focus on mental health in marginalized communities and expanding mental health resources to enhance the well-being of marginalized communities. Ms. Xiong strives to earn her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.
My dream is to improve bridges between mental health resources and marginalized communities by directly cultivating current and future professionals through teaching and conducting community-engaged research.
Research project
Personal/Group Discrimination Discrepancy: Worry About Discrimination Among Asian Americans During COVID-19
Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans experienced increased anti-Asian hate and violence that has been linked to stress, anxiety, and depression (Stop AAPI Hate, 2021). This study draws data from the COVID-19 Wellness Study, a longitudinal 6-wave survey, on the impact of the pandemic on the University of Minnesota community. We will use Waves 5 (February 2021) and 6 (April 2021), which consists of 79 Asian American participants, to determine if Asian Americans report more worry about group discrimination than personal discrimination before and after the Atlanta spa shootings (March 16, 2021), where six Asian American women were killed. We will also determine the degree to which worries about personal and group discrimination are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. To investigate these aims, we will examine correlations among these variables and conduct t-tests and regression analyses.
Faculty mentor
Dr. Richard M. Lee is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Distinguished University Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology, with a specialty in Counseling Psychology, from Virginia Commonwealth University. Currently, Dr. Lee is working on his COVID-19 Wellness Study; a 6-wave longitudinal survey study that focuses on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the University of Minnesota community. Additionally, his research focuses on unique racial and ethnic experiences of youth and adults. Specifically, how those experiences relate to the development, well-being, and mental health among racial and ethnic minority individuals and families.