Asian American Racism-Related Stress Inventory (AARRSI)

Abstract

The Asian American Racism-Related Stress Inventory (AARRSI) is a specialized 29-item psychological scale developed by Christopher T. H. Liang, Lisa C. Li, and Bryan S. K. Kim in 2004. Its primary function is to measure the frequency and degree of emotional distress associated with various forms of racism experienced by individuals of Asian American heritage. The instrument moves beyond general measures of discrimination by specifically addressing the unique racial stressors and microaggressions faced by this population, grouping these experiences into three distinct factors: Socio-historical Racism, General Racism, and the Perpetual Foreigner stereotype.

Keywords

Asian American, Racism, Stress, Racial Microaggressions, Psychometrics, Perpetual Foreigner, Psychological scale, Ethnic Minority Stress.

Authors

Christopher T. H. Liang, Lisa C. Li, and Bryan S. K. Kim.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the AARRSI is to provide researchers and clinicians with a reliable and valid tool for assessing the psychological burden resulting from racial discrimination within the Asian American community. Prior to its development, existing scales often failed to capture the subtlety and specificity of anti-Asian bias, particularly the pervasive sense of being treated as perpetual foreigners or the impact of historical injustices.

The instrument is designed not only to identify the occurrence of a racist event but also to quantify the emotional reaction or stress level experienced by the respondent. This dual measurement approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of how different types of racial exposure contribute to overall mental health and Racism-Related Stress.

Construct

The AARRSI measures the multidimensional construct of Racism-Related Stress, specifically tailored to the experiences of Asian Americans. This construct encompasses both overt acts of discrimination and insidious forms of racial microaggression, which are often subtle yet cumulatively damaging.

The scale’s structure reflects the unique nature of anti-Asian bias, distinguishing between historical awareness of oppression and immediate interpersonal slights. It is rooted in the understanding that racial stress is not monolithic but arises from various sources, including institutional barriers, cultural invalidation, and the internalization of negative stereotypes.

Validity

Initial validation studies conducted by the authors (Liang et al., 2004) demonstrated robust psychometric properties. Evidence for construct validity was established through confirmatory factor analysis, which supported the theoretically proposed three-factor model. This structure accurately reflected the distinct domains of racial stress.

Furthermore, the AARRSI exhibited strong criterion validity, showing significant and expected correlations with other established measures. For instance, higher scores on the AARRSI were correlated with increased psychological distress, lower self-esteem, and poorer mental health outcomes, confirming that the scale effectively measures the adverse effects of Racism-Related Stress.

Reliability

The AARRSI demonstrated high internal consistency, confirming its reliability as a measure of racial stress. The overall scale and its three subscales yielded high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients in the initial validation sample, suggesting that the items within each factor are highly intercorrelated and consistently measure the same underlying dimension of racial exposure and distress.

This strong internal consistency indicates that the scale provides stable and precise measurements when assessing an individual’s exposure to and emotional reaction toward racial incidents specific to the Asian American experience.

Factor Analysis

The development of the AARRSI relied on factor analysis to delineate the specific dimensions of racial stress. The analysis successfully identified a three-factor structure among the 29 items, providing a crucial framework for interpreting scores:

• Socio-historical Racism: This factor captures awareness of systemic discrimination, historical injustices against Asian peoples, and the lack of Asian American representation or contributions in mainstream narratives (e.g., in history books or management positions).
• General Racism: This factor measures overt acts of discrimination, prejudice, or generalized negative stereotypes that may be experienced in everyday interpersonal interactions (e.g., being treated differently in a restaurant or hearing broad generalizations).
• Perpetual Foreigner: This factor includes items related to the persistent stereotype that Asian Americans are foreign, regardless of their birthplace or citizenship status. Items often involve questions about origin, accent, or being mistaken for other Asian individuals (Perpetual Foreigner).

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological Inventory/Self-report scale

Format: 29 items rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Asian American adults and adolescents.

Age Group: Primarily used with college-aged populations and older adults.

Population Details: Developed using samples of Asian Americans residing in the United States, targeting those who have experienced or are aware of racial discrimination.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate each item based on two dimensions: frequency of occurrence and resulting emotional distress. The scale utilizes the following 5-point response format:

1. This has never happened to me or someone I know.
2. This event happened but did not bother me.
3. This event happened and I was slightly bothered.
4. This event happened and I was upset.
5. This event happened and I was extremely upset.

Keywords

Racial Microaggressions, Ethnic Minority Stress, Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype, Counseling Psychology, Psychometrics, Discrimination, Social Justice, Cultural Competence.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

Affiliation Email addresses:

Correspondence Address:

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The AARRSI was first introduced in 2004 via its publication in the Journal of Counseling Psychology. While the scale is frequently utilized in academic research settings, researchers and practitioners seeking to use the instrument should consult the primary publication (Liang et al., 2004) to adhere to proper citation guidelines and contact the corresponding author regarding any commercial use, modification, or translation of the scale.

Reference’s

• Liang, T. H., Li, L. C., & Kim, S. K.(2004). The Asian American racism-related stress inventory: Development, factor analysis, reliability, and validity. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 103-114.
• Cartier. Chad R.,(2009). Asian American Men’s Gender Role Conflict: An Investigation of Racism-Related Stress. University of Wisconsin-Stout. MS. Thesis.

The full instrument is available on pages 61-62 of the MS Thesis, “Asian American Men’s Gender Role Conflict: An Investigation of Racism-Related Stress,” by Chad R. Cartier (2009). The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2009/2009cartierc.pdf.

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Items of the Asian American Racism-Related Stress Inventory (AARRSI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. You hear about a racially motivated murder of an Asian American man.
2. You hear that Asian Americans are not significantly represented in management positions.
3. You are told that Asians have assertiveness problems.
4. You notice that Asian ch‎aracters in American TV shows either speak bad or heavily accented English.
5. You notice that in American movies‚ male Asian leading ch‎aracters never engage in physical contact (kissing‚ etc.) with leading female ch‎aracters even when the plot would seem to call for it.
6. Someone tells you that the kitchens of Asian families smell and are dirty.
7. You notice that U.S. history books offer no information of the contributions
8. You see a TV commercial in which an Asian ch‎aracter speaks bad English and acts subservient to non-Asian ch‎aracters.
9. You hear about an Asian American government scientist held in solitaryconfinement for mishandling government documents when his non-Asian coworkers were not punished for the same offence
10. You learn that Asian Americans historically were targets of racist actions.
11. You learn that most non-Asian Americans are ignorant of the oppression and racial prejudice Asian Americans have endured in the U.S.
12. At a restaurant you notice that a White couple who came in after you is served before you.
13. You learn that‚ while immigration quotas on Asian peoples were severely restricted until the latter half of the 1900s‚ quotas for European immigrants were not.
14. Someone tells you that it’s the Blacks that are the problem‚ not the Asians.
15. A student you do not know asks you for help in math.
16. Someone tells you that they heard that there is a gene that makes Asians smart.
17. Someone asks you if you know his or her Asian friend! coworker! classmate.
18. Someone assumes that they serve dog meat in Asian restaurants.
19. Someone tells you that your Asian American female friend looks just like Connie Chung.
20. Someone you do not know speaks slow and loud at you.
21. Someone asks you if all your friends are Asian Americans.
22. Someone asks you if you can teach him/her karate.
23. Someone tells you that “you people are all the same.”
24. Someone tells you that all Asian people look alike.
25. Someone tells you that Asian Americans are not targets of racism.
26. Someone you do not know asks you to help him/her fix his/her computer.
27. You are told that “you speak English so well.”
28. Someone asks you what your real name is.
29. You are asked where you are really from.