Asian American Parent Advisory Council to educate parents on Asian students' emotional health, stress

Correction (October 5, 12:43 a.m.): Due to an editing error, the story “Asian American Parent Advisory Council to educate parents on Asian students’ emotional health, stress” mistakenly implied that parental and other societal pressures are causes of depression. They are not causes, but potential triggers of depression.The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors.

Growing up in an Asian-American family, sophomore Angela Ju was always driven by her parents’ high expectations.

“My parents always, always tried to provide me with any opportunities,” said Ju, who is a Chancellor’s Carolina Scholar, the secretary of the Sierra Club and a musician of 12 years.

“They just always wanted to make sure that I had my priorities straight.”

But Sarah Whang, chairwoman of the Asian American Parent Advisory Council, said parental and other societal pressures are major causes of depression among Asian-American teenagers.

The council, paired with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, was founded three years ago by a group of Asian-American parents to help other families prevent depression and other issues in their children.

“Our main goal is to educate our Asian-American parents and to help lessen the stigma associated with depression in the community,” Whang said.

To help achieve this goal, the council will hold its third annual parent conference on Oct. 13 at Smith Middle School.

The forum will discuss ways to raise emotionally healthy children and prevent emotional stress.

Whang said parents’ high expectations, cultural conflicts, mental health issues and poor communication skills are the leading causes of depression among Asian teens.

She said Asian parents often don’t want to deal with these problems and don’t voice their concerns.

“They just pray this will be going away,” she said.

According to a National Alliance on Mental Illness report, depression is the second-leading cause of death among Asian-American women, with the highest rate of suicide among women between 15 and 24 years old.

“The parent’s intentions are honorable, yet the typical process is painful for the teens,” said Augustus Cho, former chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, in an e-mail.

Cho said parents must understand teenagers’ education is not about the parents’ social image or ego.

He said they should strive for balance in their child’s life instead of sacrificing everything for academic pursuit.

Stephanie Knott, spokeswoman for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, said Asian-Americans are the second-largest ethnic group in the system at 14.3 percent of student enrollment.

Whang said the council brings these students and their parents together to share problems with each other and the school district.

“It has been working very well,” Whang said.

Holly Wei, an Asian-American parent of two sons, said communication between the child and parents is the key to preventing potential depression issues.

“We should respect each other and listen to what they think and feel about it,” said Wei.

Ju said after growing up under her parents’ strict guidance, she understands their reasoning.

“When I got older, I just learned and recognized that they were selling me to my own good,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be happy about it, but I tried to take their advice, and I found out in the end they were right.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.