Doctoral Candidate Maru Awarded Fellowship for Dissertation Proposal on Asian American Adolescent Suicidality

Mihoko Maru’s doctoral dissertation proposal will reach a national audience when Maru presents at the Council on Social Work Education’s 65th Annual Program Meeting (CSWE APM), held this year in Denver, Colorado.

The presentation, which takes place on October 26th, is one component of the 2019 API Doctoral Fellowship awarded to Maru by the Asian and Pacific Islander Social Work Educators Association (APISWEA), a national organization that offers two fellowships per year to encourage Asian and Pacific Islander doctoral student attendance at the CSWE APM.

The dissertation proposal, A Mixed Methods Study of Asian American Adolescent Suicidality, couples a chronically under-researched population with a topic that, for many, is still a cultural taboo.

According to Maru, “Asian American youths are suffering alone as they try to understand and cope with their mental health challenges, and navigate the challenges of growing up in a bicultural environment.” While research shows an alarmingly high prevalence of mental health issues and suicide among Asian American teens, it’s a topic that Maru says “does not receive enough attention.”

In response, Maru’s proposal outlines a three-part study aimed at revealing the ways that familial and acculturation factors relate to suicidality among Asian American youth – specifically those with immigrant parents.

“Ethnic minority mental health research is crucial for social work practice. It allows us to increase access for clients who are often unaware of the need for care because of culturally-based beliefs,” says Maru.

Maru’s research will also support the commitment of social work practitioners to provide culturally sensitive care and address systemic issues.

Currently, Maru is conducting two quantitative analyses using national survey data sets that she will reconcile with qualitative interview data from the Asian Women’s Health Initiative Project led by Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) associate professor Hyeouk “Chris” Hahm.

Maru successfully defended her prospectus in May of 2019, and plans to defend her dissertation in May 2020.

Article by Lily Rothman, BU School of Social Work