Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Prospective Longitudinal Study Of Depression, Perceived Stress, And Perceived Control In Resettled Syrian Refugees’ Mental Health And Psychosocial Adaptation, B.C.H Kuo, Lance M. Rappaport

Psychology Publications

This prospective study examined the psychosocial adaptation of a community sample of newly resettled Syrian refugees in Canada (N = 235). Specifically, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and perceived control were collected in Arabic at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Two theory-informed, cross-lagged panel models demonstrated that higher baseline depressive symptoms predicted lower perceived self-efficacy and lower perceived control at 1-year follow-up. Similarly, baseline depressive symptoms were concurrently correlated with higher perceived helplessness, lower perceived self-efficacy, and lower perceived control. Secondary regression analyses further demonstrated that baseline depressive symptoms predicted lower perceived social support and higher anxiety symptoms, though neither were …

“It’S The Best Of Both Worlds!”: Investigating Bicultural Stress In Adult Bicultural Canadians, Carolyn Tran, Kathryn Lafreniere, B.C.H Kuo, Kathryn Edmunds

Psychology Publications

This study delves into the ecological factors that predict bicultural stress among bicultural adult Canadians while uncovering common themes surrounding their bicultural identity and developmental journey. A sample of bicultural Canadians (N = 147; 88% female, Mage = 20.72) participated in an online survey consisting of standardized self-report measures and open-ended inquiries about their bicultural experience. The study identified factors contributing to current levels of bicultural stress through regression analysis. Additionally, thematic analysis was conducted to explore participants’ narratives about their bicultural experiences. Participants were of diverse racial/ethnic Canadian backgrounds (Middle Eastern, n = 50; East and Southeast Asian, n …

Evaluating The Effects Of Cultural Immersion On Counselor Trainees' Multicultural Development And Intercultural Competence: A Metasynthesis Of Qualitative Evidence, Ben C.H. Kuo, Nada Hussein, Nadeen Makhzoum, Pinky Sabhnani, Matthew Zvric

Psychology Publications

This metasynthesis critically surveyed and evaluated the learning impacts on counselor and psychology trainees’ multicultural development and intercultural competence through participating in cultural immersion (CI), based on published qualitative research evidence. Accordingly, this metasynthesis identified and assessed the characteristics, the methodological strengths and qualities, and the thematic findings of 33 qualitative and mixed-methods CI studies resulting from exhaustive database searches. Using a directed content analysis technique, a six-domain analytical framework was applied to code and analyze the themes reported in these studies. The results point to CI intervention as a multifaceted and versatile instructional apparatus that impacted and contributed to …

Assessing Virtual Mental Health Access For Refugees During The Covid-19 Pandemic Using The Levesque Client-Centered Framework: What Have We Learned And How Will We Plan For The Future?, Michaela Hynie, Annie Jaimes, Anna Oda, Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard, Laura Perez Gonzalez, Nicole Ives, Farah Ahmad, Ben C.H. Kuo, Neil Arya, Nimo Bokore, Kwame Mckenzie

Psychology Publications

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health services rapidly transitioned to virtual care. Although such services can improve access for underserved populations, they may also present unique challenges, especially for refugee newcomers. This study examined the multidimensional nature of access to virtual mental health (VMH) care for refugee newcomers during the COVID-19 pandemic, using Levesque et al.’s Client-Centered Framework for Assessing Access to Health Care. One hundred and eight structured and semi structured interviews were conducted in four Canadian provinces (8 community leaders, 37 newcomer clients, 63 mental health or service providers or man-agers). Deductive qualitative analysis, based on the Client-Centered …

Wisdom, Cultural Synergy, And Social Change: A Taiwanese Perspective, Shih Ying Yang, Ben C.H. Kuo, Song Po Lin

Psychology Publications

This study examined the relationships among wisdom, cultural synergy (i.e., incorporating lessons learned from different cultures), and social change by re-analyzing 220 “wisdom incidents” (i.e., real-life displays of wisdom) collected from 1997 to 2003 from 66 Taiwanese adults nominated as wise individuals (Yang, 2008a). We addressed these questions empirically with a mixed-methods approach: (a) “What are the features of cultural synergy involved in the Taiwanese wisdom nominees’ narratives about their displays of wisdom?”; and (b) “How are real-life displays of wisdom related to cultural synergy and social change?” Wisdom is defined as a real-life process that entails three components: (a) …

The Impact Of Sexual Education And Socialization On Sexual Satisfaction, Attitudes, And Self-Efficacy, Rebecca Nurgitz, Rebecca Pacheco Ms, Charlene Y. Senn, Karen L. Hobden

Psychology Publications

This study examined the relation between school-based sexual education and parental messages about sex received in adolescence, and sexual attitudes and experiences in young adulthood. Participants—99 Canadian undergraduate students aged 17–25 years—reported that their sexual education largely focused on traditional topics (e.g., negative health outcomes, physiology, etc.), while social and emotional topics were less likely to be formally covered. Parental sexual socialization that was more comfortable and accepting of teen sexuality was related to more permissive sexual attitudes in young adults, but was unrelated to self-efficacy or sexual satisfaction. When all variables were examined using hierarchical regression, sexual education and …

Recovery From Anorexia Nervosa In Contemporary Taiwan: A Multiple-Case Qualitative Investigation From A Cultural-Contextual Perspective, Yunung Lee, Ben C.H. Kuo, Ping Hwa Chen, Nien Hwa Lai

Psychology Publications

Grounded in a cultural and contextual perspective, the current study examined the lived experiences and the recovery pathways of three Taiwanese women diagnosed with various subtypes of anorexia nervosa, at varying stages of their recovery. Specifically, using a multiple-case qualitative method, this study explored the complex, dynamic interactions of sociocultural factors and forces (i.e., cultural, familial, and societal influences) that impinge upon the three Taiwanese female participants in relation to living with anorexia nervosa in contemporary Taiwan. Data were collected based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the participants and relevant written materials and journal entries provided by these participants. The …

An Evaluation Of Strategies Used To Maximize Intervention Fidelity In A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Sexual Assault Resistance Program For University Women, Karen L. Hobden, Wilfreda E. Thurston, Gail L. Mcvey, Charlene Y. Senn

Psychology Publications

In this paper, we describe and evaluate the strategies used to maximize intervention fidelity in a randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of a sexual assault resistance intervention. The EAAA program was based on the best available theory and evidence on how women can successfully resist sexual coercion from male acquaintances. Extensive protocols for hiring, training, and supervising facilitators were established a priori. Detailed intervention manuals were developed that clearly described program goals, learning objectives, core elements, troubleshooting tips, sections that must be delivered verbatim, adaptations that could be made if necessary, and the ideal and minimum dose. Program …

Self-Esteem, Resilience, Social Support, And Acculturative Stress As Predictors Of Loneliness In Chinese Internal Migrant Children: A Model-Testing Longitudinal Study, Ben C.H. Kuo, Siqi Huang, Xiaoyan Li, Danhua Lin

Psychology Publications

The present study examined the risk and protective factors of loneliness among Chinese internal migrant children (CIMC) in Beijing, China, including self-esteem, resilience, social support, and acculturative stress. Longitudinal survey data were collected from a large sample of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade CIMC from three schools in Beijing, at four time points (N=862 at T1 to N=837 at T4) over a 20-month period. Grounded in the Cultural and Contextual Model of Coping and the Acculturation Theory, two predictor models of loneliness were tested with path analysis. The results yielded the following: a) the two predictor models fit the data …

Testing A Model Of How A Sexual Assault Resistance Education Program For Women Reduces Sexual Assaults, Charlene Y. Senn, Misha Eliasziw, Karen L. Hobden, Paula C. Barata, H. Lorraine Radtke, Wilfreda E. Thurston, Ian R. Newby-Clark

Psychology Publications

© The Author(s) 2020. The Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) program has been shown to reduce sexual assaults experienced by university students who identify as women. Prevention researchers emphasize testing theory-based mechanisms once positive outcomes related to effectiveness are established. We assessed the process by which EAAA’s positive outcomes are achieved in a sample of 857 first year university students. EAAA’s goals are to increase risk detection in social interactions, decrease obstacles to risk detection or resistance with known men, and increase women’s use of effective self-defense. We used chained multiple mediator modeling to assess the combined effects of the …

Exploring The Role Of In-Person Components For Online Health Behavior Change Interventions: Can A Digital Person-To-Person Component Suffice?, Sara Santarossa, Deborah Kane, Charlene Y. Senn, Sarah J. Woodruff

Psychology Publications

© Sara Santarossa, Deborah Kane, Charlene Y Senn, Sarah J Woodruff. The growth of the digital environment provides tremendous opportunities to revolutionize health behavior change efforts. This paper explores the use of Web-based, mobile, and social media health behavior change interventions and determines whether there is a need for a face-to-face or an in-person component. It is further argued that that although in-person components can be beneficial for online interventions, a digital person-to-person component can foster similar results while dealing with challenges faced by traditional intervention approaches. Using a digital person-to-person component is rooted in social and behavioral theories such …

Secondary And 2-Year Outcomes Of A Sexual Assault Resistance Program For University Women, Charlene Y. Senn, Misha Eliasziw, Karen L. Hobden, Ian R. Newby-Clark, Paula C. Barata, Lorraine Radtke, Wilfreda E. Thurston

Psychology Publications

We report the secondary outcomes and longevity of efficacy from a randomized controlled trial that evaluated a novel sexual assault resistance program designed for first-year women university students. Participants (N = 893) were randomly assigned to receive the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) program or a selection of brochures (control). Perception of personal risk, self-defense self-efficacy, and rape myth acceptance was assessed at baseline; 1-week postintervention; and 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month postrandomization. Risk detection was assessed at 1 week, 6 months, and 12 months. Sexual assault experience and knowledge of effective resistance strategies were assessed at all follow-ups. …

The Mediating Role Of Cultural Coping Behaviours On The Relationships Between Academic Stress And Positive Psychosocial Well-Being Outcomes, B.C.H Kuo, Kendall M. Soucie, Siqi Huang, Refa Laith

Psychology Publications

While culture’s effect on the coping process has long been acknowledged in the stress-coping literature conceptually, empirical evidence and attempts to discern the specific relationship between culture and coping remain very scarce. Against this backdrop, the present study applied the Cultural Transactional Theory (Chun, Moos, & Cronkite, 2006) to examine the mediating role of cultural coping behaviours (Collective, Engagement and Avoidance Coping) on the relationship between academic stress (AS) and two positive psychosocial well-being outcome measures: Collective Self-esteem (CSE) and Subjective Well-being (SWB). Responses from a sample of undergraduate students in Canada (N =328) were analysed to test a theory-driven, …

Predictors Of Academic Procrastination In Asian International College Students, Robert Jay Lowinger, B.C.H Kuo, Hyun-A Song, Lakshmi Mahadevan, Eunyoung Kim, Kelly Yu-Hsin Liao, Catherine Y. Chang, Kyong-Ah Kwon, Suejung Han

Psychology Publications

This study examined the relationships among acculturative stress, coping styles, self-efficacy, English language proficiency, and various demographic characteristics as predictors of procrastination behavior in Asian International students (N = 255) studying in the United States. Results of multiple logistic regression indicated that a collective coping style, avoidant coping style, academic self-efficacy, and English language proficiency were the significant predictors of academic procrastination in non-Indian Asian international students. Implications for college student affairs professionals and researchers are addressed.

Acculturation And Enculturation: Ethnic Identity Socialisation Processes, Julie Hakim-Larson, Rosanne Menna

Psychology Publications

This chapter begins with a brief review of various approaches to the study of ethnic identity, because they form the foundation for the research studies on the acculturation and enculturation processes of Arab Americans. In particular, the seminal works of John W. Berry, Jean Phinney, and their colleagues (e.g. Berry, Phinney, Sam, & Vedder, 2006 ) are discussed in light of research on the acculturation of Arab Americans to the U.S. Acculturation involves the variety of diff erent ways that a person can adapt to a culture that is diff erent from that of their family’s culture(s) of origin. Enculturation, …

Youth Development: An Ecological Approach To Identity, Kristine J. Ajrouch, Julie Hakim-Larson, Rand Ramadan Fakih

Psychology Publications

This chapter examines the process of youth development and the impact of socialization among Arab Americans. The distinctiveness of Arab Americans as an ethnic group stems from the fact that their visibility is intimately tied to events and political instabilities in the Arab world. This reality places them in a uniquely marginal position as “not quite White” (Samhan, 1999 ), yet not fully accepted as a legal minority (Cainkar, 2009 ). This wider societal experience provides an overarching context for the study of Arab American youth development within an ecological model. This chapter explores theoretical models for understanding youth identity …

Rats (Rattus Norvegicus) Flexibly Retrieve Objects’ Non-Spatial And Spatial Information From Their Visuospatial Working Memory: Effects Of Integrated And Separate Processing Of These Features In A Missing-Object Recognition Task, Corrine Nicole Keshen, Jerome Cohen

Psychology Publications

After being trained to find a previous missing object within an array of four different objects, rats received occasional probe trials with such test arrays rotated from that of their respective three-object study arrays. Only animals exposed to each object’s non-spatial features consistently paired with both its spatial features (feeder’s relative orientation and direction) in the first experiment or with only feeder’s relative orientation in the second experiment (Fixed Configuration groups) were adversely affected by probe trial test array rotations. This effect, however, was less persistent for this group in the second experiment but re-emerged when objects’ nonspatial features were …

Efficacy Of A Sexual Assault Resistance Program For University Women, Charlene Y. Senn, Misha Eliasziw, Paula C. Barata, Wilfreda E. Thurston, Ian R. Newby-Clark, H. Lorraine Radtke, Karen L. Hobden

Psychology Publications

Background

Young women attending university are at substantial risk for being sexually assaulted, primarily by male acquaintances, but effective strategies to reduce this risk remain elusive.

Methods

We randomly assigned first-year female students at three universities in Canada to the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act Sexual Assault Resistance program (resistance group) or to a session providing access to brochures on sexual assault, as was common university practice (control group). The resistance program consists of four 3-hour units in which information is provided and skills are taught and practiced, with the goal of being able to assess risk from acquaintances, overcome emotional …

Racial Identity Profiles Of Asian-White Biracial Young Adults: Testing A Theoretical Model With Cultural And Psychological Correlates, Vanessa Chong, B.C.H Kuo

Psychology Publications

Although the biracial population is expected to grow at astonishing rates in the upcoming decades across North America, rigorous quantitative psychological research on biracial identity is currently scarce. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine biracial identity profiles in a large sample of Asian-White biracial young adults (n=330, aged 18-30) living in the United States and Canada, as well as assess the interrelationships among biracial identity and psychological adjustment variables. Grounded in the expanded theoretical model of Multiracial Heritage Awareness and Personal Affiliation (M-HAPA:Choi-Misailidis, 2004) and its corresponding biracial identity measure, cluster analysis was conducted to evaluate …

Rats Anticipate Damaged Rungs On The Elevated Ladder: Applications For Rodent Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Daniel Lopatin, Nicole Caputo, Chelsey Damphousse, Siyaram Pandey, Jerome Cohen

Psychology Publications

The present study examined rats' ability to anticipate undetectable wider gaps between rungs produced when they stepped on and dislodged damaged rungs while they traversed a slightly inclined elevated ladder. Rats in the first of three experiments reduced running speeds when they encountered four evenly spaced damaged rungs either always placed on the first or second half of the ladder (the break-a-way (BW) phase) but quickly recovered to their baseline (BL) levels when damaged rungs where replaced with intact rungs (the recovery phase). Rats previously exposed to damaged rungs over the first half of the ladder increased their speeds above …

Psychological Help-Seeking Among Latin American Immigrants In Canada: Testing A Culturally-Expanded Model Of The Theory Of Reasoned Action Using Path Analysis, B.C.H Kuo, Alma Roldan-Bau, Robert Lowinger

Psychology Publications

The current study investigated the psychosocial and cultural predictors of psychological help-seeking based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA: Ajzen and Fishbein 1980) in a sample of 223 adult Latin American immigrants living in Canada. Using path analysis, the results provided empirical support for the TRA, as both help-seeking attitudes and subjective norms were found to influence participants’ help-seeking intentions. Moreover, the re-specified culturally-expanded model showed a good fit to the data and revealed the direct and indirect effects that bi-directional acculturation (Latino and Canadian Cultural orientations), familism, and collective coping had on help-seeking intentions. The results point to …

Lecture Engagement And Metamotivational States: Tracking And Intervention, Kenneth M. Cramer, Kathryn Lafreniere

Psychology Publications

We studied the underlying motives governing students’ active learning in the classroom. Previous investigations indicate that during a standard lecture, student ratings of engagement decrease along with serious-mindedness (telic state). In each of two studies, a questionnaire packet was distributed to participants at the start of their 75-minute social psychology class. The instructor paused the lecture every 10 minutes (from Time 1 to Time 6) to assess the extent to which students were (a) serious-minded or telic and (b) engaged in the lecture. Results from Study 1 showed that both serious-mindedness and lecture engagement together dropped over the span of …

Respondent Self-Focus And The Internal Consistency Of The Motivational Style Profile, Kenneth M. Cramer, Kathryn Lafreniere, Phillip A. Ianni

Psychology Publications

One of the underlying tenets of both personality and social psychological theory assumes that questionnaire respondents have access to their thoughts and feelings. The same tenet underlies the various reversal theory states (e.g., telic/paratelic, negativism/conformity, autic mastery /sympathy, alloic mastery/sympathy), so that individuals who are more internally focused should have better access to their internal states and have higher internal consistency ratings across all measures. To evaluate this tenet, 620 participants recruited from a community sample completed a questionnaire that included the Motivational Style Profile and three self-focus measures: self-monitoring, identity formation, and private self-consciousness. Participants were divided (by median …

The Multidimensional Mortality Awareness Measure & Model (Mmamm): Development And Validation Of A New Self-Report Questionnaire & Psychological Framework, Mark R. Mcdermott, Kathryn Lafreniere

Psychology Publications

For each of eight literature-identified conceptual dimensions of mortality awareness, questionnaire items were generated, producing 89 in all. 359 participants responded to these items and to questionnaires measuring health attitudes, risk-taking, rebelliousness and demographic variables. Multivariate correlational analyses investigated the underlying structure of the item pool and the construct validity as well as the reliability of the emergent empirically derived subscales. Five components, rather than eight, were identified. Given the item content of each, the associated mortality awareness subscales were labelled as: legacy, fearfulness, acceptance, disempowerment, and disengagement. Each attained an acceptable level of internal reliability. Relationships with other variables …

University Students’ Coping Behaviours And Perceived Parental Depression: The Role Of Hope And Implications For Counsellors, Shawna A. Scott, Emily M. Johnson, Julie Hakim-Larson

Psychology Publications

Research has shown links between perceived parental depressive symptomology and young adults’ depressive symptoms (Rounding & Jacobson, 2013). Hope has been linked to fewer depressive symptoms and to greater adaptive coping behaviours (Chang & DeSimone, 2001). The relation between perceived parental depression, hope, and undergraduate university students’ coping behaviours was examined. Participants were 223 undergraduates (51 males, 172 females) aged 17 to 24. Beyond perceived parental depression, hope predicted higher levels of religion/spirituality, active coping, and planning, and predicted lower levels of humour and behavioural disengagement. Implications for counselling clients at risk for intergenerational depression are discussed.

La recherche a …

Coping, Acculturation, And Psychological Adaptation Among Migrants: A Theoretical And Empirical Review And Synthesis Of The Literature, B.C.H Kuo

Psychology Publications

Given the continuous, dynamic demographic changes internationally due to intensive worldwide migration and globalization, the need to more fully understand how migrants adapt and cope with acculturation experiences in their new host cultural environment is imperative and timely. However, a comprehensive review of what we currently know about the relationship between coping behavior and acculturation experience for individuals undergoing cultural changes has not yet been undertaken. Hence, the current article aims to compile, review, and examine cumulative cross-cultural psychological research that sheds light on the relationships among coping, acculturation, and psychological and mental health outcomes for migrants. To this end, …

Metamotivational Tendencies, Sociocultural Attitudes, And Risky Eating Behaviors, Ashlyne I. O'Neil, Kathryn Lafreniere

Psychology Publications

Previous research has examined both sociocultural effects (e.g., Thompson et al., 2004) and personality influences (e.g., Cassin & von Ranson, 2005) on eating disordered behavior. However, comparatively little research has employed the theoretical framework of reversal theory (RT). The present study examined the relationship between reversal theory’s metamotivational personality constructs and risk of eating pathology, along with the mediating effects of sociocultural attitudes. A non-clinical sample of 123 undergraduate students completed the Motivational Style Profile (MSP), Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and a demographic profile. Simple t-tests suggested significant differences between males and females and …

Testing Predictive Models Of Positive And Negative Affect With Psychosocial, Acculturation, And Coping Variables In A Multiethnic Undergraduate Sample, B.C.H Kuo, Catherine T. Kwantes

Psychology Publications

Despite the prevalence and popularity of research on positive and negative affect within the field of psychology, there is currently little research on affect involving the examination of cultural variables and with participants of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. To the authors’ knowledge, currently no empirical studies have comprehensively examined predictive models of positive and negative affect based specifically on multiple psychosocial, acculturation, and coping variables as predictors with any sample populations. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to test the predictive power of perceived stress, social support, bidirectional acculturation (i.e., Canadian acculturation and heritage acculturation), religious coping …

Exploring The Role Of School Engagement In Predicting Resilience Among Bahamian Youth, Jones Giavana, Kathryn Lafreniere

Psychology Publications

In the simplest terms, resilience is doing better than expected, particularly given the presence of some disadvantage that threatens positive outcomes. Like many other countries worldwide, The Bahamas has areas of poverty that provide many challenges for families raising children. Although the consequences of poverty are rampant, not all the youth who are raised in these conditions succumb to these effects. This study sought to identify the internal and external factors that are predictive of resilience in a sample of 103 urban Bahamian students. Ninth- and 11th-grade students from two local public schools completed surveys. Of special interest to this …

Sexual Violence In The Lives Of First-Year University Women In Canada: No Improvements In The 21st Century, Charlene Y. Senn, Misha Eliasziw, Paula C. Barata, Wilfreda E. Thurston, Ian R. Newby-Clark, Lorraine Radtke, Karen L. Hobden

Psychology Publications

Background: Summarizes the frequency, type, and context of sexual assault in a large sample of first-year university women at three Canadian universities. Methods: As part of a randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of a sexual assault resistance education program, baseline data were collected from women between ages of 17 and 24 using computerized surveys. Participants’ experience with sexual victimization since the age of 14 years was assessed using the Sexual Experiences Survey–Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV). Results: Among 899 first-year university women (mean age = 18.5 years), 58.7% (95% CI: 55.4%, 62.0%) had experienced one or more forms of victimization …