Life Being An International Student In The United States: Acculturation, Culture Shock, And Identity Transformation, Lai Yan Vivyan Lam

Master's Theses

The population of international students at community colleges in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. International students play a big role in building the cultural diversity on campus by bringing over different cultures and sharing their global perspective to the local community. However, they often face challenges adapting into American culture due to cultural differences in education system, language, lifestyle, etc. By looking into the acculturation process of international students to analyze the culture shock and cultural identity changes they experienced, this paper intends to seek ways to help this group of students to ease their …

Acculturation And Language Use In Intimate And Sexual Relationships Among Chinese Bilinguals, Tianyi Xie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

People of Chinese heritage often face complex challenges because of the conflicting values from China and America, especially on sexuality. Through two thousand years of socialization, Chinese culture grew to endorse conservative sexual values and gender roles. In traditional Chinese culture, women are expected to remain chaste and play submissive roles in marriage. Sexuality is treated as a taboo topic that should not be discussed directly. Asian American youth who endorse less traditional Chinese values experience lower sexual satisfaction, lower confidence in their own abilities, and higher adherence to traditional gender roles. Language has also been found to potentially influence …

When Two Roads Diverge: How Language Barriers Undermine Immigrant Parental Authority

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

In the United States, immigrant families are one of the fastest growing and most diverse segments of the population (Zhou,1997). Researchers have studied many facets of the immigration process that these families go through, such as acculturation gaps (Weisskirch & Alva, 2002), ethnic identity (Hurtado & Gurin, 1987), youth violence (Boutakidis, Guerra, & Soriano, 2006), and parenting styles (Nguyen, 2008). One construct that surfaces often in these studies is immigrant parental authority; some researchers hypothesize that the immigration experience could shift the authority structure in immigrant homes. The purpose of this literature review is to examine language barriers between immigrant …

Cultural Nuances For Immigrant Adolescents And Adolescents Of The Third Culture Experience: A Book Review Of Immigrant Youth In Cultural Transition: Acculturation, Identity, And Adaptation Across National Contexts, Jennifer L. Wilson

Journal of Cross-Cultural Family Studies

Cross-cultural children include Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and the children and adolescents whose families have immigrated to a new society. The book Immigrant Youth in Cultural Transition: Acculturation, Identity, and Adaptation Across National Contexts (Berry et al., 2012), was a multi-national and multicultural study that sought to explain how immigrant youth navigate among cultures, how they manage their multicultural experience as it relates to psychological and sociocultural adjustment, and how demographics, family variables, and cultural variables affect the immigration, acculturation, assimilation, and adaptation process for these adolescents. Many similar processes have been described in the TCK literature for TCK children, …

Experiencing Difficulties: English Language Issues Among Immersed Third Culture Kids, Marlene E. Schmidt

Journal of Cross-Cultural Family Studies

Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are defined as children who have spent a significant part of their developmental years living in, or interacting with two or more cultural environments. The levels, abilities, and use of the heritage language of TCKs returning to their host country from being immersed in a second language environment can cause difficulties. This case study explored the experiences of immersed TCKs using English upon reentry to the United States. The participants are adult TCKs, have English as their heritage language, and were immersed in a second language environment as a child. This research found the following four …

Past Peer Victimization Experiences And Current Psychological Well-Being And Ethnic Identity Among South Asian College Students, Rejitha Nair

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Very little is known about the peer victimization experiences of South Asian immigrant students and the factors involved in these experiences. The present study retrospectively investigated the peer victimization experiences of South Asian immigrant students in high school, the perceived reasons for victimization, and how these experiences relate to their psychological well-being and ethnic identity as college students. Two hundred and twenty college students, who were first or second generation immigrants from South Asia (e.g., India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal) and attended high school in the United States, participated in the study.

Overall, the results revealed that …

From Miserable To Manageable:The Assimilation Story Of One Army Wife, Hannah Schaefer Ezell

Ethnography Research: Language and Culture

No abstract provided.

Jointness, Culture, And Inter-Service Prejudice: Assessing The Impact Of Resident, Satellite, And Hybrid Joint Professional Military Education Ii Course Delivery Methods On Military Officer Attitudes, Charles Mark Davis

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The efficacy of United States (U.S.) military forces is predicated on a condition of jointness, which enables members of different military services to overcome their cultural and experiential prejudices and operate interdependently. Joint Professional Military Education Phase (JPME) II, offered through the Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), is the principal mechanism within the Department of Defense to reduce the inter-service prejudices held by military officers and to cultivate the optimal joint perspectives and attitudes associated with jointness. The JFSC employs three different methods for delivering JPME II—Resident, Satellite, and Hybrid—yet it remains unknown whether significant differences exist between them regarding …

Understanding The Adjustment Experiences Of Recent Muslim Immigrant Youth, Sharlini Yogasingam

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Immigration is a controversial issue in Canada. With the negative attitudes regarding Islamic cultures, Muslim immigrants to Canada may be most at risk of experiencing discrimination. Guided by the bi-dimensional frameworks of acculturation and cultural identity, this qualitative study aimed to understand the adjustment experience for Muslim immigrant adolescents. Data was collected through one-hour, semi-structured interviews with six Muslim adolescent youth between the ages of 16 and 20, who were living in Canada for up to five years. Participants were recruited through local community agencies, a post-secondary institution and residential neighbourhood advertisements. Data was transcribed and thematic analysis was used …

Socio-Cultural Models Of Second Language Learning In Immigrants In Canada., Fanli Jia, Alexandra Gottardo, Aline Ferreira

Fanli Jia

Sociocultural Risk Factors For Elevated Perceived Stress Among African American Smokers, Monica Webb Hooper, Noella A. Dietz, Joseph C. Wilson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: African Americans experience unique stressors that may inhibit smoking cessation and enhance relapse rates. Few studies, however, have focused on risk factors for perceived stress among treatment seekers. Because African Americans are less likely to quit compared to the larger community, understanding factors associated with perceived stress among smokers has the potential to improve intervention outcomes. This study examined psychosocial and cultural correlates of stress in a sample of African American participants in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods: At baseline, participants reported demographic factors and completed assessments of smoking history, alcohol use, friend and household smoking, weight concerns, acculturation, …

Depressive Symptoms And Sleep Disturbances In Korean American Women, Eunjung Kim, Sinhye Kim, Kevin Cain

Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances among Korean American women. Forty-nine women completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and revised Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II. Overall, participants scored 12.56 (SD = 9.93) on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, 5.31 (SD = 3.01) on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and -2.27 (SD = 1.64) on the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II. Approximately 29% of the women (n = 14) scored 16 or higher on the Center …

The Internalization Of The Model Minority Stereotype, Acculturative Stress, And Ethnic Identity On Academic Stress, Academic Performance, And Mental Health Among Asian American College Students, Hanna Yun-Han Chang

Dissertations

Previous studies in Asian American psychology literature on cultural factors of acculturation and ethnic identity have yielded mixed findings in its relation to psychological outcomes. Furthermore, there is a gap in the knowledge base regarding the internalization of the model minority stereotype and its impact on Asian Americans. Due to Asian Americans' tendency to value academic excellence as a result of socialization by cultural values and family upbringings, this study examined the effects acculturative stress, ethnic identity, and the internalization of model minority on academic stress, academic performance, and mental health.

Results of this study indicated that acculturative stress significantly …

The Relationship Among Acculturation Orientation, Perceived Discrimination, Psychological Functioning And Gender Among South Asian And South East Asian International Students In The United States Of America, Dia Mason

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The acculturation process for international students is influenced by several factors such as experiences of discrimination, economic condition, language fluency, and social support. Discrimination, which refers to negative or prejudicial behavior towards an individual or a group of individuals, takes place towards international students due to their poor grasp of the English Language (Lee & Rice, 2007), cultural differences (Cole & Ahmadi, 2003), and racial differences (Hanassab, 2006). Perceived discrimination (among other factors) has been identified as a potential moderator of the relationship between acculturation preferences and psychological functioning in acculturation theory (Berry, 2003). Apart from perceived discrimination, gender has …

Predictors Of Obesity, Acculturation, And Perceived Stress In Meskhetian Turk (Ahiska) Immigrants In The United States, Zekeriya Temircan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a risk factor for chronic diseases among the ethnic minorities for adult immigrants in the United States. There have been many research studies conducted to examine the relationship between the predictors and obesity in minority groups in the United States, that relationship was unknown in Meskhetian Turk (Ahiska) immigrant populations. Guided by social ecological model and acculturation theory, this study examined the predictors of obesity in the Meskhetian Turk (Ahiska) immigrant population in the western United States. Data were collected from 109 participants using CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale. …

Acculturation, Enculturation, Stigma, And Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help Among Eastern Europeans In The U.S, Andi Xhihani

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although approximately 2.1 million Eastern European immigrants are presently living in the U.S (Migration Policy Institute [MPI], 2011), this population has received little attention in the mental health field. Eastern European immigrants face many challenges to adapting to a new a culture, yet their process of acculturating has received little attention in counseling research. Based on Berry’s (1980) bidirectional model of acculturation as a framework, the present study examined the relationships of acculturation, enculturation, gender, and stigma of mental illness on Eastern European immigrants’ attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. It was hypothesized that gender and stigma would moderate the …

Acculturation And Filial Piety As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Caregiver Burden And Gender-Role Expectations In Hispanic-American Rehabilitation Services Students, Roy K. Chen, Bryan S. Austin, Chien-Chun Lin

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Hispanic-Americans are the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. The need to care for older Hispanics has become an important issue as they now enjoy longer life expectancies due to better access to healthcare and less labor participation in hazardous occupations. The present study examined whether the association between caregiver burden and gender-role expectations is mediated by acculturation and filial piety. Method: The sample consisted of 93 Mexican-American rehabilitation services students enrolled at a large public university in Texas. The four instruments used in the study were the Zarit Burden Interview, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, the Acculturation …

Uncovering The Processes And Consequences Of Egyptian Immigrant Parental Involvement In Their Children’S Education: Bridging Cultural Differences, Hend Shalan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

For more than a decade, researchers have concluded that immigrant parents face several barriers to becoming involved in their children’s education. All studies agree that language and cultural differences are the most significant barriers to immigrants’ involvement in their children’s education, yet we know little about what these cultural differences are and how these cultural differences influence the school involvement of immigrant parents. This study integrates theories of cultural differences, acculturation, and culture shock and the corresponding literature to investigate the lesser involvement of immigrant parents in school-related activities.

A focused ethnographic design was employed and a thematic analysis …

Acculturation, Identity Formation, And Mental Health-Related Issues Among Young Adult Ethiopian Immigrants, Sam A. Wolde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigration is a contributing factor to population growth in the United States. Ethiopian immigrants who are residing in the United States constitute the second-largest African immigrant group next to Nigeria. The effect of immigrants' identity formation and acculturation process on their social and emotional wellness has drawn behavioral and social scientists' attention. Still, limited research has been devoted to exploring Ethiopian immigrants' acculturation and identity formation processes and how these processes shape 1.5- and second-generation immigrants' perceptions of mental health-related issues. This phenomenological study explored identity formation, acculturation processes, and mental health beliefs in 1.5- and second-generation Ethiopian immigrants. Face-to-face …