Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Acculturation In The Professional Identity Of Art Therapy And Counseling International Students, Ana Marcela Tobar Chavez

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

In a country of immigrants, the concept of acculturation needs to be familiar to almost any professional in the mental health field and it is a reality for immigrants and international students. As international and immigrant students continue to join the Art Therapy Counseling profession, it is important to understand how acculturation plays a role in the development of their counseling professional identity. Unlike most master’s students in the art therapy counseling profession, international and immigrant students go through unique experiences such as being born and raised in a different country with difference in cultures, languages, and immigration statuses that …

Young Arabs In Canada: Ethnic Identity And Intersectionality, Rama Eloulabi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Arabs make up almost 2% of the population in Canada, and their numbers are growing rapidly. Yet, literature on Arabs in Canada is sparse, both from academic and governmental sources. Using ethnic identity and intersectionality frameworks, this study explores the meanings of Arab identity for youth in Ontario, Canada, and the interactions between their Arab identity and their other identities. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in Arabic and English with 30 participants (ages 18-30) who are from, or whose background is from, the Arab world. Findings highlighted the diversity of the population, and the themes that emerged regarding self-identification with …

Beyond Stressors: Identifying Protective Cultural Factors And Coping Strategies For Mental Health Symptoms Among Aging Latino/Hispanic Immigrants, Juan M. Pena

Psychology ETDs

Within the next decade, Latino immigrants will constitute the largest middle-aged and older immigrant group living in the U.S. This cross-sectional study investigated traumatic stressors, acculturative stress and perceived structural injustices and their associations with mental health symptoms. This study also examined the linkages between cultural factors, social support, and coping strategies and mental health outcomes. Eighty Latino/Hispanic immigrants who were 45 years of age or older completed a series of questionnaires and optional open-ended questions. A greater exposure to traumatic events, higher acculturative stress, and perceived injustices were associated with greater psychological distress and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and …

Critical Civic Engagement Of Immigrant-Origin Latinx Youth, Wendy De Los Reyes Moore

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

During adolescence, youth gain sociocognitive skills to think abstractly about inequalities which may propel critical civic engagement (CCE, i.e., civically engaged behaviors aimed to transform systems of inequality). Latinx immigrant-origin youth must uniquely decipher their place within U.S. political contexts, considering their hyphenated multi-national identities and potential familial obligations, which may differ drastically from the experiences typically captured in the civic engagement literature that are often based on non-immigrant, White, middle-class American young adults. Additionally, previous research on the Latinx immigrant community has bypassed nuances of their civic engagement by failing to consider within-group differences (e.g., nationality, generational status), or …

The Perception Of Stigma As A Barrier To Help-Seeking Among Immigrant Populations, Zuha Qadeer

Honors Theses

Immigrants receive mental health services less than their U.S.-born counterparts, even after accounting for the lower rate of mental health difficulties often found among these populations. Stigma is one such barrier that is significant in reducing mental health service utilization among immigrant populations. This study explores how immigrants perceive stigma as a barrier to seeking help for trauma-related mental health concerns. Using qualitative data from a study on an adaptation of Written Exposure Therapy in Latinx immigrants (Andrews et. al, 2022), I examined the role of stigma in participants’ perceived barriers to care and their proposed strategies for reducing them. …

Understanding Transitional Mental Health And Interpersonal Needs Of Newcomer Youth During Resettlement: Seeking Guidance To Strengthen Mental Health Programming, Anjali Ruparelia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated the supports that newcomer youth may need to promote positive well-being and foster healthy relationships during early resettlement. This study employed qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with four newcomer youth between the ages of 14 and 21 years old who have been in Canada for at least two years. Interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA). The results indicated that newcomer youth experience significant resettlement challenges and barriers including language barriers, culture shock, and feeling lonely and isolated within their new environments. However, newcomer youth participants also reported that they found various strengths and resources …

A Comparison Of Psychological Stress And Sleep Problems In Undocumented Students, Daca Recipients, And U.S. Citizens, Andy Torres, Jordan Kenemore, Grant Benham

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Amidst the uncertainty of a shifting political landscape, our study examined stress and sleep problems experienced by both Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) undergraduates and non-DACA undocumented immigrants in an undergraduate population, in relation to students who were US citizens. We surveyed 969 students (93% Hispanic; 69% female) in 2017 or 2019 using established measures of stress, sleep quality, and insomnia. Collapsed across years, undocumented students reported significantly greater stress than citizens and DACA students, but DACA students did not differ from citizens. No differences were found in sleep for either quality or insomnia. Additionally, DACA student stress was …

Why Does Equality Matter Anyway? How Indifference To Inequality Relates To U.S.-Born White, Latino, And Black Americans' Attitudes Toward Immigration Policy, Trisha A. Dehrone

Masters Theses

Research on attitudes towards immigration policies typically considers the economic and cultural threats that compel many Americans to favor exclusionary policies that curb immigration. Less is understood about how indifference to inequality shapes Americans’ attitudes towards immigration policies—that is, how ‘not caring’ about the unequal conditions faced by immigrants likely has detrimental consequences for their safety and wellbeing. The present research examines indifference to inequality as a predictor for policies that impact opportunities for immigrants to come to the U.S., and who are otherwise undocumented and/or at great risk for exploitation. Using survey data from the American National Election Studies …

Exploring Parental Perceptions Concerning Sexual Communication Between Sub-Saharan African Immigrant Parents And Their Children, Kwame Owura Frimpong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Abstract Sub-Saharan African families experience communication barriers due to factors such as sexual silence, cultural taboos, and shame, preventing them from having sexual health communication with their children. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of Sub-Saharan African immigrant parents concerning sexual shame and parents’ attitudes, knowledge, and comfort level in having a conversation with their pre-adolescent children concerning sexuality and sexual practices. While numerous researchers have demonstrated efficiency in audience-specific interventions, the literature reflects little attention to African immigrants, specifically Sub-Saharan immigrants. The research questions addressed perceptions of influences of a decision to discuss issues relating …

Impact Of A Pandemic On Attitudes Towards Immigrants, Jinghui Zhang

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Immigration control is an issue that figures prominently in public policy discussions and election campaigns throughout the world. Immigrants can be perceived as posing both realistic and symbolic threats to the host society. During the current global pandemic, these threats are amplified. This research investigated how attitudes towards immigrants were likely to be more negative when the impact of the pandemic was made salient. Based on intergroup threat theory (Rios et al., 2018) and uncertainty identity theory (Hogg, 2021a), two empirical studies investigated the effect of realistic and symbolic threats from the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s attitudes towards immigrants. Study …

Migrant Misconceptions: A Review Of Literature On National Heritage, Immigration Status, And Juvenile Offending, Serita Whiting

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

In 2020, the Pew Research Center reported over 40 million Latinx adults are immigrants and nearly 23% are U.S.-born adult children of immigrant parents. Some rhetoric that surrounds immigration is indicative of crime, criminals, and the need to build a wall to protect the U.S. border from migrant crossing. In the U.S., immigration policies apply a 'securitized' approach to criminal law enforcement involving Latinos. However, criminological literature indicates immigrants do not pose any more of a threat towards crime than a natural-born citizen. Continued research should be completed to better understand differences among immigrant youth compared to native-born Latino youth.

Emerging Adult College Students' Perceptions Of Immigrants: A Multisite Experimental Study, Alexa Dee Barton

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) has consistently had the largest populations of immigrants worldwide over the last two centuries, contributing to immigration’s ongoing importance as a political, social, economic, and health topic. A central point of focus has been attitudes toward immigration, which prior research has noted is influenced by both individual level and sociopolitical contextual factors. However, few studies have examined these attitudes comparatively across differing immigrant populations (e.g. nation of origin, type of immigration). Nor has the influence of perceivers’ stage of identity and social development been considered (e.g. emerging adult, generation of immigration, civic values). Utilizing quantitative methods, …

Cultural Adaptation Congruence In Immigrant Spouses Is Associated With Marital Quality, Lester Sim, Shanting Chen, Minyu Zhang, Robin S. Edelstein, Su Yeong Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective and background: Previous research suggests that cultural adaptation is associated with Mexican-origin couples' marital outcomes, including marital distress and rates of dissolution. However, research on the marital implications of different types of spousal differences in cultural adaptation often omits important dyadic dynamics (i.e., incongruence between couples and with their partners); this, coupled with existing methodological issues, might contribute to the pattern of mixed findings in the literature. Method: Using data from 273 Mexican-origin couples, we conducted response surface analyses to examine how spousal congruence in four adaptation domains (acculturation, enculturation, English proficiency, Spanish proficiency) is associated with wives' and …

Moving Morality Beyond The In-Group: Liberals And Conservatives Show Differences On Group-Framed Moral Foundations And These Differences Mediate The Relationships To Perceived Bias And Threat., Brandon D. Stewart Phd, David S. M. Morris

Faculty Publications

Moral foundations research suggests that liberals care about moral values related to individual rights such as harm and fairness, while conservatives care about those foundations in addition to caring more about group rights such as loyalty, authority, and purity. However, the question remains about how conservatives and liberals differ in relation to group-level moral principles. We used two versions of the moral foundations questionnaire with the target group being either abstract or specific ingroups or outgroups. Across three studies, we observed that liberals showed more endorsement of Individualizing foundations (Harm and Fairness foundations) with an outgroup target, while conservatives showed …

The Experiences Of Iraqi Refugees In Canada: A Life History Study Of War And Resilience In The Aftermath Of Migration, Nada Nessan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis reports on a life history narrative on the experiences of Iraqi refugees who resettled in Canada after living through war. The aim of this study is to help change the narrow perspectives on the mental health of war affected populations to a broader perception shaped by cultural and social aspects and to inform the development of meaningful and cultural relevant programs and policies with a particular attention to the concept of resilience.

The first part of the study presents the chronological narratives, or profiles. of eight participants. The second part of the study is a thematic discussion of …

Save, Even If It’S A Penny”: Transnational Financial Socialization Of Black Immigrant Women, Bertranna A. Muruthi, Kimberly Watkins, Megan A. Mccoy, Kenneth J. White, Amanda Stafford Mcrell, Michael Thomas, Abiola Taiwo

Journal of Financial Therapy

The purpose of this study is to investigate Black-Caribbean and African women’s transnational financial socialization. Analysis of the data show 1) financial socialization in the country of origin: (a) parents stressed the importance of saving, (b) learned about money management explicitly, (c) learned about money management through observation, (d) learned by observing parent’s struggle; and 2) the impact to women’s financial navigation in the U.S.: (a) not receiving financial education, (b) unexpected financial stressors in the U.S., (c) difficulty saving, (d) the need for more financial education. Implications for mental health and financial practitioners and researchers are provided.

Experiences Of Latinx's Adult Transition To The U.S. And The Clinical Implications That Arise In Acclimating Into The Dominant Culture: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Gabriela Olavarrieta

Doctoral Dissertations

There has been a significant gap in the literature regarding the lived experience of the Latinx adult transition to the United States and the clinical implications that arise in acclimating to the dominant culture, particularly under the Trump Administration. The approach for the current research examined Latinxs’ adulthood transitions to the United States, experiences of acculturative stress, including instances of discrimination as well as their experiences acclimating or assimilating into the dominant culture. This study also examined what seeking, or being unable to seek, mental health services looked like in the current sociopolitical climate. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was utilized to …

School Experiences Of Immigrant And Refugee Students From Kurdistan: Implications For School-Based Professionals, Jessica Williams-Chase

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The present study investigates the educational experiences of immigrants from Kurdistan, including any successes, difficulties, and adjustments to school in the United States. Information was collected from two informants, who reflected on their time in American schools. The study provides teachers, counselors, school psychologists, and other school personnel food for thought when working with specific populations of students.

The goal of this study is not to provide a comprehensive look at experiences of Kurdish youth and young adults. Instead, this study shares the unique stories of participants and highlights a few common experiences that indicate potential barriers to equitable educational …

Perceived Competence And Agreeableness Predict Positive Behaviors Toward Mexican Immigrants: Less Acculturated Hispanics Are More Welcoming Of Immigrants, Elia Hilda Bueno, Roque V. Mendez

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

The resettlement of immigrants who have fled their countries because of dire consequences at home and better opportunities elsewhere, has given rise to a range of prejudices toward them in their host countries. We examined prejudices and discrimination toward immigrants, specifically Mexican immigrants, as a function of their perceived competence and warmth within the context of the Stereotype Content Model. We also examined perceiver’s agreeableness, openness to experience, attitudes and acculturation level, and their links with prejudices toward immigrants. We found that an immigrant’s competence elicited strong and more positive feelings and responses than warmth. More competent immigrants were more …

Attitudes Towards Immigration-Relevant Decision-Making: The Roles Of Fairness Judgements And National Identity, Tessa Phipps

Theses : Honours

The worldwide movement of migrants has increased rapidly in recent years and the resulting increase in cultural diversity can lead to tensions in receiving societies. In the Australian context, while negative attitudes towards Australia’s immigration intake remain the minority, such attitudes have increased over the past two years. Concepts of fairness, both procedural and distributive, have been shown to be important factors in attitudes towards immigrants and the very nature of the immigration context brings to the fore concepts of in- and out-group dynamics and national identity. This study created a reliable procedural fairness scale for utilisation in the immigration …

The Elephant In The Room: The Often Neglected Relevance Of Speciesism In Bias Towards Ethnic Minorities And Immigrants, Melisa Choubak, Saba Safdar

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

The area of intergroup bias and, specifically attitudes towards ethnic minorities and/or immigrants, has received a great amount of investigation by (cross-cultural) psychologists, spanning many theories and perspectives (Hewstone et al., 2002). However, one perspective rarely taken in mainstream psychology is one that acknowledges the inter-linkage of bias towards ethnic minorities and/or immigrants and that towards non-human animals (NHAs), despite relatively substantial literature outside of psychology emphasizing it (Singer, 2002). In the present paper, we draw from relevant literature outside and inside of psychology that speaks to the connectivity between attitudes towards marginalized human outgroups and NHAs, focusing on the …

Intersecting Realities: A Qualitative Study Exploring The Experiences Of Stress And Coping Among Transgender Latinx Immigrants, Silvia P. Salas

Theses and Dissertations

Research on Trans immigrant communities of Latinx descent is underdeveloped, with even less emphasis on how this community experiences and copes with the stressors associated with their membership in multiple oppressed social groups (e.g., ethnicity, gender identity, and immigration status). Nativism, ethnocentrism, and cissexism all impact Trans Latinx immigrants, heightening their risk of being targets of community violence, hate crimes, and discrimination associated with their ethnicity, gender identity, and immigration status. These stressors and violence may be experienced by this community from within and outside their respective communities (e.g., Trans Community, Latinx Community, and Broader U.S. Community). The few available …

Constructed Response Formats And Their Effects On Minority-Majority Differences And Validity, Filip Lievens, Paul R. Sackett, Jeffrey Dahlke, Janneke Oostrom, Britt De Soete

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The inflow of immigrants challenges organizations to consider alternative selection procedures that reduce potential minority (immigrants)-majority (natives) differences, while maintaining valid predictions of performance. To deal with this challenge, this paper proposes response format as a practically and theoretically relevant factor for situational judgment tests (SJTs). We examine a range of response format categories (from traditional multiple-choice formats to more innovative constructed response formats) and conceptually link these response formats to mechanisms underlying minority-majority differences. Two field experiments are conducted with SJTs. Study 1 (274 job seekers) contrasts minority-majority differences in scores on a multiple-choice versus a written constructed response …

Accessing Mental Health Services As An Undocumented Individual: Policy Recommendations For The State Of California, Lorena Mosqueda

Master's Projects and Capstones

Undocumented individuals are subject to stressors that may exacerbate existing mental health problems or proliferate new mental health illnesses. Due to unjust historical and current institutional and systemic policies the undocumented population accesses mental health services at a rate far below the general population. As a result, this vulnerable community is left with untreated mental health conditions and is further entrenched in a cycle of inequity. In an effort to address this alarming reality we based a review of relevant literature to identify recommendations to increase access to mental health services among the United States undocumented population. Additionally, a simulation …

A Biblical Approach For An Inner Healing Discipleship Cycle For Migrants And Refugees, Diói Cruz

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Within the Adventist Church many immigrants struggle silently with the consequences of emotional pain, fear, failure, anxiety, stress, inadequate parenting, rejection, and abusive relationships. Many try to cope with the ongoing results of involvement in the occult or other false religions, and the effects of physical illness, accidents, and trauma continue to impact their lives. It is God’s desire that we prosper and be in good health (3 John 2) because he created us in his image. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Therefore, if we are to reflect his image we must …

Ethnic Identity Development Among 1.5 And 2nd Generation Immigrants Across Ten Years : A Discriminant Analysis, Hirah Mir

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ethnic identity is a major component of the psychological development and well-being of adolescents and adults. In the United States, immigrants are often tasked with balancing their minority culture and a dominant White American culture. This study used the two-dimensional Racial/Cultural Identity Development (R/CID) Model to illustrate progression toward an integrated ethnic identity, in which individuals identify with and integrate their minority ethnic group and the dominant group. An integrated identity is achieved at the Integrative Awareness status of the R/CID Model. Individuals at this status are found to possess more psychological resources to cope with psychosocial crises as compared …

Enhancing Legal Protections For Immigrants Who Are Victims Of Domestic Violence In The U.S., Heather Swanson Sow

Global Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on immigrants who are victims of domestic violence in the United States. The original research is IRB approved and focuses on immigrants in Washington State. The method for data collection consists of literature review, internship, and interviews of key stakeholders in Washington State. Participants include a professor, police chief, immigration attorney, and Washington State house representative. The Federal policies and resources for this research include the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act (VTVPA), and U visa program. A qualitative, thematic analysis of the collected data …

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

Fanli Jia

Negative Intergroup Contact: Self-Distancing Facilitates Wisdom For First-Generation Immigrants, Hajer Al Homedawy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Negative intergroup interactions can be utilized for the collective good if reasoned through wisely. An effective mechanism for facilitating wise reasoning is the empirically well-established self-distancing perspective. First-generation immigrants were recruited because their position in society makes them susceptible to a different set of challenges than second- or third-generation immigrants. Negative intergroup interaction memories were conjured by either the distanced-why or immersed-why perspective. The distanced-why perspective proved ineffective at reducing explicit negative affect but marginally increased wise reasoning (p = .057) when compared to the immersed-why perspective. The effect of condition was significant for the “search for compromise and …

The Relationship Between Religiosity And Depression Among Sampled Kenyans In The Twin Cities Metro Area, Dorcas Waite

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess whether there is a relationship between the self-reported level of religiosity and the self-reported level of depression among sampled Kenyans in the Twin Cities Metro Area, in Minnesota. The sample consisted of 63 individuals who were members or visitors at Destiny Faith Ministries and United Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Results showed that 98.4% (n=60) of participants identified themselves with a specific religion, 90.4% (n=57) scored 40 and above on the religiosity scale, which indicated strong religiosity. Majority of participants (66.8%, n=42) indicated that they had been bothered for several days by at least …