Multicultural Psychology Commons^™

Language As The Medium: A Literature Review. Harnessing The Prolific Power Of Dramatic Language As A Therapeutic Tool In Drama Therapy, Edward Freeman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Language in and of the theatre, with its palate of variegated writing styles and playwrights from throughout time, has the potential to be harnessed, focused, and systematized for use as a therapeutic tool within drama therapy – the field’s artistic medium. Drama therapy could benefit from having a specific medium germane to its artform which has the potential to provide practitioners with a common resource and means of communication, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning, as well as align the field with other creative arts therapies. Language encompasses all forms of human communication – speaking, writing, signing, gesturing, expressing facially – …

Reiki For Recovery: Incorporating Japanese Health Practices To Increase Contemporary Resiliency In American Health, Leif Peterson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Japanese health practice of Reiki attempts to maximize the latent ability of the human system to heal itself. The Reiki system, established over a century ago, combines multiple Asian health traditions, experimenting with practices that maximize the natural processes of the body to perform its own repairs. Reiki encourages healthy behaviors that balance the mind and body, return the human system to a lowered stress level, and allow for an optimal recovery state for the patient. This paper illustrates how this Japanese health-affirming method can be integrated and utilized within existing health and medical practices. An area that is …

Understanding The Healthcare Experiences Of Lgbtq+ People: An Adaptation Of The Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire, Conor Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

LGBTQ+ people's experiences of heterosexism, which are common in the healthcare system, are linked to poor health outcomes. There are no measures of LGBTQ+ people’s experiences in healthcare settings which could be used by healthcare systems and providers to improve the quality of their care for this vulnerable population. The Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (DHEQ), developed using the minority stress model, measures the general stressful life experiences of LGBTQ+ people. This project aimed to adapt the DHEQ for use in healthcare settings.

A mixed-methods study was conducted to create the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire-Healthcare (DHEQ-H). Semi-structured interviews focused on the …

The Role Of School Sociocultural Factors On The Mental Health And Academic Competence Of Elementary Aged Children, Aijah Kai Baruti Goodwin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Due to the diversification of school systems, schools are being challenged to engage in more culturally responsive practices to meet the needs of diverse students. Therefore, this study utilized Gay’s (2002) model of culturally responsive teaching to assess the relationship between sociocultural factors and the academic competence and mental health of elementary-aged children. This study also aimed to investigate the mediating and moderating relationship that culturally responsive classroom practices play on children’s academic competence and mental health. One hundred thirty-one diverse parents (97.7%), and legal guardians (2.3%) with children in elementary school (M_age = 8.05) were recruited for participation …

Does The Tripartite Influence Model Of Body Image And Eating Pathology Function Similarly Across Racial/Ethnic Groups Of White, Black, Latina, And Asian Women?, Natasha L. Burke, Lauren M. Schaefer, Yvette G. Karvay, Anna M. Bardone-Cone, David A. Frederick, Katherine Schaumberg, Kelly L. Klump, Drew A. Anderson, J. Kevin Thompson

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The tripartite influence model suggests that appearance pressures from family, peers, and the media contribute to thin-ideal internalization, which leads to increased body dissatisfaction and subsequent eating disorder pathology. The tripartite influence model was initially developed and tested among primarily White samples, and emerging research suggests racial/ethnic differences in mean levels of particular model constructs. Consequently, the model's appropriateness for understanding eating disorder risk in racial/ethnic minorities warrants investigation to determine its usefulness in explicating eating disorder risk in diverse populations. Participants in the current study were White (n = 1167), Black (n = 212), Latina (n …

Explanatory Models Of Autism In Nigeria: Exploring Sociocultural Beliefs To Inform Systems Of Care, Gabrielle Udoka Robertson

Honors Theses

Advancements in the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have yet to benefit children and families struggling with ASD in Nigeria and other African countries. Not only is there a scarcity of research on ASD in sub- Saharan Africa, but also a lack of mental health and special education services and a lack of understanding of the sociocultural considerations that must inform culturally responsive care. As such, this study explored the sociocultural conceptualizations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nigeria and how these conceptualizations affect the experiences and care of people with autism. The unique …

Self-Continuity In Adolescence: A Buffer Against Decreases In Self-Esteem Due To Vicitmization, Gabriela Alvarez

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The purpose of this research was to explore how components of self-esteem, such as social, cognitive and physical competence, can explain the buffering effect of self-continuity. Self-continuity explains the associations between individuals themselves in both past and present and perceived sameness, despite growth and development of the self. As self-continuity becomes more complex throughout adolescence, children may find themselves lacking a sense of identity. Previous research shows that negative views of the self may later represent themselves in adulthood. There is evidence that suggests self-continuity protects against the negative effects of peer victimization by providing positive connections between one another. …

Influence Of Cultural Similarities And Differences On Coworker Relationships And Perceived Levels Of Workplace Psychological Stress, Natalie Hidaka

Psychology | Senior Theses

In growing diversity, social interactions between cultures can build psychological strain. Although, people value familiarity in situations such as in the workplace. The more we seek identity economy in the workplace, the more cross-cultural collaboration becomes essential, yet challenging. To evaluate how cultural similarities and differences influence relationships at work, a voluntary survey was conducted including three sets of measurements; Coworker Relationship Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Self-Construal Scale. From 126 self-report, quantitative data showed that relationships between coworkers of different cultural backgrounds (DCB) had greater difficulties than those who share similar cultural backgrounds (SCB). Regardless of one’s psychological stress …

The Effects Of Ethnic Identity And Family Obligations On Somatic Symptoms Among Latinx Emerging Adults, Jazmin Lara

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Somatic symptoms have been associated with psychological distress across different cultures and are used to diagnose depressive and anxiety disorders in the U.S. Across cultures, individuals with internalizing disorders may present with somatic symptoms outside of the diagnostic criteria, emphasizing the importance of these physical concerns. For example, Latinxs tend to endorse more somatic symptoms than White Americans, suggesting that different cultural aspects may contribute to the higher endorsement of somatic symptoms among Latinxs. However, not many studies have examined specific sociocultural factors that may be influencing somatic symptom report. This is especially true among emerging adults who are in …

Moderating Effects Of School Ethnic Composition On The Associations Between Cultural Variables And Academic Outcomes Among Latinx Youth, Juan Estrada

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cultural factors such as acculturative stress, discrimination and ethnic identity have been shown to relate to Latinx students’ academic outcomes, with the first two being risk factors, while the last one primarily plays a protective role. Factors that modify or change these relationships have been studied by both psychological and educational researchers, in efforts to inform interventions. One area of interest is school ethnic contexts, specifically school ethnic representation (number of same-ethnic peers) and school ethnic diversity (proportion of different ethnic groups in student body). This study investigated whether these two school ethnic variables changed or influenced the relationship between …

Adult Transracial Adoptees' Childhood Experiences And Decision-Making In Forming Families Of Creation, Sarah J. Gray

MSU Graduate Theses

This study examined adult transracial adoptees’ (TRAs) childhood experiences and determined how specific factors influenced their likelihood to choose biological procreation, adoption, fostering, a combination of these options, or the choice to be child-free when forming their own families. These adoptees were Black, Indigenous and people of color adopted by white parents in the United States through domestic or international adoption. Childhood experiences included the TRAs’ sense of belonging, cultural socialization, and preparation for bias. The only dependent variable option predicted by a childhood experience was the preference to be child-free. TRAs who experienced higher levels of belonging were less …

The Cadillac, The Camry And Everything In Between: A Qualitative Investigation Of Marital Attitudes Among First-Generation South Asian Immigrants, Zahra Amer

Masters Theses

Previous research suggests that there is a significant generational divide between first- and second-generation South Asian immigrants (henceforth “SAIs”) around the issue of marriage and indicates this divide is causing psychological distress among the SAI population in the domain of marriage (Samuel, 2010; Zaidi & Shuraydi, 2002). The present study explores the current nature of this potential divide and both expands upon and updates the extant literature surrounding first-generation SAIs’ attitudes towards marriage. Analyses were conducted with a sample of ten first-generation SAIs residing in the US. Participants were recruited using the snowball sampling technique and were interviewed individually by …

Psychological Wellbeing And Sense Of Community Among African Americans: Does Purpose In Life Matter?, Yatesha D. Robinson

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the relationships between sense of community, purpose in life, and psychological wellbeing among African Americans. It investigated whether purpose in life moderated the relationship between sense of community and psychological wellbeing. Although previous studies have linked a sense of community and purpose in life with wellbeing, few studies have examined these relationships among African Americans using a multidimensional model. The data for the current analysis were drawn from the third wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States study (MIDUS 3), collected between 2013–2014. The sample included 98 African American men (n …

The Effects Of Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status On Anxiety Prevalence And Treatment, Brianna Liberman

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

With the growing rise of anxiety disorders, psychosocial factors including ethnicity and socioeconomic status may be contributing to diagnostic disparities among different groups. The primary explanation for this trend has been income and ethnic differences. While previous research has followed the trends of income levels and mental health disorders, few studies have delved further into the influential nature of psychosocial factors as it relates specifically to anxiety. Rather, studies have focused on how psychosocial factors such as SES, mitigate mental health development overall. Data was collected to determine what role ethnicity, income, and parental marriage, play in the development of …

Racial/Ethnic Differences In The Benefit Of Social Networks On Anxiety Symptoms, Melissa Vargas Calderon, Jennifer Robinette

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Anxiety is a pressing health concern, affecting 40 million adults in the United States every year. Interestingly, communities of color have lower rates of anxiety disorders relative to Non-Hispanic Whites, despite on average experiencing more lifetime adversity characteristic of members of marginalized groups, such as low socioeconomic status and discrimination. Research indicates that contact with one’s social network, particularly large, closely knit ones among Hispanics, are protective factors against anxiety. However, empirical investigations of racial/ethnic differences in the benefits of social networks on anxiety are lacking. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative sample of adults …

Treatment Access For Dual Diagnosis Substance Use And Mental Health Disorders, Pedro Banuelos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In 2018, of 1.3 million Latinx adults in the United States facing concurrent issues with substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders (MHD) 93% remained untreated for either diagnosis. This is concerning since Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) data reveals that this population is at greater risk for suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. They also face structural barriers such as employment, housing, legal involvement, and insurability that further impede access to treatment.

This study’s purpose was to examine barriers to accessing treatment for Latinx populations confronting co-occurring SUDs and MHDs. This study used a qualitative design …

Dance/Movement Therapy In Response To Continuous Race-Based Trauma, Aliesha Bryan

Dance/Movement Therapy Theses

Trauma is concomitant with a lack of safety; as such, where there is a threat to safety, there is likely to be trauma. Afrodescendants living in the United States, through an ongoing lack of human regard, are often powerless to ensure their safety, and are regularly subjected to continuous, race-based trauma. Racism is deeply embedded in the nation’s institutions as well as in every relationship, and this deeply pervasive and penetrating ideology influences strongly how individuals of any race interact with others. Race-based aggression, from micro- to macro-, has a profound and continuously traumatizing effect on Afrodescendants, with similarly profound …

The Effectiveness Of A Transaffirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group-Based Intervention To Help Transgender Individuals Suffering From Depression, Joy Riach

Doctoral Dissertations

Transgender individuals report higher levels of elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety due to psychological distress caused by pervasive transphobic discrimination and prejudice that persist in pathologizing and stigmatizing their lived experiences. An important first step would be to develop, implement, and assess transaffirmative interventions that address the mental health issues that this population is particularly susceptible to, such as depression. This current study was designed to assess the effectiveness of one such culturally adapted intervention, which was a 5-week-long, group-based therapy developed for treating depression in transgender individuals using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This was then followed with one …

Mental Health And Well-Being Of College Students Of Color, Raquel Rice

Honors Theses

This paper reviews the mental health and well-being of students of color at a Midwestern public university. The paper presents data from the Healthy Minds Study and combines this information with findings from a focus group of students of color at the university. The focus group was conducted as part of the university’s involvement in the Equity in Mental Health Framework Implementation Pilot Project. The Equity in Mental Health Framework was created through a partnership of The Steve Fund and The JED Foundation, and identifies ten strategies and recommendations for universities to implement to support students of color on campus. …

048— Sibling Relationship Quality In Emerging Adulthood: A Phenomenological Study Of Latinx College Students, Carmen Martinez, Cassidy Jones-Goucher, Daniella Quiroz, Olivia R. Sanchez, Nicholas P. Palumbo

GREAT Day Posters

This phenomenological research examined Latinx college students’ sibling relationships in emerging adulthood. Researchers developed and employed a coding schema based on the work of Buhrmester and Furman (1987) to code for relationship quality. A thematic analysis revealed differences in relationship quality based on participants’ culture identity.

Understanding Black Experiences And Access Barriers In The Expressive Arts Activities And Therapies, Jadea Harris, Ana K. Marcelo

Psychology

Black individuals in America experience racism, discrimination, and microaggressions that can affect their mental and physical health. (Alvarez, Liang, & Neville, 2016). Unfortunately, Black individuals typically do not seek out mental health treatment because of mistrust, stigma, misdiagnosis, and lack of culturally sensitive approaches to treatment (NAMI, 2002). One way to encourage Black individuals to seek mental health support and to provide more support could be through expressive arts. Expressive outlets may act as a protective barrier against adverse experiences and serve as an opportunity to bring healing amongst uncomfortable feelings of racial trauma and more. Historical and empirical evidence …

Ego-Identity Status And Life Satisfaction In Emerging Adult Third Culture Kids And Individuals With Multicultural Identities, Melody Young, Steven V. Rouse

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

We investigated life satisfaction and identity development in emerging adult (age 18-30) monocultural European American individuals, multicultural individuals, and Third Culture Kids (TCKs). TCKs are defined as individuals who lived for a significant amount of their developmental years in a country that their parents did not grow up in and that has a culture different from that of their parents’ native country. We hypothesized that in emerging adulthood TCKs and multicultural individuals experience (1) less life satisfaction and (2) different levels of identity exploration and commitment compared to monocultural European American individuals. Amazon Mechanical Turk workers were screened to qualify …

Influences Of Cultural Similarities And Differences On Coworker Relationships And Perceived Levels Of Workplace Psychological Stress, Natalie Hidaka

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

One of the most important environments for many adults is the workplace, and we increasingly find co-workers with a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. Different cultural backgrounds must communicate and collaborate for an effective team to meet the common goal for a workplace. However, different cultural values and practices in one place often create misunderstandings and fraught challenges. One of the significant differences in culture is how people interact socially and their primary motivation when interacting with others. When independent and interdependent cultural backgrounds are considered, it is suggested that interdependent cultures tend to focus on relationship-preserving while independent cultures …

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 …

Culture And Occupational Therapy, Kaitlyn Domingo, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Spring 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this capstone project was to develop a cultural intelligence program for occupational therapy practitioners (OTP[s]). However, due to the results of the project’s research component, this capstone shifted to addressing a potential need for a global shift in the occupational therapy (OT) process and diversifying the content and dissemination of cultural training courses.

A mixed-methods survey was conducted to assess 45 OTPs’ confidence levels with delivering culturally intelligent care, their means of overcoming cultural barriers in clinical practice, and to collect anecdotes on the process of becoming a culturally intelligent practitioner.

Four primary research themes are developed …

College Students' Views On Police, Eric Eiselstein

Campus Research Day

My presentation will analyze Adventist College students' views and opinions on Police. Many descriptors will be taken into account, including gender, ethnicity, class standing, major, and religion.

Economic Insecurity As A Risk Factor During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Klaus E. Cavalhieri

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently spreading at a rapid rate worldwide. The current pandemic may have several adverse effects on overall psychological functioning and health behaviors. Economic insecurity, operationalized as financial strain and employment uncertainty, can be a significant risk factor for both psychological outcomes and compliance with shelter-in-place recommendations (i.e., health behaviors). One hundred and twenty four participants answered survey data on economic security, fear of COVID-19, health care system distrust, anxiety, well-being, and compliance with CDC recommendations to curb the spread of COVID-19 (i.e., health behaviors; CDC, 2020). Economic security was significantly associated with well-being, …

International Travel And Its Impacts On Black/African American Identity Construction, Jordan K. Knox

Student Publications

How does going abroad impact Black/African Americans’ conceptualization of self? To assess the answer to this question I analyzed and reflected on mine and the international experiences of my participants, conducted thirteen interviews, and had participants answer survey questions. I argue that identity has two parts: your external and internal parts. The external identity I attributed to international experiences. My findings showed there are three impacts international travel has on Black/ African American identity constructions: the reinforcement, creation of something new, and added new dimension. There is little scholarship that studies the impact of international travel as it pertains to …

The Dark Side Of The Ivory Tower: Examining Incivility And Microaggressions Against Ethnic Minorities In Academia, Teresa San Hoang Nguyen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Discrimination is still prevalent and pervasive in society, though there have been many attempts to mitigate its impact. Though often not as overt, “modern” discrimination is more subtle in nature, often slipping through as passable social interactions because of its ambiguity. However, the negative impact that ethnic and racial minorities experience because of this subtle discrimination cannot be ignored. In academia, as with many other workplaces, ethnic and racial minorities are impacted by subtle discrimination. During the Black Lives Matter movement that has surged in 2020 in the wake of social injustices against Black and Brown people, this issue has …

Parental Mental Health Help Seeking: Variables Associated With Asian American Parent Help Seeking Intent, Grace L. Chen

LSU Master's Theses

There is a vast disparity between children who have mental health concerns and rates of service utilization. This disparity is even greater for children of ethnic minority populations. Understanding the factors contributing to parent help seeking behavior may help address the gap in service utilization. Asian Americans specifically have low rates of mental health service utilization among adults. However, there is limited research on parent help seeking in Asian American parents. In combination with low service utilization across children with mental health concerns, Asian American children are an at-risk population. The study aims to advance research by exploring variables relating …