Multicultural Psychology Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

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 …

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 …

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 Month

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

No Place For Hate, Gabrielle S. Brundidge

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

No Place for Hate® is an initiative of the Anti-Defamation League offered free to schools. With public displays of hate on the rise, it is more important than ever for schools to commit to programs that clearly define expectations in behavior for all members of the community. Whether you are a student, educator, or family member, you have a role to play in combating bias and bullying as a means to stop the escalation of hate. The initiative is designed to rally the entire school around the goal of creating a welcoming community committed to stopping all forms of bias …

Longitudinal Profiles Of Acculturation And Developmental Outcomes Among Mexican-Origin Adolescents From Immigrant Families, Jinjin Yan, Lester Sim, Seth J. Schwartz, Yishan Shen, Deborah Parra-Medina, Su Yeong Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Prior studies investigating the association between acculturation and adolescent adjustment have often focused on specific acculturation domains rather than examining these domains collectively in a profile typology. Here, we investigate stability and change patterns in Mexican American adolescent acculturation profiles over time, using a two-wave longitudinal dataset spanning 5 years. Using latent profile analysis, three adolescent acculturation profiles were identified at Waves 1 and 2: integrated; moderately integrated; and moderately assimilated. Using latent transition analysis, four acculturation transition profiles were identified across time: stable integrated; stable moderately integrated; progressive; and regressive. Over half of all adolescents were identified as belonging …

Risk Factors Associated With Opioid Use Among African American Faith-Based Populations, Kelsey Christensen Ma, Jannette Berkley-Patton Phd, Alexandria Bauer Phd, Carole Bowe Thompson, Tacia Burgin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

African Americans (AAs) in the Midwest are more likely to die from an opioid overdose compared to Whites, despite lower rates of use. Little is known about factors related to opioid use among AAs residing in the Midwest, particularly church-affiliated AAs. AAs have the highest rate of church attendance among all racial/ethnic groups, and the Black Church may be an appropriate setting for prevention efforts. The present study sought to better understand factors related to opioid use among Midwestern church-affiliated AAs to inform future faith-based interventions. This study examined predictors of opioid use (ever) using survey data from Taking It …

A Critical Analysis Of The Utilization Of Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (Emdr) Psychotherapy With African American Clients, Allen Lipscomb, Wendy Ashley

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic intervention designed to decrease distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR has been validated and confirmed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as a primary treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has been recognized as effective by the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense. Multiple studies reflect EMDR’s capacity to heal the brain from psychological trauma; thus, clients are able to immediately experience the benefits of psychotherapy that previously took years to obtain. However, despite EMDR’s efficacy, there are minimal references to diversity, culture or context in EMDR research and …