Browsing by Subject "Chinese American"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Complex effects of language brokering among Chinese immigrant families : integrating variable-centered and person-centered approaches
(2016-05) Shen, Yishan; Kim, Su Yeong; Benner, Aprile D; Loukas, Alexandra; Anderson, Edward R; Dix, Theodore H
Children and adolescents in linguistic minority families, such as Chinese American families, often serve as language brokers; that is, they are the translators or interpreters for their parents who have limited English proficiency. Despite a growing number of scholarly investigations on language brokering, evidence regarding its developmental outcomes remains mixed. To disentangle the complex effects of language brokering, two separate but complementary studies were conducted. Specifically, Study 1 took a variable-centered approach and examined the mechanisms of the complex effects of language brokering frequency, while Study 2 took a person-centered approach and explored subgroups of language brokers based on language brokering feelings and identified predictors and outcomes of subgroup memberships (including a known subgroup of non-brokers). Participants were Chinese American adolescents (N = 252 for Study 1; N = 394 for Study 2 including non-brokers) residing in Northern California who were surveyed when they were in high school (T1; Mage = 17.0; SD = 0.73; 61% female) and again four years later (T2). In Study 1, it was found that frequent language brokering for mothers was associated with brokering-related maternal dependence, which was in turn simultaneously associated with both brokering-related mother-child mutual regard and mother-child role reversal across language brokers’ adolescence and emerging adulthood. In addition, the positive impact of frequent language brokering diminished when language brokers did not perceive warmth from their mothers’ parenting behaviors. In Study 2, two distinct subgroups of adolescent language brokers were identified using latent profile analyses based on language brokering feelings: efficacious brokers and burdened brokers. A key predictor that distinguished the two language broker groups was bilingual proficiency, such that those who were proficient in both English and Chinese were more likely to be efficacious brokers. Moreover, compared to non-brokers, efficacious brokers were not significantly affected by or even benefitted from translating, while burdened brokers’ parent-child relationships and psychosocial well-being were at risk due to brokering. Finally, the majority of adolescents remained in the same subgroups over time, and those who were burdened at both times and those who later became burdened showed poorer adjustment in emerging adulthood than other subgroups.
Mind Over Matter: Application Of The Social-Ecological Model In Understanding Help-Seeking Behavior For Treatment Of Depression And Anxiety In Asian Americans
(2019-05-01) Chyu, Joann; Zuniga, Julie
This thesis aims to examine factors that affect help-seeking behavior for the treatment of anxiety and depression among Asian Americans, using the social-ecological model as a framework of analysis. Although Asian Americans have the highest median income and the highest postsecondary graduation rates of all racial groups in the U.S., Asian Americans exhibit lower utilization rates for mental health services than the general U.S. population. Moreover, a significant literature gap exists in the field of Asian American mental health research, highlighting a need to better understand mental health concerns of the Asian American population. A meta-analysis was conducted using the PubMed database. Only English-language studies published in the last 10 years with experimental designs and quantitative results were included. Factors affecting help-seeking behavior were examined across four levels of the social-ecological model: the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels. On the individual level, etiological beliefs were found to promote help-seeking behavior; on the interpersonal level, peer connection promoted help-seeking attitudes; on the institutional level, financial and language barriers discouraged help-seeking behavior; and on the societal level, stigma and Asian values discouraged help-seeking behavior. Findings were synthesized across multiple levels of the social-ecological model, and compared to those of previous studies on Asian American help-seeking behavior. Lastly, recommendations for reform on each level of the social-ecological model are proposed. Future directions in clinical and research settings are also recommended, in the hopes of improving mental health service utilization among Asian Americans in the future.
Role of acculturation and enculturation on Chinese adults' perception of child psychological assessment models
(2013-08) Ho, Eching; Tharinger, Deborah J.
The Therapeutic Assessment model of child assessment (TA-C) aims to provide psychological benefits and facilitate positive changes in the children and their family. However, research on TA-C has focused almost exclusively on the experience of clients from mainstream American culture. This study investigated the cultural applicability of the TA-C model with Chinese adults residing in the United States. A convenience sample of 74 Chinese adults, ages 25-40, was recruited. Two sets of vignettes were written to simulate the experiences of each step of the TA-C and information gathering (IG) model of assessment. Each participant was randomly assigned to either the TA-C or the IG group, and completed the Perceived Experiences of Assessment Scale and My Feelings after reading each phase of the assessment (introductory, testing, child feedback, parent feedback, and overall experience) in their vignette. In addition, each participant completed the European American Values Scale of Asian Americans--Revised and the Asian American Values Scale--Multidimensional, designed to measure of acculturation and enculturation respectively. Findings indicated that after taking acculturation and enculturation into account, Chinese participants had a more positive experience with the TA-C model than the IG model. Additional analyses found that the level of acculturation and enculturation had no significant impact on how participants in the TA-C group experienced the case through their vignette, supporting the robust nature of TA-C. However, participants in the IG group did experience an impact of both acculturation and enculturation on how they experienced the case through their vignette, supporting less applicability of the IG model when high enculturation is present. In addition, the experience of being emotionally stirred up in the TA-C condition was examined and discussed, suggesting further that the TA-C model both evokes and supports emotional disequilibrium that then facilitates a positive experience by the end of the TA-C. In conclusion, this study offered promising preliminary support for TA-C as a culturally appropriate child assessment model for Chinese families in the United States and provided a more nuanced understanding about the use of the IG model with those who are highly enculturated.
The impact of illness perception, diabetes management self-efficacy, and emotional distress on Type 2 diabetes self-management among Americans with Chinese backgrounds
(2019-02-06) Huang, Ya-Ching; García, Alexandra Anne, 1964-; Jang, Yuri; Kim, Miyong; Zuniga, Julie
This descriptive correlational study explored the relationships of diabetes illness perception (consequences, personal control, treatment control, and cause), emotional distress (diabetes distress and depressive symptoms), and diabetes management self-efficacy with diabetes self-management activities; the mediator effects of diabetes management self-efficacy on the relationship between diabetes illness perception (consequences, personal control, treatment control, and cause) and self-management activities; and the moderator effects of emotional distress (diabetes distress and depressive symptoms) on the relationship between diabetes illness perception and self-management activities among Americans with Chinese backgrounds. The conceptual framework was based on an adaptation of Leventhal’s Common- Sense Model of self-regulation. A hundred and fifty-three survey participants with Type 2 diabetes were recruited from Chinese speaking communities in three major metropolitan areas in Texas. Participants average age was 69.1 years old, female (52.3%), and had at least a high school education. Their average acculturation score was 14.82 ± 7.66 (relatively low). The average number of comorbidities was 1.30 ± 1.27; participants were diagnosed with T2DM for an average of 13.43 ± 10.20 years; 14.4% were prescribed insulin. A mean item score for diabetes self-management self-efficacy was 7.4 out of 10. Diabetes distress mean score was 2.36, indicating a moderate level of distress. The average score of depressive symptoms was 11.25, and 24.8% of the participants met the clinical definition of depression. Participants performed diabetes management activities about 4.3 days out of the preceding 7 days. The significant bivariate correlations among variables included older age, longer years of diabetes, insulin usage, lower acculturation level; and participants with higher self-efficacy were more likely to report having better self-management activities. Neither illness perceptions nor emotional distress were found to be significant predictors of diabetes self-management in hierarchical multiple models. However, age, duration of diabetes, and self-efficacy were shown to significantly predict self-management. Self-efficacy also significantly mediated the relationship between illness perceptions and self-management activities; and the relationship between emotional distress and self-management activities. These findings contribute to our understanding of the factors that facilitate patients of Chinese American backgrounds to perform self-management activities on a daily basis