Cultural norms shaping research group interviews with Chinese American immigrants.

Practical knowledge on how to tailor research methods for Asian Americans is relatively scarce despite the rapid population growth of this ethnic group and the ongoing calls for greater cultural competence among researchers. Based on a 4-year qualitative study of family and cultural issues in diabetes management among Chinese American immigrants, this article presents data-based analyses of culturally nuanced group interview processes, and recommendations for conducting culturally appropriate group interviews. Group interview processes were prominently shaped by four cultural norms: sensitivity to social hierarchy, monitoring public display of strong emotions, face concerns, and emphasis on group harmony. Strategies for facilitating open and dynamic group interviews in the presence of these norms were identified. Skillful facilitation of group processes, either by accommodating or diffusing norms, was required to promote participant rapport and encourage disclosure of everyday experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy With Chinese American Clients: Cautions and Modifications.

The purpose of this article is to examine the application of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in working with Chinese American clients with a focus on exploring the potential weaknesses and providing modifications for effective therapy with this population. The contents include (a) an overview of CBT, (b) Chinese American cultural values, (c) parallels between Chinese cultural norms and philosophy of CBT, and (d) cautions and modifications when applying CBT to Chinese American clients. Because of its high level of compatibility with Chinese values, beliefs, and cultural characteristics, CBT, with a few modifications, appears to be a viable model when working with Chinese American clients in a short-term therapy setting or in the beginning phase of therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adherence to Asian and European American cultural values and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Asian American college students.

Possible relations among enculturation and acculturation to cultural values and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help were examined among 146 Asian American college students. In addition, possible relations between various dimensions of Asian values and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help were examined. As hypothesized, the results indicated a significant inverse relation between enculturation to Asian values and professional help-seeking attitudes, above and beyond that of the association with having previous counseling experience. Although bivariate correlational results suggested possible inverse relations between the Asian values dimensions of collectivism, emotional self-control, and humility and professional help-seeking attitudes, these associations were not confirmed with a hierarchical multiple regression model. Contrary to expectation, a significant relation was not observed between values acculturation and professional help-seeking attitudes. Also, the interaction between enculturation and acculturation to cultural values was not significantly predictive of professional help-seeking attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapist multicultural competence, Asian American participants' cultural values, and counseling process.

Asian Americans drop out of mental health treatment at a high rate. This problem could be addressed by enhancing therapists' multicultural competence and by examining clients' cultural attitudes that may affect the counseling process. In the present study, we used a video analogue design with a sample of 113 Asian American college students to examine these possibilities. The result from a t test showed that the session containing therapist multicultural competencies received higher ratings than the session without therapist multicultural competence. In addition, correlational analyses showed that participant values acculturation was positively associated with participant ratings of counseling process, while the value of emotional self-control was negatively correlated. The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis did not support any interaction effects among the independent variables on counseling process. All of these findings could contribute to the field of multicultural competence research and have implications for therapist practices and training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acculturation, enculturation, parental adherence to Asian cultural values, parenting styles, and family conflict among Asian American college students.

The present study examined the relations between perceived parenting styles and family conflict with data from 149 Asian American college students. Ratings of parenting styles were highest for authoritarian style, followed by authoritative and permissive styles. Tests of mediation revealed that authoritarian parenting significantly explained why parents’ adherence to Asian cultural values was associated with increased family conflict. Tests of moderation showed that as permissive parenting increased, more acculturated participants reported lower family conflict, although the reverse was true for their less acculturated counterparts. When authoritarian parenting increased, integrated, separated, and assimilated participants reported increased family conflict, whereas the marginalized group reported lower family conflict. Finally, assimilated participants reported less family conflicts at higher levels of authoritative parenting in comparison to the integrated, separated, and marginalized groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Client Expectation for Counseling Success, Client-Counselor Worldview Match, and Client Adherence to Asian and European American Cultural Values on Counseling Process With Asian Americans.

After assessing their expectation for counseling success, adherence to Asian cultural values, and adherence to European American cultural values, 88 Asian American volunteer clients with personal concerns engaged in single-session counseling with 1 of 11 female counselors who either matched or mismatched the client's worldview. Clients in the worldview match condition perceived stronger client-counselor working alliance and counselor empathy than those in the mismatch condition. Client adherence to Asian cultural values was positively related to client-counselor working alliance. Client adherence to European American values was positively associated with client-counselor working alliance and session depth. In addition, an interaction effect was observed such that high expectation for counseling success and strong adherence to European American cultural values were associated with increased perception of counselor empathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An exploration of Asian American college students' civic engagement.

This is an exploratory study of civic engagement among Asian immigrant college students. Fourteen students participated in semistructured interviews. This study found three categories of facilitators and barriers to civic engagement: (a) relational factors, (b) identity factors, and (3) acculturation gap factors. Findings also suggest that civic engagement is related to positive social and academic development among participants. Results highlight the importance of cultural and social factors in supporting Asian immigrant college students' civic engagement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Values expressed in American children's readers: 1800-1950.

"Content analysis of children's readers from schools in the United States demonstrated a rise in achievement imagery from 1800 to about 1900 and then a steady decline… . A steady decline over the period 1800-1950 was found in the amount of moral teaching in readers… [and] an increase in affiliation imagery… . the data correspond… with certain cultural trends pointed out by students of cultural change." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural transmission: Influence of contextual factors in asian indian immigrant parents' experiences.

Sixteen 1st-generation Asian Indian mothers and fathers were interviewed about the influence of immigration on retention of their own ethnic identity and their ability to promote a sense of ethnic identity in their 2nd-generation children. Data were analyzed with the consensual qualitative research methodology (C. E. Hill et al., 2005) and revealed ethnic identity retention to be influenced by engagement in cultural celebrations and activities, a need to hold onto tradition and upbringing, family ties, social support, and a rejection of perceived Western values. Ethnic identity retention was challenged by environmental obstacles and barriers within American society, loss of familial support, lack of cultural continuity, and an inability to have the "best of both worlds." Furthermore, participants identified specific values and strategies relevant to transmitting an ethnic identity to their children as well as specific challenges to this process, including limited familial and communal guidance and modeling, obstacles from Western culture, an inability to apply their own experience or upbringing, a lack of cultural knowledge, and the potential for intermarriage. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward an understanding of depression from the standpoint of women: Exploring contributions of qualitative research approaches.

Provides an introduction to the special issue of Canadian Psychology on depression in women. "Depression" is recognized as one of the more common mental health problems and also one that is particularly prevalent among women. One major limitation of mainstream theorizing is the taken-for-granted view of depression as a form of internal "psychopathology," a phenomenon which can be understood without regard to sociocultural context. An approach that avoids this limitation is one in which contextual aspects of women's lives are included from the outset by following a research process that begins with the lived experiences of women. A focus on women's experiences also leads to consideration of the contributions of qualitative approaches to research on depression which are compatible with both a feminist standpoint perspective and social constructionist epistemologies. The articles in this special issue are intended to contribute to the development of new knowledge about depression in women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental overprotection in Asian American children: A psychodynamic clinical perspective.

Provides an overview of the problem of overprotection in Asian families, with an emphasis on issues related to clinical theory and practice. The first section addresses parental overprotection and its manifestations in Asian culture. The second section provides an examination of potential psychopathological effects of overprotection on Asian children and adolescents. The third section discusses clinical aspects and includes 3 case illustrations; complications caused by cultural factors are emphasized. A discussion and conclusions section follows. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Culture, ethnicity, and children's facial expressions: A study of European American, mainland Chinese, Chinese American, and adopted Chinese girls.

This investigation extends previous research documenting differences in Chinese and European American infants' facial expressivity. Chinese girls adopted by European American families, nonadopted Mainland Chinese girls, nonadopted Chinese American girls, and nonadopted European American girls responded to emotionally evocative slides and an odor stimulus. European American girls smiled more than Mainland Chinese and Chinese American girls and scored higher than Mainland Chinese girls for disgust-related expressions and overall expressivity. Adopted Chinese girls produced more disgust-related expressions than Mainland Chinese girls. Self-reported maternal strictness, aggravation, positive expressiveness, and cultural identification correlated with children's facial responses, as did number of siblings and adults in the home. Results suggest that culture and family environment influences facial expressivity, creating differences among children of the same ethnicity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Passionately committed psychotherapists: A qualitative study of their experience.

Twelve peer-nominated psychotherapists were interviewed to provide a rich understanding of their sustained high levels of work commitment. Common themes included creating boundaries between professional and nonprofessional life, using leisure activities to provide relief, turning obstacles into challenges, finding diverse activities to provide freshness and energy, continually seeking feedback and supervision, taking on social responsibilities, and experiencing a strong sense of spirituality. Whereas participants did not differ significantly from norm groups on measures of work salience, job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, they reported high levels of personal accomplishment and scored in the 99th percentile on openness to experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond constant comparison qualitative data analysis: Using NVivo.

The purposes of this paper are to outline seven types of qualitative data analysis techniques, to present step-by-step guidance for conducting these analyses via a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software program (i.e., NVivo9), and to present screenshots of the data analysis process. Specifically, the following seven analyses are presented: constant comparison analysis, classical content analysis, keyword-in-context, word count, domain analysis, taxonomic analysis, and componential analysis. It is our hope that providing a clear step-by-step process for conducting these analyses with NVivo9 will assist school psychology researchers in increasing the rigor of their qualitative data analysis procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Test of Cramer's (1999) Help-Seeking Model and Acculturation Effects With Asian and Asian American College Students.

The generalizability of K. M. Cramer's (1999) help-seeking model was examined for Asian and Asian American college students. The construct of acculturation was then added to Cramer's model to determine if it would improve the model fit. Asian and Asian American (n=202) students completed help-seeking measures and behavioral and value-based measures of acculturation. White (n=336) students completed only help-seeking measures. Although path analyses showed that Cramer's model fit both samples, structural invariance analysis indicated differential model functioning between groups that can be primarily attributed to self-concealment, a concept central to understanding Asians' and Asian Americans' attitudes toward help seeking. The addition of acculturation, especially adherence to Asian value, to Cramer's model improved model fit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor self-disclosure, East Asian American client adherence to Asian cultural values, and counseling process.

After completing a measure of adherence to Asian cultural values, 62 East Asian American clients talked about personal issues in a counseling session with a European American counselor who either disclosed personal information or refrained from disclosing personal information. Disclosure condition and client adherence to Asian values did not predict session outcome. However, type and intimacy of disclosure were related to immediate process and session outcome. Disclosures of strategies were perceived by the clients to be more helpful than disclosures of approval/reassurance, facts/credentials. and feelings, with disclosures of insight perceived as intermediate in helpfulness. Disclosures of strategies occurred more frequently in highly rated sessions than in sessions rated low. Also, client-and counselor- perceived intimacy of disclosures was significantly correlated with client- and counselor- perceived helpfulness of disclosures, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapists' experiences treating Asian American women with eating disorders.

How do psychologists treat eating disorders (EDs) and subclinical issues in Asian American women in a culturally competent manner? Disordered eating and body dissatisfaction are so common in women that most therapists work with the issues to some degree, and it is increasingly likely they will see women of color. Asian American women are at significant risk and yet little treatment literature exists. Twelve therapists with experience in ED treatment were interviewed about their work with Asian American women. Grounded theory and consensual qualitative analysis methods were used to analyze the data, resulting in two central domains of conceptualization within the cultural context and treatment approach. Therapists reported that their clients were mostly first- and second-generation Americans who experienced acculturation stress and cultural conflict, particularly with elders. Other results suggested therapists perceived a strong connection between clients' desires to be thin and successful, and clients' efforts to conform to traditional Asian cultural values and fit in with U.S. mainstream culture. Therapists emphasized the cultural contextualization of family dynamics, developmental processes (e.g., individuation), and intergenerational conflicts. They viewed EDs as providing clients with culturally congruent coping strategies to affectively disconnect and to express distress. Treatment themes centered on psychoeducation and the importance of including parents in the treatment of their adult daughters. Helping clients navigate autonomy within the family and cultural context, and challenging clients and parents on the cultural (both Asian and mainstream U.S.) pressures regarding achievement and beauty were particularly important. Implications for therapy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Asian and European American Cultural Values, Collective Self-Esteem, Acculturative Stress, Cognitive Flexibility, and General Self-Efficacy Among Asian American College Students.

Asian American college students' adherence to Asian and European American cultural values and their relations to collective self-esteem, acculturative stress, cognitive flexibility, and general self-efficacy were examined. On the basis of data from 156 respondents, the results supported the hypothesis that adherence to Asian and European American values are positive predictors of membership and private dimensions of collective self-esteem. However, contrary to the authors' hypotheses, no relations were observed between adherence to Asian and European American values and other criterion variables. It is interesting that post hoc examination of the results indicated that adherence to Asian values was a positive predictor of the importance to identity dimension of collective self-esteem. Also, adherence to European American values was a positive predictor of cognitive flexibility and general self-efficacy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facilitating rigorous qualitative research in rehabilitation psychology.

Qualitative research methods have much to contribute to theoretical and applied knowledge in rehabilitation psychology. However, as a discipline, rehabilitation psychology has been behind the curve in employing qualitative methods. Objectives: This article is a summary of the state of qualitative research in rehabilitation and an introduction to various methodological dimensions to consider in implementing qualitative rehabilitation psychology research. Types and examples of qualitative rehabilitation research are presented. Criteria for evaluating qualitative research are discussed. Finally, the majority of this article is devoted to presenting the various methodological dimensions on which researchers must make decisions in designing and implementing rigorous qualitative research (e.g., paradigms, methods, data collection strategies, data analysis procedures, reliability/validity). Conclusions: Rehabilitation psychology has much to gain through qualitative research, and success in incorporating qualitative evidence will be ensured by rehabilitation psychologists learning and rigorously implementing qualitative methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Poverty, loss, and resilience: The story of Chinese immigrant youth.

A total of 10 focus groups were conducted with students, parents, teachers, and school counseling and support personnel to investigate the cultural adjustment process of Chinese immigrant youth using an ecological framework. Multi-informant data were analyzed using the grounded theory (A. Strauss & J. M. Corbin, 1998) method. Findings reveal 6 main themes: socioeconomic changes due to immigrant status; English proficiency as a barrier to adjustment; changes in family structure and dynamics, racism, and invisibility; challenges to social support systems; and interdependent strategies for navigating in the United States. Results highlight the dynamic interaction and tensions created across themes and ecological contexts. The need for school- and community-based counseling interventions that address Chinese immigrant youths' losses and foster their resiliency and supportive networks are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)