The current study addressed the deficiency in research by examining risk factors for immigrant children that may lead to academic disengagement (such as ethnic discrimination by peers and teachers, and psychological distress) and resilience factors that promote academic engagement (such as the development of a positive ethnic identity). Children who had stronger, more positive ethnic identities had more positive academic attitudes. Furthermore, the more the children were teased by their peers and graded unfairly by their teachers because of their ethnicity, the more they thought school was less important, less useful and felt less efficacious about school and valued school less. Also as expected, the more the children perceived discrimination, the more depressed and anxious they felt. Perceptions of discrimination negatively predicted self-regulation such that children who perceived more discrimination were less capable of regulating their attention and inhibitory control. In turn, children who were less able to self-regulate reported more psychological distress and lower academic attitudes. These results support the importance of supporting children’s ethnic identities, being sensitive to perceived discrimination experiences, and working to offset depression and anxiety. Other important implications include using the school setting and including teachers in an active way to influence the children’s environment.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate determinants of dental care utilization among low-income African-American women, focusing on psychosocial factors and predictors relevant to this population. METHODS: We used data from Wave I and II of the Detroit Dental Health Project. Participants were selected to represent African-American women caring for young children, and living in Detroit households below 250% of the federal poverty level. Papers I and II are cross-sectional, using baseline data from 969 women. Paper III follows 736 women longitudinally. Our main outcome variable was dental care utilization. The main independent variable in paper I was depression. The role of social support as a moderator was also assessed in that paper. In paper II, the main independent variables were depression, perceived discrimination, and food insufficiency, both individually and in combination. Paper III employs the framework of the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations to assess predisposing, enabling and need factors predicting the incidence of dental visits. RESULTS: Only 41.8% of the women had a dental visit within the past year. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that depressed women had lower odds of having a dental visit within the past year (OR=0.71, 95%CI=0.53-0.94). Emotional social support attenuated the effect of depression on dental visits. Women with high levels of perceived discrimination and those with food insufficiency were less likely to have dental visits in the past year (OR=0.65, 95%CI=0.44-0.95, and OR=0.64, 95%CI=0.44-0.93, respectively). Depression and perceived discrimination were also associated with less preventive visits. When psychosocial stressors were combined, they acted synergistically to lower the odds of having dental visits, including preventive and treatment visits. Longitudinal analyses of the data identified significant interactions between dental insurance and perceived discrimination (P =0.02) and between dental insurance and having a dental home (P =0.04). Experiencing pain in the teeth or gums was also a significant predictor of future dental visits. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate the importance of considering psychosocial factors when studying dental care utilization among low-income African-American women. Our findings also suggest that establishing dental homes, graduating culturally competent dental providers, and providing emotional support resources might improve dental care utilization among these women. / 2019-09-26T00:00:00Z

The acculturation process for international students is influenced by several factors such as experiences of discrimination, economic condition, language fluency, and social support. Discrimination, which refers to negative or prejudicial behavior towards an individual or a group of individuals, takes place towards international students due to their poor grasp of the English Language (Lee & Rice, 2007), cultural differences (Cole & Ahmadi, 2003), and racial differences (Hanassab, 2006). Perceived discrimination (among other factors) has been identified as a potential moderator of the relationship between acculturation preferences and psychological functioning in acculturation theory (Berry, 2003). Apart from perceived discrimination, gender has also been recognized as predicting adjustment among international students (Lee, Park, & Kim, 2009). This study investigated the role perceived discrimination plays in the relationship between acculturation orientation and psychological functioning (i.e., depression and global life satisfaction), and the influence gender has on the relationship between acculturation orientation and psychological functioning among international students from South Asia and South East Asia. A series of mediational and moderational analyses were performed with hierarchical multiple regression analyses. The mediation effect of perceived discrimination on the relationship between acculturation orientation and psychological functioning was not significant for either factors of psychological functioning. While the interaction between identification with host culture and gender did not predict depression, it predicted global life satisfaction (GLS). Specifically, men who identified with their host culture had higher global life satisfaction scores. However, the interactions between identification with heritage culture and gender did not predict depression or global life satisfaction. The findings suggest that the Berry’s (2003) acculturation model may not fit for international students. Future research on acculturation orientation as a variable mediating the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological functioning is recommended.

To assess the levels of perceived acute and chronic racial and non-racial discrimination in South Africa, their association with health, and the extent to which they contribute to racial differences in physical and mental health, data were used from a national probability sample of adults, the South African Stress and Health Study (SASH). All Black groups in South Africa (African, Coloured and Indian) were two to four times more likely than Whites to report acute and chronic experiences of racial discrimination. Africans and Coloureds report higher levels of ill health than Whites, but acute and chronic racial discrimination were unrelated to ill health and unimportant in accounting for racial differences in self-rated health. In contrast, all Black groups had higher levels of psychological distress than Whites, and perceived chronic discrimination was positively associated with distress. Moreover, these experiences accounted for some of the residual racial differences in distress after adjustment for socioeconomic status. Our main findings indicate that, in a historically racialized society, perceived chronic racial and especially non-racial discrimination acts independently of demographic factors, other stressors, psychological factors (social desirability, self-esteem and personal mastery), and multiple SES indicators to adversely affect mental health.

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No description available.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is rapidly increasing in organizations worldwide. The purpose of this cross-sectional experimental study is to compare perceptions of procedural fairness and perceptions of discrimination based on sexual orientation in AI-assisted versus human recruitment processes. Using vignettes, we asked participants (N = 278) to assess recruitment processes and fictional applicant’s LinkedIn profiles where sexual orientation was signaled. In more detail, after participants were informed about the negative decision made either by the AI tool or the human recruitment team, they were asked to report their perceptions of procedural fairness and perceptions of discrimination based on sexual orientation. We used independent samples t-tests and two-way ANOVA to analyze our main hypotheses. Our findings reveal that AI-assisted recruitment processes are perceived as less procedurally fair than human recruitment processes. In contrast, the results indicate that AI-assisted recruitment processes are perceived as less discriminatory for non-heterosexual applicants compared to heterosexual applicants. The findings cover a gap in research on perceived discrimination based on sexual orientation in AI-assisted recruitment. Moreover, by shedding light on the complexities of perceptions concerning AI-assisted and human recruitment processes, our findings underline the emerging need for organizations to invest in AI literacy, increase employees’ AI familiarity, and openly commit to AI legislation. Lastly, our findings may provide insights for informing talent acquisition strategies, learning and development programs, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in digitized companies. / <p>The final thesis submission was on the 02.06.2024 however, the final seminar including the thesis defence was on the 21.05.2024.</p><p>Please find the datasets (raw and cleaned) and all further supplementary materials on OSF, these are hyperlinked in the final document.</p>

International students face a variety of challenges in their acculturation process. The acculturation process is a highly variable process that is influenced by the mediating and moderating effects of individual factors that exist prior to, or arise during, acculturation (Berry, 1997). Among the moderating personal factors existing prior to acculturation, adult attachment has received heightened attention as an important variable impacting the acculturation process and adaptation outcomes. Wang and Mallinckrodt (2006a) suggested that successful adaptation involves exploration of unfamiliar social situations that resemble the infants’ exploration of their physical surroundings. The acculturation process can be challenging and stressful because individuals going through this process often encounter disparities in various situations. Similar to infants, whose attachment system tends to be activated particularly in a distressing situation, threatening events or situations in one’s adult life also activate the attachment behavioral system of seeking proximity to attachment figures for security and support. Limited research has investigated the relationship between adult attachment and the acculturation processes (e.g., Brisset, Safdar, Lewis, & Sabatier, 2010; Sochos & Diniz, 2011). Previous research has highlighted a link between adult attachment (e.g., attachment styles and attachment security) and psychological adaptation. However, the relationship between adult attachment and international students’ other acculturation outcomes (e.g., sociocultural adaptation) remains unclear in the existing literature due to inconsistent previous findings. The current study addressed the gaps in the literature by focusing on international students’ acculturation processes and examined how adult attachment contributes to, or influences, their adaptation. Data was collected from 228 international students that are enrolled in higher education institutions in different geographic locations in the United States. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted for data analysis. The results suggest that attachment anxiety was a significant predictor of international students’ psychological adaptation. Attachment avoidance significantly moderated the effect of acculturation to the U.S. culture on international students’ psychological distress, while attachment anxiety was a marginally significant moderator for the effect of acculturation to the U.S. culture on sociocultural adaptation. Attachment avoidance also moderated the effects of physical assault and behavioral discrimination on international students’ self-esteem. Study limitations and future directions are discussed.

African Americans have a higher proclivity to depression than other ethnic groups in the United States and also have a greater propensity to avoid seeking professional mental health treatment. The available research has shown that racial and cultural barriers such as perceived discrimination and self-concealment are the primary factors that negatively affect African Americans' attitudes toward mental health itself and mental health treatment. Perceived discrimination and self-concealment may also negatively affect whether African Americans seek help for depression and from whom, but further investigation was needed. The quantitative survey study provided answers to which factors influence whether and where African Americans seek help for major depression. A total of 147 participants were recruited through word of mouth, local churches, community organizations, and virtual venues such as electronic mail and social media. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed the mean scores of African Americans' use of natural supports and their use of outpatient treatment (dependent variables) were not equal across all levels of their self-concealment, perceived discrimination, and depressive symptoms (independent variables). Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that the mean scores remained the same when controlling for gender, income, education, and relationship status (covariates). The results suggest that the latter factors influence African Americans' decisions on where to seek help for depression regardless of their gender and socioeconomic status. Increasing the propensity of African Americans to seek professional help for depression should improve the mental health of the population as a whole and reduce the incidents of serious mental illness of those who are treated.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate factors and mechanisms of resilience among Turkish migrant women in the UK. For this purpose, qualitative and quantitative methods were used in combination. The quantitative study examined the role of perceived discrimination and social support, psychological distress, and integration acculturation attitude in predicting empowerment scores as the indication of resilience among Turkish migrant women in the UK. Demographic characteristics of education level, perceived English language level and residence status were controlled. The quantitative sample of the study consisted of 248 Turkish migrant women in London, while the qualitative sample of the study included 11 women who were selected among the participants of the quantitative study. Data collection instruments used in the quantitative study included, a demographic data form, Social Support Scale (Cohen &amp / Willis, 1985 / Soyg&uuml / t, 1989), General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg, 1972 / Kili&ccedil / , 1996), Acculturation Attitudes Scale (Ataca &amp / Berry, 2002), and Empowerment Scale (Sciarappa, Rogers, &amp / Chamberlin, 1994). The qualitative data were collected through narrative interviews by using an interview schedule that consisted of topics like migration story/process, experiences in the UK, coping processes/mechanisms, opportunities, discrimination, language and relationships, gender related experiences, changes in life, and social support networks. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the model of linear combinations of educational level, perceived English language level and residence status of participants, perceived discrimination, perceived social support, distress level and integration acculturation attitude significantly explained 38.5% of the total variance in empowerment scores. Among all individual predictor variables, having medium and high educational level, having higher levels of perceived social support and integration attitude, and having lower level of psychological distress were found associated with higher empowerment scores, and thus with higher resilience among Turkish migrant women in the UK. In the qualitative study, the documentary method was used to analyse the transcribed interviews. Results revealed that migration process, language, accommodation, marriage and relationship with husband, social relationships, ties and friends, children and motherhood, losses, husband&rsquo / s family, loneliness and belongingness, Turkish community, health problems and experiences with health services, and discrimination are the important risk and/or protective factors in the resilience of Turkish migrant women. Results also revealed that having or developing an educational orientation is an important protective factor for Turkish migrant women in the host country. Qualitative findings also showed that although almost all women used some strategies to cope with the demands of their lives in a new country, this process went beyond coping and corresponded to transformation and, in turn, resilience for some women.