The purpose of this biobehavioral study was to explore relationships between psychosocial stressors of acculturation, acculturative stress, and metabolic markers of leptin and adiponectin in Mexican American women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). A case control design was used for this secondary analysis which included a sample of 38 pregnant women with GDM and 38 healthy controls without GDM, who were matched on age and BMI status. Subjects completed two surveys—the Multidimensional Acculturation Scale II (MASII) and the Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory (MASI)—which measured acculturation and acculturative stress. Descriptive statistics, Pearson r correlations, and independent sample t-tests were used to analyze the data. The results from this study indicated that significant relationships do exist between some of the variables of interest; however, there were no overall significant differences found between women with and without gestational diabetes. These mixed results may be an indicator of a need to further explore these concepts. / text

Nigerian women who migrate to the United States are faced with complex social challenges as they acculturate to a new society. Stressful conditions and acculturation experiences may threaten the overall mental health of these immigrant women. The purpose of this study was to explore the acculturation experiences of Nigerian immigrant women living in the United States, identify stressors associated with the process, and highlight the coping strategies they employed. Stress and coping theory provided the theoretical framework for the study and phenomenological inquiry guided the research questions and method. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews. Content analysis and coding were utilized to find relevant themes. Participants described their immigration experiences as being difficult although they reported their lives are â??much better nowâ??. The women adopted a positive, hard working attitude; relied on their faith in God; and sought mentors and a supportive community. Most participants reported being unaware of the resources available to them and more than half reported not having access to any resources. Participants reported receiving support from their friends, family members, and communities of faith. Research on the acculturative experiences of these women would be useful in developing gender specific programs that would support the integration process and reduce mental health issues that may arise as a result of acculturation stressors. In an advocacy effort towards social change, results from this study may inform service providers of Nigerian immigrant women's unique cultural needs as they acculturate to living in the United States.

Psychological assessment has a long history to be used for diagnostic purposes for all ages. This traditional model of assessment has been common for decades, but has not emphasized some important aspects of best practice (Brenner, 2003). To address the limitations of the information gathering model of assessment, collaborative and therapeutic approaches to assessment have been developed over the past several decades (e.g. Finn & Thonsager, 1997; Fischer, 1970). Therapeutic Assessment (TA) emphasizes the opportunity to provide positive changes in the client and their system by involving the client throughout the assessment process, and establishing a meaningful and collaborative relationship between assessor and client (Finn, 2007). The TA has been found to produce many positive impacts on client’s assessment experiences in mainstream American culture. It is important to note how these positive impacts transfer to clients of different cultures. Thus the purpose of this study will be to investigate the effect of acculturation on Asian American parents’ perception of existing models of child assessment. This study will examine the relations between acculturation and perception of assessment models (information gathering model versus Therapeutic Assessment) among Chinese American parents. / text

Hispanic immigrants constitute the largest and fastest growing groups of minorities in the United States. According to the 2010 Census, there are 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, making up 16.3% of the total population (Passel, Cohn & Lopez, 2011). Furthermore, the state of Florida is home to 4,223,806 Hispanics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Because the Hispanic population continues to grow, it is important to study their sexual health behaviors because diseases linked to risky sexual behaviors account for approximately 20,000 U.S. deaths each year, and are linked to a number of adverse reproductive outcomes (Abraido-Lanza, Chao, & Florez, 2005; Hussey, Hallfors, Waller, Iritani, Halpern & Bauer, 2006; Mokdad, Marks, Stroup & Geberding, 2004). Much of the research on risky sexual behaviors has included women of Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican descent (Weiss & Tillman, 2009). Therefore, to fill a gap in the current research further investigations should be conducted among other Latin subgroups such as Colombians. Conducting studies of Colombian women will contribute to the relatively unknown attitudes, beliefs and values towards sex and sexual high-risk behaviors of South American women. This study systematically examines literature in order to build a conceptual model, which will explain the sexual behaviors of Colombian women. The study will provide a survey instrument to be used in future research.

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A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.

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