Thesis advisor: Thanh V. Tran / Diabetes management is a major part of treatment but many ethnic/racial minorities with type 2 diabetes do not make the needed adjustment. A key component of healthcare access is health acculturation, defined as a level of success in navigating the mainstream healthcare system. The overall goal of this study is to develop a measure of health acculturation and examine its relationship with diabetes management across several ethnic minority groups in the US. The first purpose is to investigate the relationship between health acculturation and type 2 diabetes management behaviors in a sample of foreign-born Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Latino adults. The second purpose is to assess ethnic differences by testing the interaction between health acculturation and ethnicity on diabetes management behaviors. Merged dataset from CHIS 2009 and 2011-2 were used for analysis. Multiple and logistic regression analysis revealed that those with high health acculturation skills performed more diabetes management than their counterparts. Latinos performed better than all Asian subgroups on most diabetes management behaviors regardless of the level of health acculturation. The study has implications for social workers and healthcare providers working with ethnic and minority populations. The results suggest that the health acculturation measure would be a good screening tool to identify immigrant populations who will most benefit from health intervention within the culture of western medicine. In addition, the results help to identify specific skills and tools needed by social workers and healthcare providers to better serve these populations. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T10:54:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIA PERPETUO SOCORRO OLIVEIRA MARINHO.pdf: 14490869 bytes, checksum: c9b5dc7da5767426e98f41cce5b515bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-06 / In the study "Guajajara Indians: from the village to the city" it sought to identify the reasons that led them to migrate from their natural habitat to urban space in the city of Imperatriz/MA and the sociocultural impacts of this change to their lives. The specific objectives were to find the causes of migration of Guajajaras to town; characterize the cultural changes brought about by migration to the urban environment and its impact on their lives through the following questions: Why are the Guajajaras leaving their village? Which influences have they suffered? How do they identify themselves in this new urban space? What changes are generated in their culture, food, housing, health and on their cultural values from this new social, environmental and cultural coexistence? What are the perceptions and expectations that are noticeable in this new configuration of relationships in this new space, the city? This is a qualitative, exploratory and analytical study conducted through interviews using a saturation of information and records made in the field diary to report any perceptions about data collection. Ten intentionally selected Guajajara indians were included among which are found men and women over 18 living for more than ten years in the neighborhood Parque Amazonas who consented taking part in the study. For analysis, data were organized by identifying units of meaning, being grouped in the following categories: life in the village, life in the neighborhood, work, health, housing, nutrition, perception of being Indian and expectations about the life in the city. At the end, we can conclude that Guajajara suffer influences and changes in their lives when they migrate to the slums in the urban space; living with all forms of discrimination, prejudice and urban violence, and once living with these situations they become more marginalized and excluded in their subjectivity and their capacity for autonomy. It is also perceptible a loss of simple habits and the practices, customs, habits, values, traditional knowledge that have been gradually replaced collectively by customs, values and knowledge of the white men, in that the new ideal of Indian life turns out to become the way the white men live. / No estudo "ÍNDIOS GUAJAJARA: da aldeia para a cidade" buscou-se identificar as razões que os levaram a migrarem de seu habitat natural para o espaço urbano, na cidade de Imperatriz/MA, e os impactos socioculturais dessa mudança nas suas vidas. Os objetivos específicos foram: conhecer as causas da migração dos Guajajara para a cidade; caracterizar as mudanças culturais provocadas pela migração no meio ambiente urbano e o seu impacto nas suas vidas por meio das seguintes perguntas: Por que os Guajajara estão deixando a sua aldeia? Que influências sofrem? Como se identificam neste novo espaço urbano? Que mudanças são geradas em sua cultura, alimentação, moradia, saúde e valores culturais a partir desta nova convivência social, ambiental e cultural? Que percepções e expectativas são perceptíveis nesta nova configuração de relações neste novo espaço, a cidade? Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, exploratório e analítico realizado por meio de entrevistas por saturação de informação e registros feitos no diário de campo para relatar eventuais percepções sobre a coleta de dados. Foram incluídos no estudo dez indígenas selecionados intencionalmente entre homens e mulheres Guajajara, maiores de 18 anos, que vivem há mais de dez anos no bairro Parque Amazonas e que consentiram em participar do estudo. Para a análise, as informações foram organizadas por meio da identificação das unidades de significado e agrupadas nas seguintes categorias: vida na aldeia, vida no bairro, trabalho, saúde, moradia, alimentação, percepção de ser índio e expectativa sobre a vida na cidade. Ao final, pode-se concluir que os Guajajara sofrem influências e mudanças em suas vidas ao migrarem para a periferia do espaço urbano; convivem com todo tipo de discriminação, preconceito e violências urbanas e, uma vez convivendo com essas situações, se tornam mais marginalizados e excluídos em sua subjetividade e em sua capacidade de autonomia. Percebe-se ainda que a perda de hábitos simples como as práticas, os costumes, os hábitos, os valores, os conhecimentos tradicionais foram aos poucos substituídos no imaginário coletivo por costumes, valores e conhecimento dos brancos, na medida em que o novo ideal de vida dos índios passa ser o modo de vida dos brancos.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att erhålla en djupare förståelse för hur migranter som har flyttat från Chile samt Bosnien och Hercegovina och bosatt sig i Sverige, upplever sin ackulturationsprocess i relation till deras vänskapskrets etniska bakgrund. Arbetet fokuserar på migranters subjektiva upplevelse av den egna ackulturationsprocessen som sedan analyseras utifrån socialpsykologiska teorier. Dessa är social utbytesteori, ackulturation och symbolisk interaktionism samt begrepp som tillhör dessa teorier. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer framkom ett resultat som visar att ackulturationen har en påverkan på vem man väljer att etablera en vänskapsrelation med. Resultatet visar ansatser till att migranter vars strategi för ackulturation är integration i det nya landets samhälle, utvecklar vänskapsrelationer med den etniska majoritetsbefolkningen. Det framkom även att ackulturation som tydliggörs i känsla av separation och marginalisering leder till att migranter endast vänder sig till vänner med tillhörande etnicitet från samma hemland. Vidare visar resultatet att språket är den mest bidragande faktorn till integration, följt av arbete och skolutbildning i det nya landet som andra viktiga bidragande faktorer. / The aim of this study is to obtain a deeper understanding for how immigrants who migrated from Chile and Bosnia and Herzegovina and are residing in Sweden, experience their acculturation process in relation to their friendship relations’ ethnical background. The research focuses on immigrants’ subjective experience of their own acculturation process which is then analyzed with social psychological theories including Social exchange theory, Acculturation and Symbolic interactionism, together with concepts belonging to these theories. Through semi structured interviews, a result emerged which shows that the experienced acculturation has an influence on whom one chooses to establish a friendship relation with. The result shows that immigrants whos acculturation indicates towards integration in the host country tend to develop friendship ties with people of the ethnical majority population. Acculturation made clear in a feeling of separation and marginalization results in that the immigrant solely turns to friends belonging of the own ethnical country of birth. Furthermore, the result shows that language is the most contributory factor for integration, followed by work and schooling in the host country as other important contributory factors.

The Work-Based Project (WBP) set out to explore how international students in a Swiss hospitality institution manage to cope with two quite different cultures to where they came from i.e. the Swiss national culture and the British academic culture. Previous research on international students have been in locations where the host culture student is in plentiful supply which is a way to help the international student adjust socioculturally. Within this WBP, the student body is made up of mainly international students and very few Swiss students. Concepts that were used to assist the exploration of this topic include: what influenced the choice of Switzerland and the institution as a place to study, along with how the information was searched for (Mazzarol and Soutar’s, 2002 Push-Pull Model; The Model of International Students’ Preferences by Cubillo, Sánchez and Cerviño, 2006). Hyde’s (2012) adaptation of Oberg’s 1960 stages of adaptation explored culture shock as a concept followed by Berry’s (1997) acculturation and coping strategies. It investigated the use of friendship networks as a way to help students cope in this new environment (Bochner, McLeod and Lin, 1977; Schartner, 2015). These models were used to provide a framework for the questioning used in the gathering of the primary research. The study is applied in nature and using a case study allowed for the exploration of the rich detail that was needed to understand how the international student feels in this environment and how they cope with it in an effort to instigate change as a result of the findings. Focus groups were used as a scoping tool to identify the key themes which were then developed into a questionnaire for distribution among the wider student body. The key findings indicate that reputation of Swiss hospitality education is influential in the decision making of the student. Word of mouth through previous students is a key way for the students to find out the information they believe they need. The findings revealed that the student views both the Swiss and academic culture of the institution as one and the same. The issue of culture shock is difficult to plot as there was such a mix of feelings identified when the decision to come to Switzerland is made and when the student arrives. The friendships that are generated have evolved since the creation of the Bochner et al (1977) Model and Schartner (2015) identified a newer group which could be added to this model i.e. friends back home as a way to help with psychological adjustment. The key conclusions drawn from the research indicate that the students use word-of-mouth to a great extent in preparation for their study abroad however, the information received is informal in nature. Those that used more sources of information felt they arrived more prepared. Friends were referred to throughout the study for many reasons however, the addition of the 4th group of friends i.e. friends back home, were used as a form of escape to cope with the challenges experienced (whether national or academic culture) due to both cultures being viewed as one and the same. Implications of this relate to how information is provided to the potential student Dissemination of the findings to those that prepare the students for their venture e.g. agents and those that have to help the student adjust upon their arrival e.g. institution members so that the student can adapt more quickly in the 18 weeks that they have to feel comfortable in their new environment.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-08-06T19:06:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Lermen Haupenthal.pdf: 727361 bytes, checksum: 9ff9387207dc4e793f48c03879b6c9b9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-08-06T19:06:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Lermen Haupenthal.pdf: 727361 bytes, checksum: 9ff9387207dc4e793f48c03879b6c9b9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-25 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / A partir de 2010 um fenômeno vem se intensificando no Brasil: a vinda de haitianos. O objetivo desta dissertação é entender o papel das escolhas e práticas de consumo no processo de aculturação dos haitianos no Rio Grande do Sul. O estudo fundamenta-se na abordagem de Cultura do Consumo. A metodologia utilizada para este trabalho foi de natureza interpretativista, um pesquisa qualitativa através de entrevistas em profundidade, observações participantes e análise da mídia popular. Os principais resultados encontrados nesta pesquisa envolvem consumir por consumir, desconhecendo o significado, a possibilidade de negociar e não controlar a adaptação pelo consumo, à cultura do assistencialismo, o desequilíbrio das escolhas e práticas de consumo, a prática comum e próxima e finalmente, a prisão de consumo. / From 2010 a phenomenon has intensified in Brazil: the coming of Haitians. The objective of this dissertation is to understand the role of choices and consumption practices in the acculturation of Haitians in Rio Grande do Sul The case study is based on the approach of Consumer Culture. The methodology used for this study was interpretive nature a qualitative research through in-depth interviews, participant observation and analysis of social media. The main findings of this study involve consuming for consuming, not knowing the meaning, the ability to negotiate and not control the adaptation by consumption, the culture of philanthropy, the imbalance of choices and consumption practices, the common practice and next and finally the prison consumption.

As of 2016 the number of international students in the United States has reached over one million. Institutions of higher education in the United States have been attracting increasing numbers of international college students, primarily from China and other Southeast Asian countries. As a result, organizations such as the Institute of International Education have encouraged colleges and universities to create pathway programs. Pathway programs accept international students who do not have strong English language and/or academic skills, yet have a desire to study abroad. These students take English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at the university before beginning their degree courses. Some program models also have students taking their first-year courses apart from the rest of the student body to help these students close their skill gaps. However, this study focused solely on a pathway program that offers only ESL courses. Previous studies have shown that students who have academic language proficiency, yet lack the ability to integrate socially, often struggle with acculturation. This, in turn, can lead to problems with persistence in their course work and ultimately lack of degree completion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the social integration of international Chinese students comparing those who participated in the ESL program and those that did not at the subject university. The study examined the influence of this treatment on college retention and on self-reported social integration of international Chinese students. The study findings demonstrate that international Chinese students at this subject university who have received the intervention persist, having similar graduation rates compared to the general cohort, similar retention rates to the general cohort; and equal to or declining grade point averages based on the treatment-level. The study also shows that the ESL students have less acculturative stress and are more socially active in their college community than the non-ESL students. The effects of this social intervention have been positive not only at the start of their degree programs, but carry through their program. The study presents evidence as to the benefits the treatment offers towards persistence at this university, which supports pathway programs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how parental beliefs, practices, and values of Korean immigrant parents regarding mathematics education in the United States are adjusted from the perspective of ecology of human development. This research further explored how participants’ cultural identities are affected by acculturation process. In addition, the researcher examined the transformations of parents’ perspectives on mathematics learning and achievement as they integrate into the dominant culture. The study used mixed methods to obtain information about the research participants’ experience as immigrant parents and interrelationships with their second-generation children regarding mathematics learning and achievement. A sample of Korean American parents (n = 44), whose children were currently enrolled in a mathematics course at the time or had taken at least one mathematics course within the past 3 to 5 years in middle or high school, participated in a quantitative survey; a subsample of immigrant parents (n = 10) participated in semi-structured interviews. The study utilized the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA) and the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI). The results of the study indicated that even though Korean American parents shared the same nonnormative transition, they developed diverse intrinsic values and acculturation styles. Further, the parents’ perspectives on their children’s mathematical learning and achievement were influenced by traditional culture, dominant culture, and the interaction of both. The study also revealed that Korean immigrant parents used other Asian American students’ mathematical performance and learning as a frame of reference for their own children’s mathematical performance and learning; in addition, parents’ participation in children’s mathematics at home differed by acculturation levels. The main reason for the parents’ active support of and engagement in mathematics was that mathematics was the only subject which these immigrant parents adequately understood, and their aspiration for higher mathematics education was due to both immigrant optimism and pessimism. After moving to a different country, Korean parents’ abilities to perceive, conceptualize, and interact develop at different levels in new complex environments, where values, customs, and socioeconomic status contrast with those they had developed previously. These changes in intrafamilial processes and extrafamilial situations affected the development of the Korean immigrant parents’ cultural identity and reciprocal interactions with their second-generation children.

This master thesis investigates adaptation and cultural identity of migrants living in France. The sample consisted of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and French overseas departments who went to France for their studies. The research contains a qualitative and a quantitative part. The qualitative study was realized through semi-structural interwiev, in which partici- pated 19 students in age from 21-33 years. Results indicate that the migrants identify in their country of origin mostly with solidarity and warmth of the people, which contrasts with impersonal relationships of an individualistic french society. In spite of occasional experience with discrimination in France, most of migrants seem to adapt quite well. In France, they appretiate mostly the opportunity to succeed in life, which is given to everybody, something that is far from the case in their country of origin. In the quantitative study, 40 migrants in age from 18-45 years completed a questionnaire survey on internet. Due to a small number of participants the research have rather orientatio- nal character. Results indicated, unexpectedly, that the strenght of ethnic identity diminishes over time, which is in contradiction with several previous studies. Another result reveal that African women show better social and psychological...

Ethical decision-making is an important but challenging aspect of the role of a clinical psychologist. Little research has been conducted concerning how clinical psychologists make ethical decisions, with even less known about how trainees manage the process during professional training. The current study aimed to examine how trainees make ethical decisions, and how this process differs between more and less experienced trainees. Thirty-nine trainee clinical psychologists were recruited from a total of 17 doctoral training programmes in the United Kingdom. The sample recruited was demographically similar to the training population. A cross-sectional design was used to examine differences between first year (n = 19) and third year (n = 20) trainees. An online version of The Defining Issues Test questionnaire (DIT-2, Rest et al., 1999) was used to measure level of sophistication of ethical development, and individual face to face or Skype repertory grid interviews examined the integration of trainees’ personal and professional ethical decision-making construct subsystems. The vast majority of trainees were found to adopt a sophisticated approach to ethical decision-making, with half of all ethical decisions made from within a postconventional schematic approach. However, a small minority operated from within schemata based on maintenance of societal norms or personal interests. A deterioration in sophistication of thinking was demonstrated for more experienced trainees. Less experienced trainees were found to rely comparatively more heavily on their personal construct subsystems than more experienced trainees and vice versa. Increased integration between the subsystems over the course of training was demonstrated. The study demonstrates support for an acculturation process occurring throughout training. Implications of this and ideas for future research are discussed.

The population of Africans in the United States is growing, yet little is known about the impact of migration on the attitudes of African immigrants toward suicide, mental health, and helpseeking behavior. Migration entails movement from one cultural environment to another, and the process requires adaptation to the host country. According to Ecological Theory, interactions between the societal structures, values, and beliefs of the host country, cultural values from the country of origin, and individual-level characteristics may affect mental health-related attitudes and behaviors. As such, the current study used mixed methods, administered via online survey, to investigate socio-cultural predictors of attitudes toward suicide, mental health, and treatment seeking among African immigrants in the United States. In the current study the responses of 227 participants were used for qualitative analyses, and responses from 168 participants were used for quantitative analyses. Qualitative results indicated overall negative attitudes towards suicide and positive attitudes towards suicide prevention. Perceived culture-specific causes of suicide included acculturation difficulties, immigration stress, social causes such as home sickness discrimination, and racism, financial causes such as responsibility to kin in Africa, spiritual causes, and deportation risk. Results from quantitative analyses indicated that identification with African values and behaviors were related to lower levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and culture oriented psychological distress. Higher levels of spirituality and religiousness were associated with a negative attitude toward suicide. Implications for population based suicide prevention efforts for African immigrants and for mental health professionals working with African immigrants are discussed.