The primary purpose of this study was to develop and establish the reliability and validity of the East Asian Student Stress Inventory. Data was obtained from 235 East Asian students at the University of North Texas during the fall semester of 1992. The procedures used were a two-week interval test-retest for reliability, experts' assessment of test items for face validity, a factor analysis, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient for construct validity. Significance was set at the .05 level. The EASSI was identified as having moderately high reliability. High test anxiety, physiological symptoms, social support, financial difficulty, and culture shock were found to be constructs of the EASSI. Majority of independent variables in this study effectively identified stressors and stresses among East Asian students.

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The present study tested a stress-problem-solving and stresssocial support etiological model for depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation for a group of Asian foreign students in the United states. Problem-solving skills and social support were hypothesized as two mediators between life stress and dependent variables, such as depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation. The results from a series of stepwise regression analyses and a path analysis supported the hypothesis. The results were also compared with other significant studies in this area and similar findings from cross cultures were addressed. The important role of social support and problem-solving confidence in depression and hopelessness were discussed. The results also suggest that depression and hopelessness may be two separate and complementary pathways in the etiology of suicide ideation. In addition, two new measures for life stress and social support for this specific population were designed and employed in the study. Satisfactory psychometric properties of these two new scales were indicated, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, concurrent validity, incremental validity, and construct validity. Results from factor analysis and regression analyses for factors of the new scales were also discussed in relation to depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation. Given the correlational nature of the study, some precautions regarding how to interpret the results were discussed. / Master of Science