The dramaturgy written by Cuban American, Puerto Rican, and Dominican American women propels Hispanic-Caribbean theater beyond the geographical borders of their islands, thus creating and nurturing, transnational cultural enclaves that support it while also transforming the cultural theatrical environment of the United States. This dramaturgy, with its themes and arguments, puts into practice the feminist and LGBTQ critical theories with a focus on minority groups in US society. This work analyzes Hispanic-Caribbean theater traditions from their origins to the transformations they undergo in the United States given the influence of the various Caribbean diasporas. The essential characteristics of this drama, written by women, lead to the creation of a new theater characterized by its hybrid and bilingual roots. This dramatic cultural transformation reveals the diversity and inclusion of ethnic, racial, sexual identities, and the myriad intersectionalities found in the diasporic island communities from which it takes flight. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Purpose: The college environment is documented as a universally stressful period where students face many challenges (Baysden, 2002; Pandit, 2003). In addition to these potential stressors, international students face other unique challenges such as loss of support network, feelings of isolation, economic hardship, coping with oftentimes competing cultures, and anxiety which emanates from unfamiliarity (Kim & Omizo, 2003; Rounds & Kline, 2005). Unsuccessful resolution of these challenges can negatively impact the acculturation process, their mental health, and their academic programs (Roysircar, 2002). Despite these many challenges, research consistently shows that international students are less likely than their US counterparts to seek professional counseling (Bayer, 2002). Further, those who do seek counseling services are also more likely to terminate services prematurely (Anderson & Myer, 1985). Although there is an abundance of research on the attitudes towards seeking professional counseling of Asian and other international student populations (Kim & Omizo, 2003; Lau & Takeuchi, 2001; Leong & Lau, 2001; Liao, Rounds & Kline, 2005; Pandit, 2003), there is a dearth of knowledge on Caribbean college students. This dissertation sought to determine which factors influence the attitudes towards seeking professional counseling of English-speaking Caribbean college students in the U.S., as well as those attending colleges in the Caribbean. Method: Two research questions and five null hypotheses were used to examine what influences the attitudes towards seeking professional counseling of 500 Caribbean college students. The variables of interest were stigma tolerance, level of social support, level of acculturation, outcome expectations and level of emotional openness. Stigma Tolerance was measured using the Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help (SSRPH), Outcome Expectations were measured using the Disclosure Expectations Scale, Emotional Openness was measured using the Distress Disclosure Index and Social Support using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Attitudes towards seeking professional counseling were measured using the Attitudes towards seeking Psychological Help instrument by Fischer and Turner (1970) and acculturation was measured using responses from the demographic questionnaire. Several analyses were conducted including a stepwise regression analysis, multiple regression analysis, a MANOVA, ANOVA and a linear regression analysis. Major Findings: The results of this study indicated that stigma tolerance and anticipated risks of seeking counseling both have a significant inverse relationship with the attitudes towards seeking professional counseling of English-speaking Caribbean college students. Results also indicated that anticipated utility of seeking professional counseling has a significant relationship with the attitudes towards seeking professional counseling. The level of emotional openness as well as the level of social support also have a direct relationship with the attitudes towards seeking professional counseling of English-speaking Caribbean college students. Students who reside and attend college in the Caribbean reported higher mean scores for anticipated risk, anticipated utility and attitudes towards seeking professional counseling than their counterparts who reside and attend college in the U.S. Results also indicated that length of stay in the U.S. was not a statistically significant predictor of one's attitudes towards seeking professional counseling.