Multiracial individuals undergo challenging life experiences as they develop their identity. The existing research on multiracial individuals primarily focused on specific periods of life or sampled particular multiracial mixtures. Instead, this thesis attempts to consolidate the preceding research to provide a comprehensive and encompassing analysis of identity development for multiracial individuals in reference to life stages: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. By compiling research to address multiracial individuals’ identity formation, mixed-race individuals can learn about the benefits of identifying with multiple races as well as the dangers posed by society and its perceptions of racial classifications. This thesis also acted as a personal memoir analyzing significant life experiences of an Asian /White individual growing up in the United States.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide an analysis of the principal factors that affect first-generation students while traversing through the higher education pipeline. Specifically, this thesis will discuss the factors that affect the chances of first-generation students gaining admission to postsecondary institutions and later persisting to graduation in those institutions. In addition, this thesis will discuss the possibility of prescriptive policies in ameliorating the very real deficits that these students face in succeeding in college.

This study examined the connections between cognitive functioning in individuals with dementia and caregiver burden, burden and mental health, mental health and quality of care. One hundred two dementia caregivers from San Lucas, Argentina completed questionnaires assessing these constructs. Caregiver burden, depression, anxiety, and satisfaction with life explained 18.8% of the variance in quality of care – respect and 14.7% of the variance in quality of care – provide. An SEM with generally adequate fit indices uncovered that cognitive functioning in individuals with dementia was inversely associated with caregiver burden, caregiver burden was inversely associated with mental health, and mental health was positively associated with quality of care. These findings suggest that the cascade may also be reversed with the development and use of dementia caregiver interventions that improve caregiver burden and mental health and as a result, the quality of care for individuals with dementia.

Relational aggression, behaviors that manipulate social relationships, is a pressing issue among Black college women (Dahlen, Czar, Prather, & Dyess, 2013). As a result of experiencing and using relational aggression, Black women may experience diminished interpersonal interactions and poorer overall psychological well-being (Gomes, Davis, Baker, & Servonsky, 2009). The present study examined how Black reality television (BRTV) models relationally aggressive behaviors for viewers. According to Cultivation theory, television has the power to influence the social reality (i.e. attitudes and perceptions) of individuals who consume high amounts of television (Gerbner et al, 2002), while Identification theory suggests that deep cognitive and emotional connection with a media character can lead to imitation (Cohen, 2001). Data was gathered from 93 Black college women through a survey measuring relational aggression, BRTV television consumption and media identification. Participants were randomly assigned a BRTV viewing condition (a non –aggressive BRTV or aggressive BRTV). Results indicated that aggressiveness of the BRTV program and continued exposure to BRTV did not significantly increase relational aggression over time. In contrast, relational aggression was found to significantly decrease across both viewing conditions. Regression analyses revealed that identification did not significantly mediate the relationship between continued exposure to BRTV and relational aggression. Implications and recommendations for future research on relational aggression among Black women were also examined.

Millions of Americans have served in the military, and improved survival rates in wars have increased the percentage of those who return home. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most prevalent mental health diagnoses for veterans. Although few studies have examined the link, previous research as well as the minority stress model and transgenerational trauma theories, suggest that race may be associated with PTSD, particularly in military samples. The current study examined whether there were differences in PTSD symptomology (global and symptom cluster-specific) based on veterans’ race and whether group therapy effectively reduced symptoms of PTSD. Data were collected from male veterans who identified as non-Hispanic Caucasian or non-Hispanic African American (N = 450) and participated in a 10-week, combat-related, group therapy PTSD Recovery Program between 2010 and 2014. Participants completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist- Military version (PCL-M) measure at three time points (intake, pre-treatment, and post-treatment). Global PTSD symptoms and three of the four symptom clusters did not differ between African American and Caucasian participants at intake. However, the symptom cluster of re-experiencing was higher for African Americans compared to Caucasians at intake. Additionally, the Recovery Program led to a reduction in PCL-M scores. This symptom reduction occurred regardless of race, with neither racial group improving more than the other. Moreover, dropout rates for the Recovery Program were on par or better than those for other trauma-focused therapies. Although the overall racial and ethnic composition of groups was not related to most outcomes, the percentage of racial/ethnic minority members in groups was negatively associated with the number of sessions attended for Caucasians. Findings also indicated that the PCL-M demonstrated good psychometric properties in an African American sample. One implication from this study is that the current conceptualization and measurement of PTSD may be insufficient. It may be more helpful to examine specific PTSD symptom clusters, especially when assessing differences by race. The effectiveness of the PTSD Recovery Program supports alternative options to treating veterans with PTSD in the VA system. Last, it is important for therapists to consider the composition of groups when conducting group therapy.

According to Cohn (2015), by the year 2065 about one-in-three Americans would be an immigrant or have immigrant parents projecting that incoming immigrants, and their children will steer majority of the United States (U.S.) population growth in the next 50 years. According to the projections for 2065, 78 million will be immigrants and 81 million will be individuals born in the U.S. to immigrant parents (see Figure 1). After immigrants from Mexico and China, the third largest immigrant group residing in the U.S. is from Asian-Indian origin. The percentage of Asian-Indian immigrants compared to all other immigrants in the U.S. has consistently proliferated. Considering this pattern of incoming Asian-Indian immigrants, research on parental involvement among Asian-Indians raising children who are U.S. citizens and future Americans is sparse. According to a national level study on paternal involvement with young children, “virtually no research has examined fatherhood among immigrants. Eighteen percent of current births are to mothers born outside of the U.S.; if the fathers also are foreign-born, this is a major gap in existing knowledge” (U.S. Department of Education, 2001, p. 22). The current study aimed to understand Asian-Indian immigrant couples’ factors influencing fathers’ involvement with school-aged children (6-10 years). Specifically, the study focused on the marital adjustment, parenting self-efficacy and gender-role beliefs about parenting. Parenting is believed to be codependent and nested within a family and cultural structure. While parenting research consistently demonstrates more maternal involvement with children, often fathers’ involvement gets little or no attention. One of the major limitations of fathering research is single source data, often comprising of only mothers’ reports. The purpose of this study was to address this research gap by examining the nested nature of human development using family systems theory. Actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), a type of dyadic data analysis, was used to examine the actor (spillover) and partner (crossover) effects of parents’ independent variables on their as well as their partners’ reports of paternal involvement. Self-report surveys were collected from 127 Asian-Indian immigrant parents. All the measurement scales had high reliabilities. Results for fathers revealed significant spillover effects of marital adjustment, parenting self-efficacy, and parenting gender role beliefs on fathers’ involvement, and for mothers, only marital adjustment effect on their reports of father involvement. These findings indicate that father involvement is enhanced when both fathers’ and mothers’ are adjusted in their marriage, when fathers’ feel competent in their parenting role and they have egalitarian gender beliefs about parenting. Partner or crossover effects were found from mothers’ marital adjustment onto fathers’ reports of involvement and, fathers’ parenting self-efficacy onto mothers’ reports of fathers’ involvement. These partner effects reveal that fathers’ involvement depend on how adjusted mothers are in their marriage and, mothers’ reports of fathers’ involvement depend on how efficient fathers are in their parenting role. In summary, the current study strongly supported family systems theory and demonstrated how the current immigrant parents, and the future families of America, adapt to succeed and re-structure lives in their ‘new home’.

Growing evidence for protective factors of spirituality against physical and mental health related outcomes has led to the consideration of spirituality as a protective factor for suicidal behaviors. Although initial support for this association is promising, spirituality has yet to be explored as it relates to psychache. Additionally, self-forgiveness has emerged as an important protective factor of suicidal behavior, but has not been explored in the context of psychache. Following a model developed by Webb, Hirsch, and Toussaint (2015), the current project explores the protective role of spirituality on suicidal behavior based on three dimensions of spirituality: ritualistic, theistic, and existential. A total of 262 individuals completed a self-report survey online through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results indicate that only Existential Spirituality is related to suicidal behaviors. Further, self-forgiveness and psychache were found to be serial mediators of this relationship. Implications for clinical interventions and directions for future research are discussed.

Previous research has indicated that racial identity invalidation has negative effects on multiracial individuals. Using a 2x2 mixed factorial design, this study investigates the effects of who does the invalidating (between subjects: Ingroup A vs. Unspecified Outgroup) and which of a multiracial individual’s strongest two racial identities is being invalidated (within subjects: Racial Identity A vs. Racial Identity B). Participants were 65 multiracial individuals recruited via social media to complete an online Qualtrics survey. Participants’ levels of psychological distress and identification with their strongest racial group were measured after they read each of two racial identity invalidation scenarios. We found that multiracial individuals reported higher levels of distress when the source of invalidation was an ingroup member belonging to their strongest racial ingroup and the basis of invalidation was the shared racial identity. Additionally, controlling for baseline racial group identification, multiracial individuals reported lower identification with their strongest racial group when the source of invalidation was an ingroup member belonging to their strongest racial ingroup and the basis of invalidation was the shared racial identity. Therefore, it is not necessarily the source or basis of invalidation that matters, but rather the interaction between them – racial identity invalidation only has negative effects on multiracial individuals when the identity of the source of invalidation matches the racial identity being invalidated.

This study explores the role perceived cultural difference and cultural priming have to play in influencing the home acculturation orientation of third culture individuals (individuals who have temporarily lived outside their home culture during their childhood years, or TCIs). Participants aged 19-74 years (N = 301) with a third culture background were surveyed using Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were randomly assigned to read a cultural priming scenario that oriented them either toward their home or host country, or to a third control group. All participants completed measures assessing their level of perceived cultural difference between home and host countries, and their level of home-country acculturation orientation. Results of this study supported hypotheses that perceived cultural difference was statistically significant in influencing TCIs’ home acculturation orientation but did not support hypotheses regarding cultural priming and an interaction between cultural priming and perceived cultural difference on acculturation orientation. Findings present implications for how the need for a cultural match between host and home countries can play a large role in influencing the third culture acculturative experience, and also provide further insight into a previously understudied population.

Savoring, or the process of prolonging a specific experience of positive emotions, is associated with positive health outcomes and feelings of interpersonal connectedness. Few studies have examined the process of savoring in a family context, and even fewer studies have explored the extent to which it may vary across cultures. In a sample of mother-child dyads (n = 66; White = 33 and Latinx, non-White = 30), we investigated the effect of savoring on verbal and behavioral indicators of maternal responsiveness as compared to a control condition, a reflecting exercise about daily routines. The results suggest an interaction effect of experimental condition and race on verbal maternal responsiveness, such that White moms who savored were more responsive than those who had reflected. Unexpectedly, Latina moms who reflected were more responsive than those who had savored. This effect may be explained by Latinx cultural values of collectivism and familism interacting with participants’ interpretation of the experimental tasks. These findings suggest the use of savoring and positive emotion to improve parent-child relationships and highlight the importance of studying the role of culture in psychological interventions.