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The purpose of the study was to examine factors such as the number of years lived in the U.S., English proficiency, neuroticism, openness, and music therapy student academic stress (MTSAS) that predict acculturative stress among international music therapy students studying in the U.S. An on-line survey was conducted with a U.S. sample of international music therapy students. Among the 134 participants who originally came from 25 countries returned the survey, 97 with complete data (88 women and 9 men; 38 undergraduate and 59 graduate students) were included in the main analyses. Results showed this sample had a substantially higher mean on acculturative stress (M = 83.04) than the normative mean (M = 66.32) reported by Sandhu and Asrabadi (1994). In addition, 13 participants' (12.89%) scores were within the "high risk" category, indicating the need for psychological intervention. Asian students were found to have experienced a higher level of acculturative stress than their European counterparts. There were no significant differences found between undergraduate and graduate students relating to levels of acculturative stress. Correlational analyses indicated that acculturative stress had significant correlations with level of English proficiency, neuroticism, and MTSAS. There were no significant findings regarding years lived in the U.S., openness, and level of acculturative stress. Regression analyses revealed that (a) the entire set of 5 aforementioned predictors accounted for 41% of variance in acculturative stress, which is considered a large effect size, and (b) among these predictors, English proficiency, neuroticism, and MTSAS appeared to be the most powerful predictors of acculturative stress. In addition, making presentations, taking exams, and participating in class discussion were found to be the most stressful classroom activities. Implications for music therapy and future research directions are discussed. / Music Therapy

Caribbean immigrants' challenges with acculturation following immigration to the United States, could result in acculturative stress, discrimination, stereotyping, and mental health issues. This study examined the relationship between cultural levels of interaction (LCI), acculturation orientation levels (AOLs), and acculturation levels (ALs) as well as examined the relationship between acculturative stress levels (ASLs), mental health problems, and discrimination/ stereotyping among Caribbean immigrants, age 25-54, in a northeast U.S. metro. Bourhis' interactive acculturation model was the theoretical foundation for this study. It was hypothesized that (a) there would be a relationship between LCI measured in language, food, religion, and education and AOL or AL and (b) there would be a relationship between ASL and mental health problems (negative coping, depression, anxiety, and general life stress) or discrimination/ stereotyping. This research used a survey design, with 138 participants; analyses included Pearson correlations and multivariate multiple linear regression. Results revealed that the LCI group was significantly associated with Caribbean immigrants' AOLs, but food was not significant to their ALs. Additionally, ASL was significantly related to discrimination/ stereotyping, depression, anxiety, general life stress, and negative coping. This research may facilitate social change by urging clinicians to more effectively address preventive care for mental health problems in Caribbean immigrants. Educating society about the economic and other contributions of this population could also decrease discrimination/ stereotyping. Further, the study's findings may lead to initiatives for transitioning new arriving Caribbean immigrants.

Adaptation of immigrants is one of the most relevant international and national issues in the modern world. In this thesis, the psychological aspects of immigrants' acculturation changes occurring in the Czech Republic will be discussed. Acculturation appears to be a complex, dynamic process that involves a large number of elements, the interaction between which is the subject of our research. An important aspect in the process of acculturation is the phenomenon of acculturative stress. Successful overcoming of acculturative stress depends on a number of predictors and its research might be beneficial not only for immigrants, but for the host society as well. The desirable aim of any acculturation process is the effective adaptation of immigrants, which is associated with creating a series of prospective psychological competencies. In the empirical part we wanted to investigate the interrelationship between selected factors influencing the preference of acculturation strategy: moderating factors prior to (sociodemographic characteristics, tolerance, anxiety) - and during acculturation (personal characteristics such as anxiety and coping strategies). The performed analysis utilizes quantitative data processing based on methods of statistical analysis. The data was obtained using questionnaires from...

Immigrants lose their unique psychosocial context when their experiences are subsumed under pan ethnic labels such as Hispanics, Latina/o, Asians or Africans. The stress from navigating different cultural contexts becomes problematic when immigrants operate within mainstream cultural norms that are in conflict with their traditional values. The number of Kenyan immigrants to the United States has steadily increased since the 1980s. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to study the lived experience of Kenyan immigrants by focusing on their integration experience and how the integration processes may have affected their mental health. Very few studies center on the psychological impact of the integration processes on Africans, while even fewer studies focus on Kenyans. The results of the study could be used by helping professionals to assist Kenyan immigrants with mental health problems as well as policy makers on immigration issues in both Kenya and the United States. Future Kenyan immigrants to the United States can also use this information as they prepare to migrate. The transition theory and social constructionism theory were used as the theoretical lens for this study. Data were collected using semi structured interviews conducted with 7 Kenyan men and women over the age of 18 from Northeastern United States who had immigrated from 1996 to the present day. Coding was used to analyze the data by cross-case analysis to search for themes and patterns. Data analysis revealed discrimination, alienation, shame, overcompensation, and cultural shock among other issues faced by immigrants, but from the Kenyan immigrants' perspective.

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Adopting the Ecological Contextual Model of Acculturation and Adjustment (Birman, 1994; Trickett, 1996) and the Stress and Coping paradigm (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1986, 1991), the present thesis explored the psycho-social, work, and marital adjustment of 200 established older middle-aged refugees from the Former Yugoslavia living in the Ottawa area. More specifically, three studies were conducted to examine specific stressors and resources of relevance to the adjustment of Former Yugoslavian men and women, across the following three distinct life domains: psycho-social, work, and marital. Study I explored the potential buffering effects of interpersonal trust on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian refugees. Results demonstrated that interpersonal trust moderated the negative effects of war-related trauma on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian women. No such buffering effect was found for the men. Study II investigated Former Yugoslavians' work adjustment by exploring the influence of pre-migratory work-related expectations-outcome congruence, occupational mobility, work stress (general and discrimination), as well as personal (education, English language proficiency) and social resources (support at work) on their work satisfaction and distress. Results indicated that different factors emerged as significant predictors of work satisfaction and work distress for Former Yugoslavian men and women. Study III explored the potential moderating role of marital resilience on the relationship between marital stress (general and acculturative) and marital adjustment. Results showed that marital resilience moderated the negative effects of marital stress on the marital adjustment of Former Yugoslavian women. No protective effect of marital resilience was found for the men. Taken together, the results of the three studies provide support for the relevance and importance of studying the stress, resources, and adjustment of refugees across contexts and gender. Given that important gender differences were found in different adaptational domains, the need to study further the impact of gender in refugees is reinforced. The findings are discussed within the current gender and migration literatures as well as the multidimensional theories of cross-cultural adjustment. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications were presented, along with recommendations for future research.

Adopting the Ecological Contextual Model of Acculturation and Adjustment (Birman, 1994; Trickett, 1996) and the Stress and Coping paradigm (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1986, 1991), the present thesis explored the psycho-social, work, and marital adjustment of 200 established older middle-aged refugees from the Former Yugoslavia living in the Ottawa area. More specifically, three studies were conducted to examine specific stressors and resources of relevance to the adjustment of Former Yugoslavian men and women, across the following three distinct life domains: psycho-social, work, and marital. Study I explored the potential buffering effects of interpersonal trust on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian refugees. Results demonstrated that interpersonal trust moderated the negative effects of war-related trauma on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian women. No such buffering effect was found for the men. Study II investigated Former Yugoslavians' work adjustment by exploring the influence of pre-migratory work-related expectations-outcome congruence, occupational mobility, work stress (general and discrimination), as well as personal (education, English language proficiency) and social resources (support at work) on their work satisfaction and distress. Results indicated that different factors emerged as significant predictors of work satisfaction and work distress for Former Yugoslavian men and women. Study III explored the potential moderating role of marital resilience on the relationship between marital stress (general and acculturative) and marital adjustment. Results showed that marital resilience moderated the negative effects of marital stress on the marital adjustment of Former Yugoslavian women. No protective effect of marital resilience was found for the men. Taken together, the results of the three studies provide support for the relevance and importance of studying the stress, resources, and adjustment of refugees across contexts and gender. Given that important gender differences were found in different adaptational domains, the need to study further the impact of gender in refugees is reinforced. The findings are discussed within the current gender and migration literatures as well as the multidimensional theories of cross-cultural adjustment. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications were presented, along with recommendations for future research.