Opportunities and Challenges to the Development of Healthy Children and Youth Living in Diverse Communities

The field of developmental psychopathology has seen growth in research focusing on interdisciplinarity and normative developmental processes, including context-linked coping and adaptations. However, there continues to be an uncomfortable and unarticulated perspective to view others as having culture and “the self” as representing the standard. A call for explicit cultural considerations in research is needed to augment the impact of these new and other significant conceptual contributions noted. Sociopolitical influences on social contexts relevant to the different trajectories associated with youths\u27 opportunities and challenges are presented. We focus on macrolevel factors that frame contexts in which individual development occurs. A federal and educational policy is used to illustrate how unexamined cultural traditions and patterns embedded in research and policy impact development. These examples provide insight in presenting issues of vulnerability, particularly for youth, and afford opportunities to present advances and challenges paralleled in the developmental psychopathology field

Psychosocial Development in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Youth: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges in the 21st Century

As the US population becomes more diverse in the 21st century, researchers face many conceptual and methodological challenges in working with diverse populations. We discuss these issues for racially and ethnically diverse youth, using Spencer’s phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST) as a guiding framework. We present a brief historical background and discuss recurring conceptual flaws in research on diverse youth, presenting PVEST as a corrective to these flaws. We highlight the interaction of race, culture, socioeconomic status, and various contexts of development with identity formation and other salient developmental processes. Challenges in research design and interpretation of data are also covered with regard to both assessment of contexts and developmental processes. We draw upon examples from neighborhood assessments, ethnic identity development, and attachment research to illustrate conceptual and methodological challenges, and we discuss strategies to address these challenges. The policy implications of our analysis are also considered

Doctoral advising : a grounded theory exploration of female mainland Chinese international students

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, 2012.The quality of the doctoral advising relationship is paramount in the success of doctoral education. This study explores female Mainland Chinese student’s advising experience in their respective doctoral programs, including the factors that influence their experience, the challenges they encounter, and concerns they have in their programs. Using a grounded theory approach, twenty-eight in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 female Mainland Chinese doctoral students and 4 faculty and staff members. The interviews were guided by one overarching research question: What are the experiences that female Mainland Chinese international students’ have when undertaking doctoral academic advising in the United States? Data was analyzed through a systematic process of coding, categorization and theoretical development to generate findings grounded in students’ personal comments and experiences. Overall, the findings indicate that female Mainland Chinese doctoral student’s advising experience to be both rewarding and productive. Most of female Mainland Chinese students spoke highly of their advisors, and their relationship was cordial and respectful yet professional. Though there is a hint of disappointment and concern in the matter of professional and career development. The findings indicate that while female Mainland Chinese doctoral students achieved success academically, their social integration presented to be problematic and disappointing. The findings identify multiple situational and student-specific factors that impact upon the likelihood of students engaging with American students and their advisors. It is confirmed that the large number of Mainland Chinese students on campus, the lack of efforts from the students and perceived lack of interest from the American students as important issues affecting social integration between these two groups of students. Furthermore, the study highlights that social integration is a two-way, interactive process that requires both Mainland Chinese and American students to be willing to work at the forming of a friendship. This study is necessary at a time where Mainland Chinese students obtained 10% of the doctoral degrees awarded in American in 2008 [Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), 2007-2008]

How charismatic African American males culturally navigate becoming integrated at predominantly White two-year colleges

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Rochester. Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, 2018.African American males continue to show disparate outcomes in higher education contexts in relation to all other categories of students. This problem has been particularly under-addressed in relation to two-year colleges. The following explorative qualitative study explores the experiences of Charismatic African American males navigating predominantly white two-year colleges. In particular, it seeks to understand the intersectional nature of gender, religion, and race as these students interact with the two-year college context. The foundational concepts under investigation include academic and social integration, cultural change, and intersectionality. From the eight Charismatic African American Males who participated in the study three significant themes relating to how they culturally navigated the PWI two-year college emerged: socialization from the hood, faith as a framework for engagement, and finding and negotiating support. These themes are described along with implications for supporting African American college student persistence theory and practice

Self-determination theory and the health gradient in the workplace : exploring psychological pathways to improving health

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education & Human Development, 2012.Health outcomes are associated with occupational status; the higher the occupational status the better the health, while the lower the occupational status the poorer the health. Persistent health differences across the occupational hierarchy are referred to as the health gradient. The health gradient can be attributed to differences in occupational wages, work risk, and lifestyle behaviors. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying these factors are not well understood. Little is known about the psychological pathways linking occupational stressors with health (Maier, Waldstein, & Synowski, 2003; Marmot & Wilkinson, 2006). Utilizing self-determination theory and employing a structural equation modeling approach, this study found that satisfaction of basic psychological needs (institutional and personal autonomy, competence, and relatedness) partially mediated the association between occupational status and general health: employees in higher status occupations experienced higher support for their basic psychological needs and reported more positive health outcomes, while employees in lower status occupations were less likely to have their basic psychological needs supported and reported ill-health. These findings came from a serious of self-reported measures of 471 employees at one of the largest corporate institutions in New York State. Employees represent different occupational groups, including administrators, managers, supervisors, secretaries, mechanics, and grounds keepers. The findings from this study demonstrate that the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are important psychological pathways associated with occupational status and general health

Discourse analysis of caregiver-child interactions and the developing self

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, 2011.Despite research in the topics of identity and self, the construction of the self continues to be a problem in social science research, as the details of this process have remained mysterious (Miller, Fung, & Koven, 2007). This study explored the caregiver-child relationship and the way in which a child’s self is negotiated through interaction with a caregiver in a foster home setting, using an analysis of discourse of naturally occurring data collected over four months. Three discourse genres emerged, "boys to men," "you're bad," and "learn the hard way." The "boys to men" genre highlights the culturally defined identity of "manhood." The "you're bad" genre shows how a "bad" identity is imposed on and refuted by one foster youth. I introduce the concept of a "trajectory of self," which serves as the end point or the telos toward which each participant strives or upon which others are measured. The "learn the hard way" discourse highlights how one familial discourse of a socially acceptable self (e.g., good student) functions as the rubric by which the foster child is measured despite having a different measure of his own (e.g., good athlete). Through this process of contextualization, whereby the foster family identified the child as being a person of a certain sort and interpreted his actions as being illustrative of such, he was positioned accordingly along the familial trajectory of self until an empirically observable self emerged that legitimized the familial perception of a socially acceptable self

Tenets of life: a structural equation model of East Asian ideologies, culturally informed characteristics, and psychological functioning

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Warner School of Education, 2017.Empirical studies about how East Asian philosophical ideologies (i.e., Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) influence East Asian lives and mental health are urgently needed. Such studies should advance our understanding of the unique challenges associated with preventing and treating mental health issues among East Asians and offer potential insights into interventions. To address this need, the present study sought (1) to examine predictive links between East Asian philosophical ideologies and psychological functioning (PF), and (2) to examine culturally-informed behaviors and attitudes (CIBA) as possible mediators between ideologies and individual functioning. A total of 2091 participants were recruited from China (n=322), Japan (n=400), Taiwan (n=362), and the United States (n=688 White Americans, n=319 Asian Americans) via an online survey (30-35 minutes). Multiple languages were available for participants. Separate exploratory factor analyses suggested 20 tenets of East Asian ideologies forming four constructs (i.e., Restrictive Confucianism, Benevolent Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) and 14 facets of CIBA forming four constructs (i.e., face, accepting parental influence, devotion to parents, and prioritizing others). Based on this structure, a full structural equation model was used to examine the relations between ideologies, CIBA, and PF (i.e., psychological distress and wellbeing). The results show that Buddhism, Taoism, and Benevolent Confucianism (e.g., leading by example and self-cultivation) predicted higher PF. In contrast, Restrictive Confucianism (e.g., conforming to social norms and interpersonal harmony) predicted poorer PF. Furthermore, 15 significant indirect paths suggest that ideologies might influence PF partially by shaping CIBA. For example,Restrictive Confucianism emerged as the strongest predictor of face management, which in turn predicted higher distress and lower wellbeing. Thus, face management helped to explain the association between Restrictive Confucianism and lower PF. Unexpected indirect paths also emerged. For example, after controlling for the other CIBA, accepting parental influence emerged as a predictor of higher PF and devotion to parents was not significantly related to PF. Additionally, although Buddhism, Taoism, and Benevolent Confucianism robustly predicted better PF, via face management and prioritizing others (i.e. collectivism), these ideologies slightly lower wellbeing. The implications of these ideologies on CIBA and PF for counseling professionals are detailed

Interventions for children with autism : how do caregivers decide?

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, 2012.This exploratory qualitative study investigated the reasons behind parents' decisions about interventions for their child with autism. Twenty-three parents from 18 families making decisions about interventions for 19 young children with autism were interviewed in order to understand their perspectives on deciding a philosophical approach, choosing a preschool program and/or deciding on alternative treatments. Five professionals were also interviewed to obtain their perspectives on their role in the decision-making process. Parents' considerations in the decision-making process were categorized into the themes of parental attributes, child attributes and program attributes. Parents utilized many resources for information upon which to make their decisions. Research on efficacy of interventions was considered by some families but was not a determining factor for any. At times parents received contradictory recommendations and needed to decide which source to trust. The culmination of these influential resources, built upon their background and life experiences, led them to have an inner sense of whether they felt an intervention would be safe and effective for their child. Parents and professionals had differing opinions on the role of professionals in the decision-making process. Although both agreed that the decisions are the responsibility of parents, parents wanted guidance from the professionals they viewed as the most knowledgeable about autism. Parents felt unprepared to make independent decisions since they did not have the knowledge and experience of professionals upon which to base their decisions. Professionals saw the decision as the right of parents since parents are the most familiar with their child, his needs and the family situation. Opportunities for clearer communication between parents and professionals and among professionals were identified. Recommendations for policy changes that could improve diagnostic and treatment services for children with autism and their families were discussed