Browsing by Subject "Acculturative stress"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Disconnected marriage, connected Internet: exploring the relationship between problematic Internet use, acculturative stress, and marital intimacy among Korean married couples in the United States
    (2013-07) Jin, Seok Won
    Problematic Internet use (PIU) is a growing though unexplored problem among Korean married couples in the United States. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between PIU, acculturative stress (AC), and marital intimacy (MI) among Korean married couples in Minnesota. Forty Korean heterosexual couples aged 18 to 54 were recruited through a combination of convenience and snowball sample from metropolitan areas in Minnesota. Participants completed survey questionnaires via email. Outcome variables were self- and partner-rated Internet Addiction Test (IAT) scores, respectively. Primary predictor variables were AC scores and MI scores. Multilevel models were fitted to estimate the effects of Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), a statistical methodology designed to analyze dyadic data. Data analyses were conducted using SAS 9.3. The results suggested that a person's levels of acculturative stress (p=.0574) marginally influenced his or her own PIU scores while the partner's levels of acculturative stress (p=.0036) significantly affected partner-rated PIU scores. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that a person's marital intimacy (Consensus, p=.0993) marginally predicted his or her own PIU scores while the partner's levels of marital intimacy (Overall marital intimacy, p=.0063; Consensus, p=.0004; Openness, p=.0136; Affection, p=.0282; Commitment, p=.0020) significantly predicted partner-rated PIU scores. In addition, the result indicated that marital intimacy decreased the estimate regression coefficient of the acculturative stress to self-rated IAT scores by 16.3% while social support satisfaction decreased the estimate regression coefficient of the acculturative stress to self-rated IAT scores by 30.7%. Finally, the results showed that the degree of difference between self- and spouse-rated IAT scores was positively associated with the difference of actor's and partner's acculturative stress and partner's marital intimacy. On the practices with married couples seeking professional help especially for partners' PIU, it is noteworthy for mental health practitioners to investigate not only their Internet use but also their relational quality, especially marital intimacy. Moreover, these findings suggest the importance of interventions in decreasing PIU by enhancing couples' marital quality in a family structure, considering gender differences in their effects. Finally, these findings support the importance of culturally-tailored interventions that target PIU as a means of enhancing Asian couples' marital quality in the United States.
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    The Impact of Acculturative Stress on Marital Distress among Middle Eastern Immigrants: Measuring Social Support as a Moderator
    (2016-07) Dadras, Iman
    Immigration is a significant life transition, which impacts family dynamics at multiple levels. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the present study examined 132 Middle Eastern married immigrants` experiences of the association between socio-demographic characteristics and acculturative stress and between acculturative stress, social support, and marital distress. Via online and paper-pencil surveys, participants completed demographic questions, the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) (Busby et al., 1995), the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental (SAFE) Scale (Mena, Padilla, & Maldonado, 1987), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988). Results revealed that participants with longer years of residence in the U.S. and higher income levels reported less acculturative stress. Social support moderated the impact of acculturative distress on marital distress and participants with medium and high levels of social support experienced less acculturative stress compared to participants with low level of social support. Recommendations for future research and clinical interventions that facilitate Middle Eastern immigrant couples’ cultural adjustment are provided.
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    Longitudinal adjustment trajectories of international students and their predictors
    (2013-08) Hirai, Reiko
    Despite the increasing number of international students in U.S. universities, the course of adjustment of international students has not been adequately tested and only one study to date has examined multiple trajectories of international students' adjustment. Therefore, the first goal of the current study was to explore multiple trajectories of international student adjustment, using four types of adjustment outcomes (i.e., psychological distress, positive psychological adjustment, acculturative stress, and functional adjustment). The second goal was to identify important predictors of trajectories. A wide range of predictor variables were examined including individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors. Undergraduate and graduate international students who started their first semester at a large Midwestern university participated in this five-wave longitudinal study (N = 211) that spanned a period of six months. Multiple trajectories emerged and the trajectories varied across four adjustment outcomes. Contrary to the popular notion, the U-shape adjustment trajectory only emerged for one of four outcomes (psychological distress). Significant predictors of adjustment trajectories included perceived present control over reactions to academic stress, neuroticism, openness, social connectedness with Americans, and self-rated English proficiency. Limitations, implications for practice, and future directions are discussed