Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item Multilevel Factor Influence on Alternative Tobacco Product Use Among U.S. Foreign-Born Residents(2022) Roh, Esther Jungmee; Fryer, Craig S; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: In the United States, the use of alternative tobacco products (ATPs), such as e-cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, hookah, or smokeless tobacco, has been rising even as conventional cigarette smoking continues decreasing. Broadly speaking, smoking behaviors are influenced by multiple factors at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and community levels, including individual harm perceptions toward ATPs, peer and family use of tobacco products, ATP marketing and promotions targeted at specific races and ethnicities and acculturation. However, data on ATP use among U.S. foreign-born residents are limited and factors influencing ATP use among this population are not yet well understood. The primary purpose of this dissertation was to understand multilevel factors, addressed in Social Ecological Model (SEM), that influence ATP use among U.S. foreign-born residents. Purpose: The aim of study one was to assess the association between acculturation, harm perceptions, and peer and family use of tobacco products, and ATP use among U.S. foreign-born residents using waves 3 and 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. The aim of study two was to assess the association between acculturation, peer and family use of ATPs and exposure to ATP advertisements, marketing and promotions, and ATP use among U.S. foreign-born residents using the same dataset. The aim of study three was to obtain a deeper understanding of how multilevel factors influence ATP use among non-U.S. citizen Korean residents. Methods: In studies one and two, quantitative data analyses were conducted from 2,507 foreign-born adult residents using PATH waves 3 and 4. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regressions were used, and moderation and mediation analyses were conducted. In study three, twenty-one non-U.S. citizen Korean residents who currently or formerly smoked or used any ATPs and were aged 18-39 years in District of Columbia (DC), Maryland (MD) or Virginia (VA) completed 60-minute semi-structured in-depth interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed thematically. Findings: In study one, findings suggest that certain acculturation factors predicted current and lifetime ATP use among U.S. foreign-born residents. For example, less acculturated foreign-born residents in the U.S. perceived ATPs as very or extremely harmful to their health and were less likely to use ATPs compared to the U.S.-born counterparts. In study two, findings indicated that less acculturated foreign-born residents were less likely to have peer and family who use ATPs and to be exposed to ATP advertisements, marketing and promotions compared to the U.S.-born counterparts. In study three, e-cigarettes were the most popular ATPs with participants, followed by hookahs and heated tobacco products (specifically IQOS). Participants showed more ambivalence or regarded e-cigarettes and hookahs as less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Additionally, smoking initiation was influenced mainly by peers who smoked. Conclusion: Multiple factors at different determinant levels influence tobacco product use behaviors among U.S. foreign-born residents. Acculturation factors, along with harm perceptions, peer and family influence, and ATP advertisements, marketing, and promotions exposure, seem to influence ATP use among U.S. foreign-born residents. Implications: This research calls for culturally tailored interventions and smoking cessations for U.S. foreign-born residents. Future research should investigate multiple tobacco product use among foreign-born residents as well as how the country of origin influences ATP use behaviors.Item The Dynamics of Intimate Intercultural Relationships: The Negotiation of Cultural and Relational Identities on Intercultural Couples’ Conflict Management(2019) Chien, Hsin-Yi; Atwell Seate, Anita; Khamis, Sahar; Communication; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research suggests that intercultural romantic relationships are replete with opportunities for conflict. Intercultural couples not only need to manage relational concerns, they also need to reconcile cultural differences. During this process, interculturally-dating/married individuals often engage in cultural (un)learning. However, the intersection of intercultural communication, acculturation, and conflict communication remains largely untheorized in extant literature. Moreover, extant studies on intercultural couples’ conflict management are mostly conducted with Western samples, with a majority of them studying interracial couples that share the same national culture. To address these gaps, this dissertation employed a mixed methods design to study interculturally-dating/married Taiwanese’s relational conflict experiences. This dissertation project aims to provide a better understanding of how cultural and relational factors might work in tandem to influence intercultural couples’ relational conflict management and relational dynamics, including their relational identity orientations and relationship satisfaction. Study 1 was conducted using qualitative in-depth interviews (N = 20). Results showed that (a) some participants enacted conflict strategies that were inconsistent with their endorsed cultural values and that (b) the so-called (non-)constructive strategies, as categorized in Western conflict literature, did not seem to have uniform influences on relationship satisfaction. These unexpected findings indicated that new approaches are needed to more thoroughly understand intercultural couples’ conflict management. In Study 2, a cross-sectional survey with interculturally-dating/married Taiwanese was conducted to test two working models (N = 412). The first working model proposed that cultural (i.e., self-construals), relational (i.e., concerns for self and the partner), and contextual (i.e., neighborhood compositions) factors, collectively, influenced respondents’ relational identity orientations. It was further hypothesized that relational identity orientations predicted respondents’ actual conflict behaviors, whereas self-construals predicted their preferred conflict styles. The second working model investigated if discrepancies between conflict style preferences and enacted conflict behaviors represented an identity gap, which negatively influenced relationship satisfaction. Results provided partial support for these hypotheses. Although relational identity orientations functioned as better predictors of actual conflict behaviors than self-construals, their effects were in the opposite direction than hypothesized. While personal-enacted identity gap negatively predicted relationship satisfaction, the hypothesized indirect effects from conflict management discrepancies to relationship satisfaction through identity gap were only significant for two out of five conflict types: integrating and avoiding. Taken together, results indicate that a theoretical framework that simultaneously captures cultural, relational, and contextual influences provides better prediction of interculturally-dating/married individuals’ actual conflict behaviors. In addition, this dissertation suggests that inter/cross-cultural conflict research can benefit from a non-Western centric approach to theorizing the effects of conflict tactics.Item A Social Cognitive Approach to Coping with Acculturative Stress in International Students(2015) Ezeofor, Ijeoma; Lent, Robert W; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The present study employed a cross-sectional design to test a model of coping with acculturative stress in an international student sample. Drawing from Lent’s (2004) social cognitive model of restorative well-being, several direct and mediated paths were hypothesized to predict (negatively) acculturative stress and (positively) life satisfaction. Behavioral acculturation and behavioral enculturation (Kim & Omizo, 2006) were also examined as predictors of coping with acculturative stress among international students. Using a self-report survey, participants’ ratings of acculturative stress, life satisfaction, social support, behavioral acculturation, behavioral enculturation, and coping self-efficacy were assessed. The results revealed that the variables of the model explained 16% of the variance in acculturative stress and 27% of the variance in life satisfaction. A final model, including the use of modification indices, provided good fit to the data. Findings also suggested that coping self-efficacy was a direct predictor of acculturative stress, and that behavioral acculturation and coping self-efficacy were direct predictors of students’ life satisfaction. Limitations, future research, and practical implications are discussed.Item DOES THE ACCULTURATION OF INTERNATONAL STUDENT THERAPISTS PREDICT THE PROCESS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH U.S. CLIENTS? AN EXPLORATORY STUDY.(2015) Perez Rojas, Andres Eduardo; Gelso, Charles J.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A large body of research highlights the salience of acculturation to the psychosocial functioning of international students, and a great deal of research suggests that the person of the therapist is important for the process of psychotherapy. Yet very little research has examined whether and how acculturation factors influence the person of the international student therapist and, in turn, his or her psychotherapy work with U.S. clients. In the present study, self-report data was gathered from 123 international student therapists enrolled in programs accredited by the American Psychological Association and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs across the U.S. Two factors reflecting international student therapists’ acculturation experiences (acculturative stress and cultural distance) were examined as potential predictors of four variables germane to the participants’ therapy work (real relationship, working alliance, session quality, and session depth) with their most recent U.S. client. Contrary to what was hypothesized, acculturative stress and cultural distance were unrelated to the psychotherapy process variables. Post-hoc analyses revealed one significant interaction, which suggested that acculturative stress interacted with self-reported English fluency to predict session depth among international student therapists for whom English is a second language (ESL). Specifically, when ESL student therapists were more fluent in English, their acculturative stress was positively related to their session depth ratings, whereas acculturative stress and depth were unrelated at lower levels of English fluency. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed along with recommendations for future study.Item The acculturation of adult African refugee language learners in Israel: an ethnographic study(2012) Blake III, Charles Carlos; Lin, Jing; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The number of refugees from Africa seeking asylum in Israel has recently skyrocketed, raising issues as to how to integrate them into Israeli society. Education is one of the mediums being used to encourage the cultural integration and inclusion of the refugees into Israeli society; very little is known, however, about how Africans are acculturating or whether language education is helping with this process. In particular, I use Berry's model of acculturation and Ogbu's cultural model as lenses through which the acculturation of refugees can be understood. In order to provide an answer to these questions, I conducted an ethnographic study examining the acculturation of adult African refugees participating in a language program in Tel Aviv. I utilized criterion-based sampling to select 8 student participants for this study. Data collection consisted of interviews with student-participants, interviews with teacher participants and document review. Data analysis entailed the coding and categorization of data elicited from data collection. Results suggest that participants exhibited the characteristics of immigrants employing a separation/segregation acculturation strategy according to Berry's model. Most participants also have the characteristics of what Ogbu calls involuntary migrants. Instead of facilitating host country cultural understanding or participation, higher language proficiency was associated with more negative perceptions of Israelis and Israeli society.Item Social Cognitive and Acculturation Predictors of the College Adjustment of Asian Americans(2011) Hui, Kayi; Lent, Robert W; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of the present study was to extend understanding of factors related to the college adjustment of Asian and Asian Americans. The study was based on the SCCT model of well-being and included an exploratory focus on culture-specific variables. Data were collected from 122 undergraduate college students who self-identified as Asian, Asian Americans, or Pacific Islander. The present findings are generally consistent with previous studies of the SCCT model of satisfaction, providing empirical support for the cross-cultural validity of the SCCT model with Asian American students. The predictive model accounted for a substantial percentage (41-44%) of variance in the college adjustment indicators, academic and social domain satisfaction. The present study extends the findings of previous studies by showing the differential utility of self-efficacy and social support in predicting domain satisfaction. Results from both quantitative and qualitative data highlighted the importance of social support in the college adjustment of Asian Americans. The present findings also suggest that cultural variables (acculturation and enculturation) relate to Asian Americans' college adjustment indirectly via self-efficacy, social support, and goal progress. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are discussed.Item The association of acculturation, social support, and alcohol use among Mexican American adults(2008-04-22) McDowell, Margaret Ann; Atkinson, Nancy; Gold, Robert; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: The increasing diversity of the U.S. population and the tremendous growth of the elderly population in the U.S. pose a challenge for public health practice. Mexican Americans (MAs) comprise the largest U.S. Hispanic subgroup. Previous research has shown alcohol use among MA adults varies by sex, age, acculturation level, socioeconomic status, and other factors. Purpose: This study explored the association of social, cultural, and demographic factors among MA adults. Berry's acculturation model (1980) and social support theory provided the theoretical underpinnings for this study. Multiple proxy measures of acculturation were used: a 5 item language subscale, generation level, and length of time in the United States. The association of social support and alcohol use among MAs 60 years and older was assessed using NHANES social support interview data. Methods: A secondary data analysis of 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,682 MAs 40 years of age and older. Psychometric testing was performed with a language use scale and social support index. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictors of lifetime abstention and current alcohol use. Results: Acculturation was associated with lifetime abstention and current alcohol use among females. Lifetime alcohol abstention rates were higher among less acculturated females, and a majority of female current drinkers were light alcohol users. Among males, lifetime alcohol abstention rates were very low. Light or moderate alcohol use was reported by two-thirds of males. Socioeconomic status and marital status were predictive of heavier alcohol use among males. No association was observed between social support and alcohol use among older adults. Conclusions: The results from this study underscore the complexity of alcohol use behavior among MAs. The strong association of acculturation and alcohol use among MA women suggests that traditional alcohol norms are altered during the acculturation process. Alcohol use among MA men is more common and heavy use was associated with social and economic factors rather than acculturation. The study findings may be used to inform health promotion and alcohol intervention programs for MA adults.Item From China to the US: nutrition, diet and acculturation of Chinese employed in high-tech industries - Results from a web-based survey(2007-08-06) Wang, Chunling; Sahyoun, Nadine; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: Due to the fast development of economies in China and the great needs of professionals in the US, the population of highly educated young Chinese professionals working in high-tech industries has grown very fast in both countries. This population was suggested to have risk of consuming high energy and fat diet in both countries. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the associations of dietary intake with nutrition knowledge, attitude, dietary self-efficacy and acculturation among Chinese working in high-tech industries in China and in the US. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional self-administered online survey. We studied 925 Chinese aged 20-45 years, who worked in high-tech industries and had at least a bachelor degree in four sub-groups: employees of Chinese companies in China; employees of American companies in China; Chinese-born immigrant in the US; and American-born Chinese in the US. A web-based questionnaire including a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed to assess total energy and fat intakes, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, dietary self-efficacy. Four domains of acculturation were assessed among Chinese in the US. Using these data, we compared the four sub-groups and tested the prediction model of dietary intake and BMI. Results: Our results showed that American-born Chinese participants consumed significantly higher energy and fat than the other three groups. Participants in the US had higher nutrition knowledge, attitude and self- efficacy than participants in China. Chinese-born immigrant men in the US had the highest nutrition knowledge and attitude and the lowest prevalence of overweight among the four study groups of men. The study results suggested that preferring Chinese food and Chinese leisure activity are predictors of lower energy and fat intake in Chinese-born immigrants. Conclusions: The Chinese-born immigrants showed significant advantages in nutrition knowledge, attitude, and dietary self-efficacy and had the lowest prevalence of overweight in men. American-born Chinese consumed the highest energy and fat among the four study groups even though their nutrition knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy were high. Future nutrition promotion programs should make use of these cultural and environmental differences when designing theses programs. The web-based survey method can be utilized in future nutrition research.Item Substance use in two generations of Indian Americans as a function of marginalization and perceived discrimination.(2007-08-10) Gholkar, Radha; Smith, Barry D.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Past studies using acculturation to predict substance use in immigrants have yielded mixed findings, suggesting support for both acculturative and assimilation theories of substance use in immigrants. In this investigation, two variables from the cross-cultural literature, Marginalization and Perceived Discrimination, were used to examine the predictions of these theories. First- and second-generation Indian-Americans were recruited and completed questionnaires measuring quantity, frequency, and negative consequences of drug / alcohol use, Perceived Discrimination, and Marginalization. Information on demographics and depressive symptoms were used as covariates. Hierarchical regression and correlation analyses indicated that lower levels of Marginalization significantly predicted higher rates Alcohol Use in the first-generation; conversely, higher levels of Perceived Discrimination were significantly associated with increased Drug Use in the second-generation. It was concluded that both assimilation and acculturative theories may have merit for identifying substance users in an Indian-American sample when generation is considered as a moderator.Item A STUDY OF DIETARY PATTERNS IN THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH OBESITY(2006-08-17) Carrera Zamalloa, Patricia Margot; Mehta, Mira; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Ethnic groups have different dietary patterns based on their geographical locations and various cultural influences. We examined the dietary patterns of Mexican-Americans and their association with total and central obesity. We hypothesized that Mexican-American adults following a traditional diet would have a lower prevalence of obesity than those following a more typically American diet. Data from the NHANES 2001-2002 included 835 Mexican-American adults, aged 18 y and older. Dietary patterns were defined by cluster analysis of food group variables, expressed as percentage contribution to total energy intake. Obesity was assessed by body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) and central obesity by waist circumference. Surprisingly, we did not identify a "healthy pattern" group in this population, as has been generally observed in other ethnic groups. Contrary to our hypothesis, the traditional diet pattern was associated with higher values of BMI and waist circumference.