Psychology
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Item Colonial Mentality and the Intersectional Experiences of LGBTQ+ Filipina/x/o Americans(2024) Pease, M Valle; Mohr, Jonathan; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)LGBTQ+ Filipina/x/o Americans have unique experiences due to being at the intersection of racial and sexual/gender marginalization in the United States as well as a complex history of colonialism. The internalization of colonial messages, or colonial mentality, has been linked to mental health in Filipino communities (David et al., 2022). Colonial ideologies include stigmatizing beliefs against gender and sexual diversity and thus have a particular significance for the oppression of LGBTQ+ people. However, no quantitative studies have examined colonial mentality or, more broadly, intersectional experiences in LGBTQ+ Filipino Americans. In a cross-sectional sample of 160 LGBTQ+ Filipino Americans (Mean Age = 26.4), the effect of intersectional discrimination on psychological distress mediated by colonial mentality and identity conflicts was examined, as well as the potential moderating effect of resistance and empowerment against oppression. Analyses found a significant serial mediation such that intersectional discrimination was positively associated with colonial mentality, which was positively associated with conflicts in allegiances, which in turn was positively associated with psychological distress (β = .01, 95% CI: [.0004, .03]). Resistance and empowerment significantly moderated the association between intersectional discrimination and both conflicts in allegiances and psychological distress, such that the impact of discrimination was non-significant for people at high levels of resistance and empowerment. This research has implications for understanding how different histories of oppression impact multiply marginalized groups, which can inform clinical work and efforts to advance decolonization and liberation for marginalized communities.Item APPLICATION OF THE CAREER SELF MANAGEMENT MODEL TO WORKPLACE SELF ADVOCACY: THE ROLES OF ATTACHMENT, OUTCOME EXPECTATIONS, AND GENDER(2024) Moturu, Bhanu Priya; Lent, Robert W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The literature applying attachment theory to career development has grown rapidly in recent years (Yip et al., 2018), reflecting the recognition of attachment dynamics as an important factor in career exploration and management. The social cognitive career self-management model (Lent & Brown, 2013) has recently been applied to the study of self-advocacy (Moturu & Lent, 2023), which was seen as one important way in which workers exercise agency in their career behavior. This study integrated attachment theory with workplace self-advocacy and the CSM model. It also included development of a new measure of self-assertive outcome expectations at work (SAOW). Participants were 687 full-time employees who completed an online survey. The sample was divided into distinct measurement development and theory testing phases. An initial exploratory factor analysis (N = 200) found that SAOW contained two separate but highly related factors, positive and negative outcome expectations. It also provided initial support for the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the SAOW scale. Compared to men, women were found to have higher negative expectations and lower self-efficacy when they advocate for themselves. Results of a structural path analysis indicated that secure base support, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance were predictive of self-assertive efficacy and outcome expectations, which in turn predicted advocacy behaviors (e.g., self-promotion) and career outcomes (e.g., career satisfaction). I describe the findings in detail, discuss the utility of the SAOW measure, and consider the study’s implications for theory, research, and practice with adult workers.Item PREDICTING PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT IN GRIEF: CROSS-NATIONAL DIFFERENCES AMONG KOREANS AND AMERICANS(2023) Yang, NaYeon; O'Brien, Karen M.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Grieving the death of a significant individual is a universal experience. However, the rituals, beliefs, and meanings surrounding death are shaped by one’s cultural values. Recent scholars stressed the importance of recognizing cultural differences in bereavement, as Western-centric perspectives on grief in the bereavement literature could adversely affect clients with different cultural backgrounds (Rosenblatt, 2008). Prior research demonstrated that the constructs contributing to healthy grieving may differ across cultures. Specifically, continuing bonds, meaning-making, and social support have been identified as three constructs associated with bereaved individuals’ psychological adjustment in several cultures (e.g., Gillies et al., 2015; Kim et al., 2008; Scholtes & Browne, 2015; Yang & Lee, 2020). Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the similarities and differences in the relations among psychological distress, salient grief-related variables (i.e., internalized/externalized continuing bonds, meaning-making, and implicit/explicit social support), and psychological adjustment among Koreans and Americans during their grieving process. The data were collected in the United States and South Korea. The results indicated that psychological distress and one subscale of meaning-making (i.e., emptiness and meaninglessness) were associated with psychological adjustment for both US and Korean bereaved individuals. For US bereaved individuals, externalized continuing bonds and one subscale of meaning-making (i.e., being present) were positively associated with psychological adjustment, whereas one subscale of meaning-making (i.e., sense of peace) was negatively associated with psychological adjustment. For Korean individuals, implicit social support was positively associated with psychological adjustment. Overall, the results indicated that there may be both universal and culturally unique aspects of grieving. Clinical implications and future research considerations are discussed.Item Real Partnership is Powerful: Understanding What Women Want and What They Know About Family Work and Communication(2024) Trovato, Karoline Joy; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Women provide the vast majority of unpaid family care, resulting in relationship dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, thwarted career advancement, and diminished earning power (Cooke & Hook, 2018; Jung & O’Brien, 2019; Woods et al., 2019). The PARTNERS video intervention (Trovato & O’Brien, 2022) was created to educate heterosexual college women about family work distribution and healthy partner communication. The intervention was effective in improving knowledge of family work and communication and enhancing confidence in communicating with a partner for 303 college women. This study builds upon prior research by Trovato and O’Brien (2022) to assess specific differences in knowledge of family work, desired partner characteristics, and communication resulting from the PARTNERS intervention, as well as to identify ways to improve the PARTNERS intervention. Results of this study indicated that that the PARTNERS intervention educated undergraduate women about family work inequity between women and men and the effect of family work distribution on women’s relationship satisfaction, changed their desired partner characteristics to align with communication-related factors, and taught women key PARTNERS communication strategies. Future directions for research and clinical implications are discussed.Item Cultural Humility and Outcome Rating Scale: Multilevel Mediation Effects of Dyadic Working Alliance(2023) Dixon, Katherine Morales; Kivlighan Jr., Dennis M.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Abstract Current psychotherapy research on cultural humility (CH) indicates that CH is positively associated with client treatment outcomes and that working alliance may mediate the relationship between CH and treatment outcome. However, these studies have used cross-sectional data and have largely ignored the nested nature of therapist-client data sets. To address this gap in the literature, the current study applied a two-level, time-lagged, Multilevel Structural Equation Model (MSEM) to a longitudinal data set and examined whether working alliance mediates the relationship between client-perceived CH of the therapist and client-perceived symptom improvement (Outcome Rating Scale; ORS). The working alliance was conceptualized and operationalized as a dyadic construct (Cl-WA, Th-WA). Results were mixed; contrary to predictions, sessions in which clients perceived the therapist as higher in CH compared to average sessions were associated with poorer ORS scores. This relationship between cultural humility and client perceived improvement was not significant at the between-client level. The mediation hypothesis was supported at the within-client level but not at the between-client level. Implications for practice and research are discussed.Item Client Attachment Dimensions and Therapist Skills: A Longitudinal Analysis(2023) Gerstenblith, Judith; Hill, Clara E; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Although scholars have highlighted the usefulness of attachment theory for psychotherapy (e.g., Bowlby, 1988; Holmes & Slade, 2018; Mallinckrodt, 2010), minimal empirical research exists examining the relationship between client attachment and therapist skills. In this study, we first investigated the factor structure of the therapist- and client-rated Helping Skills Measure (HSM; Hill & Kellems, 2002) for 5,830 psychodynamic psychotherapy sessions of 202 adult community clients working with 25 doctoral student therapists in a university clinic. The multilevel-confirmatory factor analysis supported a 3-factor structure (Exploration, Insight, Action), stable across time, at the session level in psychodynamic psychotherapy. Next, using a dynamic structural equation model for 592 sessions of 37 clients working with 6 therapists using both the HSM and the Experiences in Close Relationships-Short Form (Wei et al., 2007), we found a slight increase in exploration and insight skills as rated by therapists, but no significant change in client attachment dimensions over time. For the model using the therapist-rated HSM, we found significant and positive auto correlations for Anxiety, Avoidance, and Action, and a significant and positive cross-lagged correlation for Avoidance in one session predicting Action in the next session. For the model using the client-rated HSM, we found significant and positive auto correlations for Anxiety, Avoidance, and Exploration, and significant and negative cross-lagged correlations for Anxiety in one session predicting Exploration and Action in the next session. We did not find any significant cross-lagged correlations for therapist skills in one session predicting client attachment dimensions in the next session. We provide suggestions for practice and research, including training in attachment-informed therapy to improve therapist responsiveness and linking associations between client attachment and therapist skills to client outcome.Item ETHNIC-RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND ETHNIC-RACIAL SOCIALIZATION IN CHINESE IMMIGRANT PARENTS: ETHNIC-RACIAL IDENTITY AS A MEDIATOR(2022) Zhu, Qianyu; Wang, Cixin; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Ethnic-racial discrimination against Chinese people have been prevalent, resulting in great stress to Chinese families. The current study was aimed of revealing the intergenerational associations between parental racism-related stress and perceived Sinophobia messages in the media, parental ethnic-racial identity (ERI), parental ethnic-racial socialization (ERS), and children’s psychological difficulties and examined the mediation roles of parental ERI and ERS as well as the effects of contextual factors (i.e., neighborhood racial diversity and perceived Chinese density). This study relies on a longitudinal study funded by National Science Foundation RAPID grant to understand Chinese American children’s and parents’ experience with discrimination and adjustment during COVID-19, and only data collected between March to May, 2020 (Time 1) and January to April, 2021 (Time 2) were used in this study. The subsample consists of 294 Chinese immigrant parents (Mage = 44.28, SD age = 6.18, ages ranged from 29 to 63 years, 79% female). The results showed that parental racism-related stress during COVID-19 at Time 1 had significant indirect effects on parental lower use of avoidance of outgroups at Time 2 and higher maintenance of heritage culture practice at Time 2 via parental ERI greater private regard at Time 2. Parental perceived Sinophobia in the media at Time 1 had significant indirect effects on child’s lower psychological difficulties at Time 2 via parental higher use of maintenance of heritage culture practice at Time 2. Parental racism-related stress during COVID-19 at Time 1 had significant indirect effects on child’s higher psychological difficulties at Time 2 via parental higher use of avoidance of outgroups practice at Time 2. Additionally, the multi-group analysis was used to compare the mediation model differences between neighborhoods with low and high general racial diversity and perceived Chinese ethnic specific density. With regard to neighborhood general racial diversity, only for the high neighborhood general racial diversity group, parental racism-related stress during COVID-19 at Time 1 positively and parental ERI private regard at Time 2 negatively predicted parental use of avoidance of outgroups practices; Parental use of avoidance of outgroups practices positively predicted child’s psychological difficulties at Time 2. For perceived neighborhood Chinese ethnicity specific density, no significant model differences were found between perceived high and low Chinese density groups. Practical implications, limitations, and future directions of these findings were discussed.Item Evaluating an Online Intervention to Educate Psychology Graduate Students about Grief and Grief Counseling and to Increase Their Self-Efficacy in Working with Bereaved Clients(2022) Jankauskaite, Greta; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Grief is a ubiquitous human experience with most if not all individuals experiencing a death loss at some point in their lives. Prior research found that all surveyed therapists reported having worked with bereaved clients at some point in their careers, with many (44.4%) noting that they provided grief counseling fairly often (Jankauskaite et al., 2021). However, research suggested that majority of therapists never received formal graduate training on grief counseling and may rely on outdated knowledge and questionable skills in working with grieving clients (e.g., Dodd et al., 2020; Jankauskaite et al., 2021; Ober et al., 2012), yet expressed desire to learn more about this clinical skill (Jankauskaite et al., 2021). Thus, the purposes of the present study were to develop an online intervention to educate psychology graduate students about grief and grief counseling and to evaluate whether the intervention can increase knowledge on grief and grief counseling and self-efficacy in working with grieving individuals. The study compared three study conditions – full video intervention, partial video intervention, and a control consisting of a reading. The results indicated that while controlling for prior grief counseling training and experience, participants randomized to the full video intervention had higher grief and grief counseling knowledge and self-efficacy in working with bereaved individuals than those randomized to the partial intervention and control groups. Overall, the results indicated that the full intervention is a feasible and efficacious way to teach psychology doctoral students about grief and grief counseling and to increase their confidence in working with bereaved client population. We end by discussing clinical implications and future research considerations.Item Coping With the Psychological Challenges of Unemployment: Testing a Social Cognitive Model(2022) Wang, Ruogu Jason; Lent, Robert W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Increasingly, involuntary job loss is being seen as a normative career process, though one with significant effects on mental health and well-being. Coping with unemployment has most often been looked at through the lens of job search coping and re-employment outcomes, with fewer studies focused on coping with the psychological challenges of unemployment. This study adapts the social cognitive model of career self-management (Lent & Brown, 2013) to examine social cognitive predictors of well-being and psychological distress during unemployment. The psychometric properties of a revised coping behaviors measure and a new coping self-efficacy measure were examined with an initial sample of 196 unemployed respondents, yielding a 2-factor coping behaviors scale and a 1-factor psychological coping self-efficacy scale. The factor structures of these measures were confirmed in a second sample of unemployed respondents (n = 406) and, along with measures of proactive personality, financial strain, and social support, used to test the social cognitive coping model. The model offered good fit to the data and accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in well-being and psychological distress. Support was also found for most of the hypothesized paths. The study’s implications for practice and future research on coping with unemployment are discussed.Item Disenfranchised Victims of the Opioid Epidemic: Predicting Grief and Growth after an Opioid-Related Loss(2022) Hill, Erin McKendry; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Over 75,000 people died from opioid drug overdoses between April of 2020 to April of 2021, compared to 46,000 deaths in 2018 (CDC, 2021; Wilson et al., 2020). Left behind are family members, significant others and friends struggling with grief as opioid-related losses are highly stigmatized and disenfranchised. Theoretically informed by the model of resilience (Mancini & Bonanno, 2009), as well as the transactional model of stress, appraisal and coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), this study examined the role of disenfranchised grief, social support, and coping in prolonged grief and posttraumatic growth among a sample (n = 159) of people bereaved by the loss of a family member, romantic partner or friend due to an opioid-related death. Together, disenfranchised grief, social support, and coping predicted 43% of the variance in prolonged grief and 36.6% of the variance in posttraumatic growth. Specifically active emotional coping predicted unique variance in both outcomes. Findings from this study have important implications for research and clinical practice to improve grief outcomes for this unique yet extensive population.