Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Social Work

First Advisor

Jennifer Bellamy

Second Advisor

Johnny Kim

Third Advisor

Anamika Barman-Adhikari

Fourth Advisor

Elysia Davis

Keywords

East Asian American families, Family systems, Mental health problems, Parenting practices, Solution-focused brief therapy, Youth depression

Abstract

Mental health problems are a major health issue among East Asian American (EAA) youth. Although previous research has explored the risk and protective factors associated with mental health problems of EAA youth, many studies have employed Eurocentric perspectives, thereby excluding their unique cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values. To better understand mental health needs and support these youth, further research that identifies different factors associated with mental health problems in their cultural context and assesses evidence-supported and culturally responsive interventions is needed.

This three-manuscript dissertation is presented in three papers. The first manuscript presents an integrative conceptual framework that uses two theoretical frameworks focused on family processes: the triadic model of family process (TMFP) and acculturation gap-distress theory (AGDT). By re-constructing these two theories using a cultural lens approach and integrating them into a new integrative framework, this study identified relevant familial and cultural constructs that influence EAA youth’s mental health problems. The second manuscript is a secondary data analysis study that used the TMFP as a theoretical framework to investigate the relationship between key familial factors and EAA youth’s mental health problems. Specifically, this study examined whether familial factors—maternal culture-specific symptoms of mental distress (i.e., hwa-byung), family enmeshment, intergenerational conflict, and intergenerational cultural conflict—are associated with youth negative emotionality and whether such youth processes led directly to their depression using path analysis. The third manuscript describes a systematic review and meta-analysis study examining the effectiveness of SFBT in reducing mental health issues and school-related risks among youth of East Asian heritage. Taken together, these three papers offer insights into the factors that negatively affect EAA youth’s mental health and the promising role of SFBT in supporting at-risk EAA youth as a culturally adaptive school-based intervention.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

In Young Park

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

169 pgs

Discipline

Mental health, Asian American studies, Social work

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