Ali, Sakina F (2022-05). The Roles of Attitudinal Familism, Acculturative Stress, and Depression for South Asian College Students. Doctoral Dissertation.
Thesis
South Asian college students are seeking mental health services more frequently and there are specific sociopolitical, historical, and cultural events that impact these students and their mental health. Given that many South Asian college students experience acculturative stress and depression as they navigate familial obligations, and as men and women may experience this differently, the current study seeks to explore how beliefs about familial obligations are related to acculturative stress and depression for South Asian college students. Using multigroup structural equation modeling, the four components of attitudinal familism (familial support, familial interconnectedness, familial honor, and subjugation of self for family) are examined individually to determine how each one impacts the relationship between acculturative stress and depression, for male and female South Asian college students. The author hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between acculturative stress and depression, that each of the components of attitudinal familism will impact this relationship, and that the male and female groups will experience this impact differently. Results indicate that there is a significant, positive relationship between acculturative stress and depression for South Asian college students and that the familial honor component significantly impacts this relationship for both the male and female groups. Counseling implications of these results are discussed.
