Date of Award

12-2010

Document Type

Campus Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Jane Adams

Second Advisor

Lizabeth Roemer

Third Advisor

Nan Zhang Hampton

Abstract

Coping with acquired brain injury (ABI) in Asian Americans may be distinct from predominant individualistic coping theories that place primary emphasis on fulfilling individual needs. Those who endorse strong Asian values may prefer utilizing collectivistic coping, a style congruent with Asian cultures that values maintaining interrelatedness, group harmony, and upholding social expectations (Oyserman, Coon, & Kemmelmeier, 2002). The purpose of this study was to determine the interrelationships among coping style, Asian values, and psychosocial functioning in Asian Americans coping with ABI. Seven dimensions of collectivistic coping proposed by Yeh et al. (2006) were explored to determine associations with psychosocial functioning, problem-focused coping (Lazarus & Folkman,1984), and Asian values (Kim, Li, & Ng, 2005). Predictors of quality of life, anxiety, and depression were also determined. Forty-eight community-dwelling Asian American adults with ABI were recruited for this study. Correlations and hierarchical regressions were conducted to determine these relationships. Results indicated that of the seven dimensions, family support significantly predicted increased quality of life (p < .05), and social activity significantly predicted decreased anxiety (p < .01) and depression (p < .05), after controlling for gender, injury-related factors, and problem-focused coping. Post-hoc analyses indicated that forbearance significantly predicted decreased quality of life (p < .05) and increased anxiety (p < .05) after controlling for gender, type of injury, and other dimensions of collectivistic coping. Problem-focused coping was not significantly related to psychosocial outcomes but was positively associated with forbearance, and only forbearance and fatalism were significantly associated with Asian values. Clinical implications are discussed.

Comments

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