The applicant is requesting five years of support through the Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to transition from a primarily individualistic research paradigm to an ecological perspective. Specifically, the applicant seeks to enhance her theoretical and research training in 1) adolescent psychopathology, 2) family functioning, 3) school- and community- based interventions, 4) conducting focus groups, and 5) training in ecological frameworks. The proposed career development training activities include enrollment in academic courses; participations in ongoing school-based research/intervention programs; discussions with mentors and consultants, and involvement in research activities and directed readings. This initial didactic and experiential training will provide further expertise to shift to work with low-income immigrant adolescents, their families, and their relevant communities in an urban school setting. The applicant's academic, clinical, and research training in Asian American mental health, cultural self, help-seeking, and in statistics offer an excellent foundation for these goals. The proposed research plan will explore from an ecological perspective, how the various contexts of Asian immigrant youth (peers, families, school climate, organizational health, community contexts, etc.,) influence the experience of acculturative stress and intercultural competence (relations with other cultural groups). This plan will also explore Asian immigrants' help-seeking attitudes, mental health use, and ways of coping, and academic performance (attendance, GPA, etc) as they relate to the above stated youth contexts.
These aims will be addressed via a quantitative and qualitative research study at Lower East Side Preparatory School in New York City. Specifically, approximately 300 Asian immigrant high school students will complete several relevant measures pertaining to constructs identified above. In addition, approximately 30 students, 18 family members, 12 teachers/counselors, and 6 community members will participate (with their peers) in focus group to further explain the youths' experiences with cultural adjustment, their mental health, and their preferred culturally-based coping/help-seeking strategies.
| Ching, Alison M; Yeh, Christine J; Siu, Wing Yin et al. (2009) Evaluation of a school-based internship program for Chinese immigrant adolescents in the United States. Adolescence 44:601-20 |
| Yeh, Christine J; Okubo, Yuki; Ma, Pei-Wen Winnie et al. (2008) Chinese immigrant high school students'cultural interactions, acculturation, family obligations, language use, and social support. Adolescence 43:775-90 |
| Yeh, Christine J; Ching, Alison M; Okubo, Yuki et al. (2007) Development of a mentoring program for Chinese immigrant adolescents'cultural adjustment. Adolescence 42:733-47 |
