Date of Award
9-2010
Document type
dissertation
Access Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Psychology
First Advisor
Elizabeth A. Harvey
Second Advisor
Maureen Perry-Jenkins
Third Advisor
Linda Tropp
Subject Categories
Clinical Psychology
Abstract
From 2001-2007, students from India have consistently comprised the largest ethnic group of international students on college campuses across the United States (Open Doors: Report on International Educational Exchange, 2007). Despite a number of studies that have researched the mental health of international students in the U.S., none have done so primarily with Indian graduate students. Theoretical and empirical literature regarding the psychological changes and acculturation patterns that international students undergo after their transition do not explore the possibility of multiple pathways of change. The current study identified four separate mental health trajectories for Indian international graduate students during their first year in the U.S. It also found three distinct patterns of acculturation for the Indian culture and four acculturation trajectories for the European American culture. The size of one's adjustment, feelings about transition, gender role attitudes, and availability of out-group support were all significant contributors to the variability among empirically derived mental health trajectories.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/1663891
Recommended Citation
Thakar, Dhara Aniruddha, "Trajectories of Mental Health and Acculturation Among First Year International Graduate Students From India" (2010). Open Access Dissertations. 255.
https://doi.org/10.7275/1663891
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/255