The SF-36 Among Cambodian and Vietnamese Refugees: An Examination of Psychometric Properties

Among traumatized Cambodian (N=90) and Vietnamese (N=94) refugees attending a psychiatric clinic, the study examined the validity and psychometric properties of the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), a measure of self-perceived mental and physical health. In both patient samples, all eight SF-36 scales displayed excellent internal consistency (item-scale correlations and Cronbach's α). But, similar to other studies of Asian samples, (a) the Vitality (VT) scale did not separate from the Mental Health (MH) and General Health (GH) scales, as evidenced by item-scale and interscale correlations, and (b) the VT scale loaded as strongly (Vietnamese sample) or more strongly (Cambodian sample) than the MH scale on the so-called Mental Factor in a two-factor solution of the eight scales (with the GH scale also loading heavily on the same factor).     

Determinants of Harsh Parenting in Mexico

This paper presents a structural model of the determinants of harsh parenting among Mexican mothers. One hundred five mothers (46 from the community; 59 referred to agencies for child maltreatment) were recruited from Sonora (Northern) Mexico and interviewed. In this model the use of physical punishment was explained by (1) authoritarian parenting style (mothers' beliefs concerning the effective use of physical punishment and mothers' lack of disciplinary skills) and (2) family dysfunction (a latent variable constructed from reports of interspousal violence and the parents' use of alcohol and drugs). In addition, the indirect effects of demographic and historical variables on harsh parenting was included. The findings show that the most important factor influencing the use of physical punishment in these families was authoritarian parenting style, exerting a significant direct effect on the mothers' reports of their use of harsh punishment. Family dysfunction had an indirect effect through parenting style. Some sociodemographic variables also indirectly influenced the use of beliefs maternal punishment It is concluded that cultural beliefs play a major role in parenting within the framework of Mexican family relations.     

域外阴阳：近代南洋中医的理论创构及其意义

南洋华侨在当地生活中仍广泛使用中医药,一些国家和地区逐渐形成了具有相当规模与水平的中医药专业群体。南洋中医在应用中医药的同时,还根据中医的方土理论,探讨了中医药在当地应用的特色,他们通过与中国的比较,提出了中医理论是否适应于五洲万国的问题。以黎伯概为代表的医家,强调作为中医核心理论的阴阳五行学说,同样可适用于中国区域以外的地区,但也需要借鉴现代科学知识来更新与变革。南洋医家的探索,表明华侨不仅是传播中医的先导,也对中医药理论有创造性的发展。     

Moving Forward with Systems of Care: Needs and New Directions

The articles in this Special Issue on system change within systems of care (SOCs) provide guidance regarding strategies for modifying SOCs to address the needs of different populations, and ways for changing systems to support more positive child and family outcomes. This paper frames central needs, unanswered questions, and issues that remain for those working to implement SOCs. Specific needs and new directions considered include: (1) rigorous implementation-focused research to identify the necessary and sufficient elements of SOCs and the primary practice approach currently used in SOCs, wraparound; (2) applied research to assess SOCs and document their effectiveness in non-standard or non-traditional settings (i.e., non-mental health settings, including child welfare, juvenile justice, local housing authorities); (3) controlled outcome studies for school-based wraparound initiatives; (4) research to document the effectiveness of the family support efforts that are part of most SOCs; and (5) attention to context, for families, service providers, and collaborative implementation efforts, by researchers and providers alike. Progress in these areas can inform well-targeted system change efforts in the context of SOCs, a critical need given changes in federal funding for these initiatives.     

Grassroots spirituality: What it is,why it is here,where it is going,by Robert K. Forman

Among Asian Americans, particularly within immigrant communities, religious leaders are respected and sought out for support and guidance. There is a need to examine how religious leaders, especially within non-Christian faiths, identify persons and ascribe meaning and attributions to mental health concerns. The aim of this paper was to address this knowledge gap by exploring the perceptions of five Vietnamese American Buddhist leaders in regards to mental illness. Using qualitative analytic techniques we identified appearance, behaviours, and cognitive impairments that leaders interpreted as indicators of a mental health condition. Religious leaders cited messy and overly adorned outer appearance, aggressive and violent behaviours, and abnormal cognitive functioning as indicative of mental health problems. They attributed mental illness to a variety of causes: daily stressors, mind-body imbalance, karma, virtuous deeds, and spiritual possession. Findings inform strategies for faith-based initiatives and mental health service delivery to religiously affiliated Asian Americans.     

Understanding Transcultural Identity: Ethnic Identity Development of Asian Immigrant College Students during Their First Two Years at a Predominantly White Institution

The present study focused on the conflict of Asian immigrant students preserving their connections to the Asian ethnic culture, adapting to American cultural orientation, and redefining their ethnic identity during their first two years of college. Our findings revealed a complex interaction of six social environmental factors that contributed to the emergence of three ethnic identity patterns: bicultural identity, ethnicized identity, and transcultural identity. The implications of the study articulate the need for college educators to avoid viewing Asian immigrants as an ethnically homogenous group, and acknowledge the nuanced variations in Asian ethnic identity. Moreover, it is incumbent upon student affairs administrators to persevere in promoting a campus environment that minimizes the generational divide between Asian American and Asian immigrant students.     

Family Therapy with East Indian Immigrant Parents Rearing Children in the United States: PARENTAL CONCERNS,THERAPEUTIC ISSUES,AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The paper focuses on East Indian immigrant parents and some of the post-immigration difficulties they experience in their attempts to rear culturally East Indian children within the United States cultural context. Concerns specific to parenting children in the US, and therapeutic issues East Indian immigrant parents bring to therapy are presented and discussed. Effective therapy with East Indian immigrant families requires that therapists be flexible in their therapeutic approaches with these families, and become more knowledgeable about the varieties of East Indian families, their cultural beliefs, values, and norms. Recommendations for culturally effective therapy are offered.David A. Baptiste, PhD, is Senior Psychologist, New Mexico Corrections Department, and in the private practice of Marital and Family Therapy, 2709 Sim Ave. Las Cruces, NM 88005 (DAB2709@aol.com).*The author is an immigrant from Guyana, South America, an Indian diaspora country. The experiences and observations discussed here are culled from 30 years of clinical practice in several US locations with a variety of East Indian Families from the Indian subcontinent and other diaspora countries.     

Immigration as a Dynamic Experience: Personal Narratives and Clinical Implications for Family Therapists

This is a reflective account of the experiences of the authors who immigrated to the United States from India at different developmental, historical, political, and social stages. Although their culture-of-origin was the same, the meaning and experience of immigration was different for each author. The narratives show a natural continuum of experiences based on their developmental stage during immigration, reasons for immigration, and the historical context of both India and the US at the time of immigration. A common theme is the ambivalence experienced by them in their process of creating a physical and psychological home in a different culture.     

Homelessness Among Families, Children, and Adolescents: An Ecological–Developmental Perspective

This paper reviews and evaluates the literatures on children in families that are homeless and on adolescents who are homeless on their own. After presenting several emerging theoretical approaches, we propose a broad ecological-developmental perspective that recognizes that, although persons in these groups often lack resources and experience negative events that can amplify the risk for poor outcomes, they also have resources and adaptive potential. The perspective also recognizes that homelessness may have different meanings and outcomes at different points in development and that we need to consider interactions between individual development and multiple levels of social organization in order to foster new solutions to homelessness. On the basis of this perspective, we discuss directions for treatment and preventive interventions as well as social policy.     

Biblical Themes for Pastoral Care Revisited: An Asian American Re-Reading of a Classic Pastoral Care Text

Over twenty-five years after its initial publication, William B. Oglesby, Jr.'s book Biblical Themes for Pastoral Care still is consulted and used by seminarians and ministers who are interested in honing their caregiving skills by understanding how biblical texts can inform the processes of pastoral care and counseling. This essay revisits Oglesby's work and seeks to apply its insights to ministry with Asian Pacific American (APA) populations. The central theme of the Bible and five subthemes are identified by Oglesby and summarized in this essay, and then several additional subthemes are explained due to their relevance for APA women and men. Finally, to test the hypotheses advanced by Oglesby and expanded in this article, the written testimonies of fifty-two contemporary Japanese American Christians are examined.