Acculturative Stress and Coping Strategies Used by Asian Indians Living in the United States

314 Pages·2016·2.09 MB·English

Loyola University Chicago
Loyola eCommons
Dissertations Theses and Dissertations
2013
Acculturative Stress and Coping Strategies Used by Asian Indians
Living in the United States: A Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry
Ritu V. Thaker
Loyola University Chicago
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Thaker, Ritu V., "Acculturative Stress and Coping Strategies Used by Asian Indians Living in the United
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LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO

ACCULTURATIVE STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES USED BY
ASIAN INDIANS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES:
A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE INQUIRY

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO
THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

PROGRAM IN SOCIAL WORK

BY
RITU THAKER
CHICAGO, IL

MAY 2013
Copyright by Ritu Thaker, 2013
All rights reserved
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research project would not have been possible without the love and support
of a few important and precious people in my life. First, I would like to thank my parents
who recognized my potentials and strengths and had faith in me that I would complete
my doctorate in social work. Their love and trust brought me to this point; each of my
father’s e-mails and motivational conversations go a long way and my mother’s spiritual
thoughts helped me grow positively, each day closer towards my goal. I need to thank my
parents for their open mindedness and foresight to help me choose such an off-beat field
and bloom in it through all odds. I know my parents have sacrificed a lot for me and I feel
proud to be their daughter.
My special thanks go to my husband. He was the one who helped me in the final
stages of my dissertation and pushed me towards excellence. I could not have finished
my journey without his selfless love and support. I feel privileged to have such a loving
husband who respects my profession, understands the importance of education and
supports me selflessly. He always respected my work and took all the time and interest to
sit and listen to me talk about my research study. He helped me take one step at a time
and finish this long journey. I thank him for his support, patience and love, now and
always.
My brother is my inspiration. It was my brother’s persistence that brought me to a
foreign country and my sister-in-law’s love that kept me going. Every time I was tired or
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homesick, the moment I would talk to them they would make me feel special and I would
spring back to life with a new motivation to continue my journey. My brother and my
sister were always there to listen to me whenever I was down or stuck; they were ever
ready to find a resource to help me get through.
Words fall short to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Katherine Tyson McCrea. I
have been fortunate to meet many knowledgeable and understanding professors but as the
Chair of my committee, she guided and encouraged me from the beginning. She was
central to every facet of my doctoral program. I feel privileged and honored to have been
able to work with her, to be the beneficiary of her wisdom and experience. She
generously devoted her exceptional intelligence, knowledge, and cultural sensitivity to
support me through this project. A teacher and mentor of the highest caliber, she boosted
my confidence and my academic growth through her kind and wise guidance. She is one
of the most intelligent, learned and humble persons I have met. No matter how naïve or
how sophisticated my questions were, she would always respond with a smile first. For
all that she contributed to me and to my dissertation, I thank her.
I thank Linda and Norman for their love and support. They have been my parents
and guardians here in a foreign country. I can never credit them enough nor can I thank
them enough for all they have done personally and professionally. Linda helped improve
my English and edit my dissertation and she has been my friend, philosopher, and guide
throughout this long journey.
I would like to thank my committee members and professors who played a very
important role during all the phases of my doctoral studies, Dr. Marta Lundy, Dr. Susan
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Grossman, Dr. Terry Northcut and Dr. Jack Wall, without whose presence I would have
left this program a long time ago. I need to specially thank Dr. Maria Vidal de Haymes,
even though she was one of the readers in my committee, she often went beyond her role
and duty to help me move smoothly. She was always just a phone call away; she has
taught me so many important lessons of professional and personal life. I would also like
to personally thank Doris Allen the school receptionist. She is not only a kind person but
is also very loving, generous and helpful. She often took time to encourage me in her own
special ways, providing support and information.
I was very lucky to have friends in a foreign country, who helped me deal with
the process of acculturation and cope with the process of immigration. Some of them
were my peer readers, some of them helped me improve my English, some of them
shared books and articles, and some of them walked a piece of road with me. Each of
their contributions and efforts were important in its own unique ways. It was Michael,
Sarah, Kung-me-Choi, Mary Pat and Kristin who helped me choose this topic and helped
me move forward and write a dissertation on such an issue. I also want to thank my
participants who gave their valuable time, suggestions and comments to make my study
academically sound.
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This dissertation is dedicated to
my family
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ iii

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ xiii

ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xiv

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1
Overview of the Problem .................................................................................................1
Why Study this Topic? .....................................................................................................3
Background and Importance of the Study .......................................................................4
Key Concepts and Operational Definitions .....................................................................6
Acculturation and Acculturation Stress ........................................................................6
Coping and Coping Strategies ......................................................................................7
First Generation Asian Indians .....................................................................................8
Immigrants ....................................................................................................................8
Ethnic Enclave ..............................................................................................................9
Research Questions, Hypotheses, Variables, and Assumptions ......................................9
Research Questions .......................................................................................................9
Hypotheses ..................................................................................................................10
Variables .....................................................................................................................12
Assumptions ................................................................................................................13

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................................15
Introduction ....................................................................................................................15
Theoretical Foundations .................................................................................................15
Acculturative Stress Model (John Berry, 2006) .........................................................16
Coping Theory (Lazarus, 1993 & Pearlin and Schooler, 1978) .................................19
Ecological Perspective (Germain and Gitterman, 1995) ............................................21
Strengths Perspective (Dennis Saleebey, 1996) ..........................................................25
Past Research Studies on Acculturation and Acculturative Stress ................................26
Past Research Studies of Acculturative Stress in the Asian Indian Population .............31
Length of Time and Acculturative Stress ...................................................................33
Family and Acculturative Stress .................................................................................34
Language and Acculturative Stress .............................................................................34
Type of Migration and Acculturative Stress ...............................................................35
Gender and Acculturative Stress .................................................................................35
Age and Acculturative Stress ......................................................................................37
Past Research Studies on Coping ...................................................................................38
Past Research Studies on Coping Strategies among Immigrants ...................................39
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Social Support, Family Relationships, and Coping ....................................................39
Language and Coping .................................................................................................41
Ethnicity, Cultural Identity, and Coping .....................................................................41
Religion and Coping ...................................................................................................42
Why Conduct a Research Study on the Asian Indian Population? ................................43
Asian Indians in the United States: A Growing Population ........................................43
History of Asian Indians in the United States .............................................................44
Asian Indians: Classification and Diversity .................................................................47
Asian Indians as an Understudied and Distinct Group ................................................49

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................51
Worldview / Paradigm ...................................................................................................51
Research Design .............................................................................................................53
Mixed-Methods ...........................................................................................................53
Sequential Explanatory Design ...................................................................................55
Strengths of this Design ..............................................................................................56
Limitations of this Design ...........................................................................................57
Instruments .....................................................................................................................57
The SAFE-R Scale ......................................................................................................58
The COPE Scale .........................................................................................................59
Qualitative Instruments ...............................................................................................61
Sample Description ........................................................................................................62
Selection Criteria ........................................................................................................62
Sample Size .................................................................................................................63
Sampling Strategy .......................................................................................................63
Sample Frame .............................................................................................................64
Sample Description .....................................................................................................65
Recruitment and Collection of Quantitative Data ..........................................................67
Public Place below Indian Consulate Office ..............................................................68
Coffee Hour at International Programs Office ............................................................69
Hindu Temple .............................................................................................................70
Software Company ......................................................................................................71
Recruitment and Collection of Qualitative Data ...........................................................72
Data Management ..........................................................................................................74
Ethical Issues .................................................................................................................75
IRB Approval ...............................................................................................................75
Voluntary Participation ...............................................................................................75
Confidentiality ............................................................................................................77
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................77
Quantitative Data Analysis .........................................................................................78
Qualitative Data Analysis ...........................................................................................79
Translation ..................................................................................................................79
Transcription ...............................................................................................................81
viii
Credibility of the Qualitative Data ..............................................................................81
Validity .......................................................................................................................82
Reliability ....................................................................................................................87

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS ..............................................................................................89
Introduction to Findings .................................................................................................89
Analysis of Data .............................................................................................................90
Findings Related to Research Hypotheses .....................................................................90
Introduction to Tables of Correlations ........................................................................90
Hypothesis # 1 .............................................................................................................95
Hypothesis # 2 .............................................................................................................96
Hypothesis # 3a ...........................................................................................................99
Hypothesis # 3b .........................................................................................................101
Hypothesis # 4 ...........................................................................................................102
Hypothesis # 5 ...........................................................................................................103
Hypothesis # 6 ...........................................................................................................105
Hypothesis # 7 ...........................................................................................................110
Hypothesis # 8 ...........................................................................................................113
Hypothesis # 9 ...........................................................................................................116
Hypothesis # 10 .........................................................................................................118
Hypothesis # 11 .........................................................................................................120
Hypothesis # 12 .........................................................................................................121
Hypothesis # 13 .........................................................................................................128
Hypothesis # 14 .........................................................................................................130
Additional Emerging Themes ......................................................................................131
Food and Festivals .....................................................................................................131
Sharing Feelings with Others .....................................................................................132
Transportation ............................................................................................................133

CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION .........................................................................................135
An Integrative Approach to Understanding Acculturative Stress in the Asian
Indians in the United States ......................................................................................135
Context of the Study: Introduction to the Population Studied .....................................135
Integrating Theories and Past Research Studies with Findings ...................................137
Key Findings Regarding Age, Gender, and Length of Time in the United States ....138
Key Findings Regarding Sense of Community and Belonging: Ethnic Enclave,
Social Support, Location in India, Climate, Festivals and Food ............................143
Key Findings Regarding Feelings of Happiness, Recreation, and Religious
Activities ..................................................................................................................155
Key Findings Regarding Communication, Language, Education, and
Pre-Immigration Conversations ..............................................................................158
Key Findings Regarding Immigration and Employment ..........................................167
Relationship of Present Research Study with Theories ...............................................172
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