Diversity-related research projects

Keren Lehavot
Third year in adult clinical psychology
Advisor: Jane Simoni
Email: klehavot@u.washington.ed

Masters thesis: Trauma and Physical/Mental Health among Lesbian, Bisexual, and Two-Spirit American Indian and Alaska Native Women. The purpose of this research is to provide information about LGBT (or the roughly equivalent Native term "two-spirit") Native women’s experiences of physical/sexual abuse and its relation to health outcomes.

Dissertation: Minority stress and Coping among Sexual Minority Women. The purpose of this research is to use a mixed-methods approach to examine minority stressors (e.g., bias-related victimization, internalized homophobia), protective factors, and health-related outcomes among lesbian and bisexual women.

Research interests related to diversity: minority mental health, LGBT psychology, especially relating to lesbian and bisexual women's development, identity, and health, HIV/AIDS, sex/gender issues, and feminist psychology

Dellanira Valencia-Garcia, M.A.
4th year Clinical Student
Advisor: Jane Simoni, Ph.D.

NRSA Title: Social Capital and Mental Health in Latina Women
NRSA Abstract: Latinos comprise one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic populations in the United States, currently constituting 14% of the total US population. The increasing rate of Latinos will undoubtedly increase the number of people at risk for mental health disorders. Latina women will be at heightened risk since previous studies have found greater lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders, especially depression, in comparison to men. Social capital is a promising construct with which investigators may examine a community’s capacity to respond to challenges and promote individual-level health. However, the relation between social capital and mental health in ethnic minority populations remains unclear. Obtaining or expanding social capital, especially for marginalized communities, may therefore improve mental health outcomes. The proposed study will investigate the construct of social capital among Latina women of Mexican descent. Specifically, the qualitative phase will provide a description of the construct of social capital and how it operates among this population, while the quantitative phase will investigate the mental health and access to care outcomes of social capital and test a hypothesized model.

Professional and Research Interests:
My interests include understanding mental illness in the context of cultural, social, economic, racial, and political realities with a specific focus on: socio-cultural issues in psychopathology, clinical evaluations and assessments, treatment efficacy in racial and ethnic minority populations, and improving traditional therapeutic interventions to enhance their cultural relevance. Further, I am interested in how both culture and acculturation influence our definitions, incidence and prevalence, and treatment of mental disorders.

Hilary K. Mead
5th year Child Clinical Student
Advisor: Ted Beauchaine, Ph.D.
mead@u.washington.edu

Research Interest Area: Externalizing behavior disorders among African-American youth; Cultural psychopathology generally

Masters Title: "Assessment and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder among African-American youth: Ethical and Clinical Implications"

Briana Woods
4th year Child Clinical Student
Advisors: Mary Larimer and Ana Mari Cauce

My research interests include understanding risk and protective factors for health risk behaviors among diverse adolescents.  In particular, my dissertation will focus on factors among ethnic minority families and communities that protect minority youth from alcohol use and alcohol-related problems.

Tiara Dillworth
tiara@u.washington.edu
5th year Adult Clinical
Advisors: Mary Larimer & Alan Marlatt

My dissertation research is exploring the relationship between racial identity and substance use in multiracial college students. Current research has found that multiracial individuals appear to be at greater risk compared to monoracial minority and majority groups, and my research hopes to elucidate if how multiracial individuals racially identify impacts their rates of substance use and related consequences.

Marissa Corona
2nd year Child Clinical Student
Advisor: Ana Mari Cauce, Ph.D.

My research aims to examine depressive and anxiety disorders among ethnic minority children and adolescents. Specifically, I am interested in examining factors that contribute to higher levels of depressive symptoms among Mexican-American youth. This includes investigating how family factors, interpersonal functioning, and cultural factors influence the risk for development of psychopathology.


Kelly Koo
4th year Adult Clinical Student
Advisor:  Bill George, Ph.D.

Overall, I am interested in researching alcohol use and sexuality among different cultural/ethnic communities. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, I am currently examining cultural barriers to reporting alcohol-involved rape for Asian American college women.  Long-term, my career goals involve empowering underrepresented groups (particularly women of color) to voice grievances against them, and overall, I aim for social justice, with a focus on ethnic minority mental health and social issues.

Lori Wu Malahy
3rd year Social and Personality Student
Advisor: Cheryl Kaiser, PhD
website: http://depts.washington.edu/silab/lori.shtml

My research program broadly explores the relations between social identity, prejudice, stigma, and stereotyping. I investigate these constructs from the perspectives of members of devalued groups as well as from the perspectives of those who hold group stereotypes. On one project with Dr. Cheryl Kaiser, I examine how enacting counter-stereotypic group behavior influences how people identify with their group. In another project with Dr. Yuichi Shoda and fellow graduate student Mara Sedlins, I explore the nature of implicit racial categorization of mixed-race faces.

Benjamin Drury
2nd year Social Student
Advisors: Sapna Cheryan, Ph.D.
Cheryl R. Kaiser, Ph.D.

My research program falls broadly into two main categories. The first line of research examines claiming/confronting prejudice and how such actions affect stigmatized targets. Specifically, I am interested in the social costs incurred by stigmatized targets when non-stigmatized advocates confront prejudice on their behalf. The second line of research attempts to better understand the framing conditions that encourage organizations to break from tradition and hire females and minorities into visible leadership positions. I am also interested in exploring the impact of social class diversity on college campuses

Jennifer Wang
3rd year Social and Personality Student
Advisor: Janxin Leu, PhD

My research interests include appraisals of racial discrimination, identity, stress and mental health, and immigrant psychology. I aim to bring an interdisciplinary approach to examine the experiences of Asian Americans and other groups.

Daniel Byrd
3rd year student Social and Personality
Advisor: Yuichi Shoda

My research interests lie in their areas of political psychology and intergroup relations. My dissertation is focused on seeking to understand age versus cohort differences in racial attitudes. Previous research has demonstrated that members of the high school senior class of 1965 had more liberal racial attitudes than their parents in 1965. Yet what has happened to member the senior class of 1965? Have they maintained their liberal attitudes or have they become more conservative with age? Using a nationally representative panel of White Americans (1965-1997) I seek to answer these questions. My long term carrier goals are to obtain a job in public policy research.