Jennifer Abe - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Jennifer Abe

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

Preparing for Higher Education’s Mixed Race Future, 2022

Journal of Social Work Education, 2019

The article uses a liberation psychologies framework to develop and strengthen a social dimension... more The article uses a liberation psychologies framework to develop and strengthen a social dimension to cultural humility, one that is oriented toward social transformation. First, cultural humility is contextualized as a complement or alternative to cultural competence, addressing critiques raised about cultural competence frameworks. Second, research on cultural humility is reviewed, noting a focus on individual provider characteristics and perceptions of interpersonal relationships. Third, a liberation psychologies lens is used to conceptualize cultural humility at multiple levels: developing a critical consciousness (individual level), seeing the other (interpersonal level), and psychosocial accompaniment (collective level). A liberation psychologies orientation toward issues of oppression and social justice is proposed as consistent with a multilevel approach to defining cultural humility, especially at a collective level. Examples of cultural humility and its connections to practices such as social justiceoriented service learning pedagogies, community-based participatory research (CBPR), and practice-based evidence (PBE) approaches are discussed, as well as implications for future research and education regarding cultural humility.

American journal of community psychology, Jan 14, 2018

This study describes a conceptual tool, labeled the "culture cube," developed to identi... more This study describes a conceptual tool, labeled the "culture cube," developed to identify and articulate the cultural underpinnings of prevention and early intervention projects in five priority populations (i.e., African American, Asian Pacific Islander, Latino, Native American, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning), participating in the California Reducing Disparities Project Phase 2 (CRDP Phase 2). The culture cube was developed for evaluation of these practice-based evidence services (PBEs) for three purposes: (a) to focus attention on revealing and articulating more fully the operative worldview and culturally grounded frameworks underlying PBEs, explicitly identifying the links between cultural beliefs and values, community needs, and intervention design; (b) to guide the methods used to assess and evaluate PBEs so that the outcome indicators and process measures are conceptually consistent, community defined, and culturally centered; and (...

Culture and Brain, 2017

Cultural variables exert a powerful effect on test performance. This effect is now largely recogn... more Cultural variables exert a powerful effect on test performance. This effect is now largely recognized in the field of neuropsychology, although rather underestimated. This paper has three parts. First, different sources of cross-cultural bias in neuropsychological testing are identified, using the taxonomy proposed by van de Vijver and Tanzer (Eur Rev Appl Psychol 54: 119-135, 2004), specifically, an examination of construct, method and item biases. Second, strategies proposed in the literature to address these biases are reviewed. Finally, a three-level approach to addressing these problems related to bias is proposed. These approaches are hierarchically organized from bottom-to-top: (1) a behavioral approach in the testing situation, (2) test adaptation and, (3) the development of a new generation of neuropsychological tests. Simultaneous test development across multiple cultures is emphasized. Guidelines for the development of these tests are proposed in order to obtain culturally fair and psychometrically robust tests.

Asian American Journal of Psychology, 2015

Escaping the clutches of toxic social mirroring is the work of a painful confrontation with one's... more Escaping the clutches of toxic social mirroring is the work of a painful confrontation with one's own history and consequent sense of self.-Brian Waterman and Tristan Görgens, p. 267

Psychiatry Research, 2015

In Europe, it is widely established that immigration increases risk for psychotic disorder. Howev... more In Europe, it is widely established that immigration increases risk for psychotic disorder. However, research has yet to confirm this association in the United States, where immigrants paradoxically report better health status than their native-born counterparts. Further, few studies have examined this topic with respect to sub-threshold psychotic experiences, which are more common than psychotic disorders in the general population. This study analyzes the (1) National Comorbidity Survey-Replication, (2) the National Latino and Asian American Survey, and (3) the National Survey of American Life, in order to determine whether generation status had any impact on risk for lifetime and 12-month PE, and whether these associations vary across racial/ethnic groups, adjusting for demographic variables and socioeconomic status. We found an absence of an immigration effect on PE across various ethnic groups and across various geographic areas, and found that immigration is actually protective among Latinos, supporting the idea that the epidemiological paradox extends to the psychosis phenotype.

Asian American Journal of Psychology, 2012

Using Asian Americans as a case example, a community ecology approach is proposed to address a ga... more Using Asian Americans as a case example, a community ecology approach is proposed to address a gap in our understanding of cultural competence as a systems/societal level construct. A community ecology approach to cultural competence rests on three assumptions: (1) individual psychological distress is construed as embedded in, and intimately tied to, collective experience; (2) social justice is understood as integral to psychological wellness; and (3) formal mental health services are viewed as a primary, but not exclusive, source of care that can help address the mental health needs of a community. To examine these ideas, the paper is divided into two sections: (1) an examination of a community ecology approach to conceptualizing distress, wellness, and mental health service delivery, and (2) an exploration of the implications of a community ecology approach for providing culturally competent mental health interventions for individuals and for communities.

Communities, Neighborhoods, and Health, 2010

... Every encounter of the sacred is rooted in a place, a socio-spatial context that is rich in m... more ... Every encounter of the sacred is rooted in a place, a socio-spatial context that is rich in myth and symbol. (Belden Lane 1994, p. 19) Last spring, I experienced an Easter Vigil for the first time. ...A limitation of this approach is that the place itself its physically and geographi ...

Handbook of Multicultural Mental Health, 2013

Spirituality and culture are both recognized as important elements for providing culturally compe... more Spirituality and culture are both recognized as important elements for providing culturally competent mental health services to ethnically and religiously diverse populations. They rarely, however, are considered together within a common conceptual framework. In this chapter, relationships between religiousness, spirituality, acculturation, and theological understandings of inculturation (e.g., how religious/spiritual beliefs and practices cannot be understood apart from their cultural context) are explored. Empirical evidence regarding the influence of religion and spirituality on mental health, as well as the effectiveness of spiritually and culturally accommodative approaches to treatment is also examined. Finally, the impact of spirituality and culture on mental health interventions is considered within two different paradigms: (a) how psychotherapy may be adapted to be more culturally sensitive to diverse populations, and (b) how indigenous notions of well-being, illness, and healing may help mental health providers broaden their notions of interventions.

Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2014

nological advances in the field. This text will be a useful resource for mental health profession... more nological advances in the field. This text will be a useful resource for mental health professionals and physicians who aim to understand and improve the sexual lives of their clients, as well as academic researchers and graduate students who seek to further examine sexuality and contribute to the many unanswered questions in the field. The Handbook will undoubtedly become a key reference on human sexuality for years to come.

Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1990

Journal of Community Psychology, 1994

This study examined possible differentiating experiences between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (... more This study examined possible differentiating experiences between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and non-PTSD refugees, after matching them on certain demographic characteristics and exposure to trauma. Previous research on predictors of PTSD usually has not controlled for differences in trauma exposure between the comparison groups. By examining individuals who have had similar traumatic histories, this study more clearly identified some factors implicated in the development of PTSD among Southeast Asians. To increase-comparability with previous PTSD research, aU events were assessed with reference to three time frames involving premigration, migration, and postmigration periods. The role of anger reactions was also examined in view of previous findings from the veteranbased PTSD research. Finally, this study ascertained the influence of acculturation and cultural identity orientation because these variables often have been implicated in the adjustment of Asian Americans. Results from the present study indicate that respondents with PTSD appeared to experience and express much more anger and were more dependent on public assistance. They were also less engaged in maintaining their cultural traditions and ties. However, more life changes and a trend toward more separations and reunifications with family members were evidenced for those without PTSD. The implications of these findings in developing community intervention strategies for Southeast Asian refugees who have experienced trauma are discussed. Both community and clinical studies indicate that many Southeast Asian refugees have experienced serious and prolonged trauma as a result of the mass exodus from their homelands during and following the Vietnam War (Gong-Guy, 1986; Kinzie et al., 1990; Mollica, Wyshak, & Lavelle, 1987). Traumatic experiences reported to mental health professionals by Cambodian refugees, for instance, have included forced labor, wandering in the jungle for years, witnessing execution of family members, and death of family members due to starvation, torture, or illness (Kinzie, Fredrickson, Ben, Fleck, & Karls, 1984). Other trauma commonly experienced by refugees include painful separations from spouses, ~hildren, and parents whose fate remains unknown, as well as the violence, crowding, and unsanitary conditions common in many refugee camps.

This research project developed as a collaborative effort by the College Board and the University... more This research project developed as a collaborative effort by the College Board and the University of California. The project was guided by an ad hoc Research Advisory Committee that attempted to define the variables to be examined in the study. Members of the ...