Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Hmong Americans: The psychological interplay of acculturation and social stressors
Author(s):
Her, Mary
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Psy.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : Alliant International University, 2015.
Pages:
71
Language:
English
Abstract:
Hmong people are an ethnic minority group from Southeast Asia. Hmong people have preserved strong cultural traditions and fiercely resisted pressure to assimilate to the dominant culture. Young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Hmong Americans have been hesitant to "come out" and breach familial and social bonds. The study is focused on providing self-identified LGBTQ Hmong American individuals the opportunity to share experiences of their acculturative stressors. The goal is to identify factors correlated with perceived stress, by examining age, gender, place of birth, age during immigration if not born in the United States, level of education, employment status, marital status, current cultural and religious beliefs practiced, "coming out," and sexual orientation. The study's hypothesis stated that subjects who self-reported to be more acculturated to the Western world would experience more social stress. There was limited support on LGBTQ individuals in the Hmong community for this study. Instead, this concern relies on the dominant culture. A quantitative analysis was utilized to examine the relationship between acculturation and perceived stress for LGBTQ Asian American individuals. Results showed no statistically significant association between acculturation and social stress among LGBTQ Asian Americans. The purpose of the research is to educate the general public and to promote social acceptance and positive developmental outcomes for the LGBTQ Hmong community. In addition, the study may help increase awareness of the LGBTQ population within the Hmong community. As a result, the study may help professionals improve the effectiveness of their clinical assessments and therapeutic work with the LGBTQ Hmong community once exploring and examining acculturation and social stress.