Dissertation Title:

When Living in the Shadow Becomes Trauma

Candidate:

Ruby Treviño

Date, Time & Place:

May 3, 2021 at 9:00 am
Virtual


Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze data from the Latinx population from two separate election eras. This study aims to investigate if there is a difference between stress symptoms, as identified in the Beck inventories and PTSD assessments, during President Barack Obama’s term versus President Donald J. Trump’s term by investigating assessments taken by immigrants during those two time periods. Many may be unconscious of their actions or symptoms they may be experiencing such as depression, anxiety and or trauma. The Mexican American population has commonly been obstructed by mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Calzada, 2019). These findings result from acculturation stress perspective that is exposed to the Latinx community as stressors that emerge from navigating a new cultural milieu (Calzada, 2019). Therefore, it increases stress and psychological problems with Latinx (Calzada, 2019). Researchers suggest that culture, in the form of cognitive representations, value systems, and social practices, shape human practices including perception, feeling, and identities (Santa-Maria & Cornille, 2007). This study will compare the Beck Anxiety Inventory II (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Civilian Checklist (PCL-C) data collected during President Obama’s term in office from 2015 to 2016, as well as President Trump’s term from 2018 to 2019.

 

Details
  • Program/Track/Year: Clinical Psychology, OP, 2016
  • Chair: Dr. Oksana Yakushko
  • Reader: Dr. Brenda Murrow
  • External Reader: Dr. Carlos Castillo
  • Keywords: BDI-II, BAI, PCL-C, Latinx, Trump, Obama