Pakistani Americans face bi-directional cultural influences related to their heritage culture and the mainstream culture of the host. The... Show morePakistani Americans face bi-directional cultural influences related to their heritage culture and the mainstream culture of the host. The present study examined the impact of culture on the relationship between public stigma and care-seeking attitudes. A sample of 158 Pakistani Americans was collected using MTurk. Hierarchical regression was conducted to examine the moderating effect of heritage acculturation and mainstream acculturation on the relationship between public stigma and care-seeking. Multiple regression analysis predicting care-seeking from public stigma, heritage acculturation, and mainstream acculturation did not yield a statistically significant model. Hierarchical regression analyses examining the moderating effect of heritage acculturation and mainstream acculturation were non-significant. Acculturation had no notable impact on stigma and care-seeking. This study was unable to demonstrate significant results. Future considerations should include inter-generational differences, other forms of stigma that may play a crucial role, and inclusion of different measures to determine if there are other scales better suited for the target population. Show less
Introduction/Background: When individuals underperform in a task or situation due to fear of confirming a negative stereotype about themselves... Show moreIntroduction/Background: When individuals underperform in a task or situation due to fear of confirming a negative stereotype about themselves or a group they identify with, this psychological phenomenon is called “stereotype threat.”Objectives: This study focuses on older adults, who are often unfairly stereotyped as cognitively impaired. Declines in working memory (WM) can disrupt efficient information processing and both short- and long-term memory consolidation. Additionally, stigma consciousness and worry about developing dementia might influence this relationship, as these factors are particularly relevant to older adults.
Methods: 103 older adults (Mage = 71.01 years old) recruited through ResearchMatch were screened via the telephone version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA), given two cognitive tests (WAIS-IV Digit Span Test and Arithmetic), Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire, Fear of Alzheimer’s Disease Scale, and a demographics questionnaire. Analysis completed through structural equational modeling and path analysis.
Results: Our analysis did not reveal any significant findings in our path analysis or bivariate correlations. Thus, our hypotheses were not supported.
Discussion: Despite the lack of findings, conducting a ST study by phone is an innovative approach that could expand research on ST outside traditional lab settings, where participants might otherwise feel less threatened and what this means for clinicians. Show less
