Richard M. Suinn (1933-2024).

Richard M. Suinn, an eminent psychologist known for his work in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), sports psychology, ethnic minority issues, and professional association leadership, passed away on January 5, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colorado, at the age of 90 years. Suinn was born on May 8, 1933, in Hawai'i.

Who are the Asian Americans? Commentary on the Asian American psychology special issue.

For decades, Asian Americans have had to deal with stereotypes, misunderstandings of their status in society, and prejudice and discrimination. Because of their small population in the U.S.

Epilogue for the special issue on sociocultural factors and mechanisms in alcohol use: Epidemiology, prevention, and intervention among ethnic minority groups: Lessons learned.

The research articles in this special issue edited by Zamboanga and Lui focus on sociocultural factors and processes that underlie ethnic disparities in alcohol use in the United States. Major ethnic minority groups such as African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanics are included. Contributors to this special issue present their research findings and draw implications for research, theory, and intervention.

Asian American mental health: a call to action.

The U.S. Surgeon General's report Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity--A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (U.

Perceived discrimination and health outcomes a gender comparison among Asian-Americans nationwide.

Objectives: We examined whether similarities and differences exist in the association between perceived discrimination and poor mental and physical health among Asian-American adult women and men. We also tested whether Asian-American women would have a lower perceived discrimination threshold for developing negative health outcomes than Asian-American men.

Methods: Data were derived from the National Latino and Asian-American Study (2002-2003).

Ethnoracial variations in acute PTSD symptoms among hospitalized survivors of traumatic injury.

Ethnoracial minority status contributes to an increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after trauma exposure, beyond other risk factors. A population-based sampling frame was used to examine the associations between ethnoracial groups and early PTSD symptoms while adjusting for relevant clinical and demographic characteristics. Acutely injured trauma center inpatients (N = 623) were screened with the PTSD Checklist.

Ethnic minority psychology: struggles and triumphs.

This article focuses on my interpretation of the history of ethnic minority psychology, using as a base the presentations of the contributing authors to this special issue of Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Because each contributing author has focused on a particular ethnic group or a particular aspect of history, my goal is to focus on 3 common issues and problems. First, what are the themes and issues that confronted African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, and Latinos? Second, what were characteristics of the ethnic leaders on whose shoulders we now stand? Third, what kinds of relationships existed between members of different ethnic minority groups?

The case for cultural competency in psychotherapeutic interventions.

Cultural competency practices have been widely adopted in the mental health field because of the disparities in the quality of services delivered to ethnic minority groups. In this review, we examine the meaning of cultural competency, positions that have been taken in favor of and against it, and the guidelines for its practice in the mental health field. Empirical research that tests the benefits of cultural competency is discussed.

Immigration-related factors and mental disorders among Asian Americans.

Objectives: We examined lifetime and 12-month rates of any depressive, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders in a national sample of Asian Americans. We focused on factors related to nativity and immigration as possible correlates of mental disorders.

Methods: Data were derived from the National Latino and Asian American Study, the first national epidemiological survey of Asian Americans in the United States.

Use of mental health-related services among immigrant and US-born Asian Americans: results from the National Latino and Asian American Study.

Objectives: We examined rates of mental health-related service use (i.e., any, general medical, and specialty mental health services) as well as subjective satisfaction with and perceived helpfulness of care in a national sample of Asian Americans, with a particular focus on immigration-related factors.

Initiation, desistance, and persistence of men's sexual coercion.

Patterns of sexually coercive behavior were examined among 266 Asian American and 299 European American men over 1 year. Noncoercer (n = 358), desister (n = 120), initiator (n = 39), and persistent (n = 48) sexually coercive groups were identified. The strongest predictor of sexual coercion was past sexual coercion.

Ethnic and racial health disparities research: issues and problems.

Racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care are pervasive. A number of research and policy issues have been raised in the examination of disparities. This article analyzes some methodological, conceptual, and political issues that underlie disparities research.

Ethnicity, culture, and sexual aggression: risk and protective factors.

Explanatory models of sexual aggression were examined among mainland Asian American (n=222), Hawaiian Asian American (n=127), and European American men (n=399). The Malamuth et al. (N.

The matrix model for clinical psychology: a contextual approach.

The four level matrix model proposed by C.R. Snyder and T.

Considering context, place and culture: the National Latino and Asian American Study.

This paper provides a rationale for, and overview of, procedures used to develop the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). The NLAAS is nationally representative community household survey that estimates the prevalence of mental disorders and rates of mental health service utilization by Latinos and Asian Americans in the US. The central aims of the NLAAS are to: 1) describe the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders and the rates of mental health services use for Latino and Asian American populations using nationwide representative samples of Latinos and Asian Americans, 2) assess the associations among social position, environmental context, and psychosocial factors with the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and utilization rates of mental health services, and 3) compare the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and utilization of mental health services of Latinos and Asian Americans with national representative samples of non-Latino whites (from the National Comorbidity Study-Replication) (NCS-R) and African Americans (from the National Survey of American Life) (NSAL).

In the eye of the storm: race and genomics in research and practice.

The difficulties of operationalizing race in research and practice for social, behavioral, and genetic researchers and practitioners are neither new nor related to recent genetic knowledge. For geneticists, the bases for understanding groups are clines, observed traits that gradually change in frequency between geographic regions without distinct identifiable population boundaries and population histories that carry information about the distribution of genetic variants. For psychologists, race may not exist or be a social and cultural construct associated with fluid social inferences.

Culture-specific patterns in the prediction of life satisfaction: roles of emotion, relationship quality, and self-esteem.

This study was conducted to explore the culture-specific roles of emotion, relationship quality, and self-esteem in determining life satisfaction. It was hypothesized that maintaining good interpersonal relationships would make individuals in collectivistic cultures not only feel good about their lives but also feel better about themselves. Furthermore, two emotion variables--emotional expression and emotion differentiation--were proposed as possible determinants of relationship quality.

The mental health of ethnic minority groups: challenges posed by the Supplement to the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health.

In contrast to the conclusions reached by the Supplement to the Surgeon General's report on mental health, there is evidence that the various ethnic minority groups may exhibit significant differences in the prevalence of mental disorder. These differences cannot be fully explained by disparities or inequities in mental health services. African Americans appear to have relatively low prevalence rates despite a history of prejudice, discrimination, and the resulting stress.

In defense of cultural competency in psychotherapy and treatment.

Cultural competency guidelines and policies are being widely established. Yet some critics have challenged the evidence for cultural competency and the lack of efficacy studies that demonstrate its outcomes. Various positions are examined that discuss cultural competency research.

The state of psychological assessment in Asia.

The collection of articles in this special section provides a much-needed examination of the state of psychological assessment in various Asian countries or societies. In particular, the contributors review and critique assessment of personality, depression and anxiety, children and adolescents, and neuropsychological evaluation. The reviews cover the use of, and research on, imported measures (Western derived) as well as indigenous measures that were developed locally.

The cultural context of sexual aggression: Asian American and European American perpetrators.

Attention paid to culture in theories of sexual coercion has been limited. This failure to include culture in these theories implies that culture does not have an important role in sexually coercive behavior. Recent conceptual and empirical work supports the existence of culture-specific models of sexual coercion.

The effects of race and problem type on teachers' assessments of student behavior.

The authors tested the hypothesis that race bias in teacher evaluations may be problem specific by examining the extent to which ratings of child behavior were influenced by the interaction between the race of the child and the type of presenting behavior. Teachers (N = 197) were presented with three vignettes (overcontrolled, undercontrolled, and "normal"), systematically paired with a photograph of a male child (African American, Asian American, or Caucasian). Respondents rated the seriousness, referability, and typicality of the behavior; the child's family life; academic ability and performance; and causal dimensions.