The Counseling Psychologist

The present study describes the development and initial validation of the Multidimensional Sense of Emptiness Scale, a measure based on a theoretically and empirically grounded conceptualization of emptiness. In the first sample (n = 541), an exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors, Sense of Inner Emptiness, Sense of Absence of Relatedness, and Sense of Meaninglessness, explaining 82.8% of the variance with 13 items. In an additional sample (n = 212), a confirmatory factor analysis supported this three-factorial solution's stability. Furthermore, all subscales were significantly related to a single, second-order factor. In the total sample (N = 753), subscale and full-scale items offered evidence of satisfactory internal consistency and convergent validity. We discuss study limitations and implications for counseling practice, advocacy, education, training, and research.

In a global community with increased immigration and rising sociocultural tensions, there is a need for psychometrically strong instruments that assess adjustment to increasingly culturally heterogeneous environments. The Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI) is one such instrument, but previous studies have not reported the instrument’s invariance or item-level responses. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the MPI using item response theory, invariance analysis, and structural equation modeling with a sample of 1,194 participants. We found evidence for a 34-item instrument with a bifactor internal structure that demonstrated partial invariance across gender, race, and generational status. Evidence of concurrent and incremental validity of the MPI was established through predicted associations with acculturation, satisfaction with life, social dominance orientation, mental health, color-blind racial attitudes, and self-reported high school grade-point average, beyond any variance accounted for by Big Five variables.

Native Americans are severely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In this study, we examined the construal, salience, and relevance of the barriers that Native American college students believe could impact their STEM career preparation. An exploratory factor analysis of the Perceptions of Educational Barriers Scale conducted with 152 Native American college students yielded 8 perceived barrier factors: school expensive, lack of access, lack of preparation, not smart enough, not good at math/science, family responsibilities, discrimination, and lack of support. School expense was by far their greatest barrier, and for men, this barrier negatively predicted their STEM career self-efficacy, with self-efficacy positively predicting their STEM career outcome expectations. For women, lack of support positively predicted their STEM career self-efficacy, with self-efficacy positively predicting and discrimination negatively predicting their STEM career outcome expectations. Results are interpreted in light of social cognitive career theory.

The present study extended minority stress theory by testing the associations of racist stressors (racist discrimination, expectations of rejection, and internalized racism) and maladaptive coping strategies (internalization and detachment) with psychological distress and psychological well-being. In addition, expectations of rejection, internalized racism, internalization, and detachment were tested as mediators of the racist discrimination–mental health link. Data were analyzed from 297 Asian American adults. Results indicated that greater levels of all racist stressors and maladaptive coping strategies were each associated with poorer mental health at the bivariate level, but only internalization and detachment were unique predictors of distress and only internalized racism and detachment were unique predictors of well-being. Internalization and detachment mediated the positive indirect association of racist discrimination with distress, and detachment mediated the negative indirect relation of racist discrimination with well-being. Implications of the findings for practice, advocacy, education, training, and research with Asian Americans are discussed.

A growing body of research suggests that graduate psychology training programs with a stronger collective social justice identity are likely to provide more support for students’ advocacy engagements than those with discrepant views among members. We conducted response surface analyses (N = 178 PhD students; across 16 counseling psychology programs) to examine whether the degree of congruence and discrepancy in social justice attitudes and perceptions of training program norms (perceived social justice norms among students and faculty) between the individual student and other students in their program would be associated with students’ social justice advocacy intentions and behaviors. Higher congruence in attitudes and perceived norms (among students and faculty) were significantly associated with advocacy intentions. For advocacy behaviors, only congruently higher perceptions of faculty were significantly associated. Discrepant attitudes and perceived norms were not significantly related to students’ advocacy intentions and behaviors. Recommendations for training and research are discussed.