Desiree M Seponski
Biographic Data
| ID | 144676 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Desiree M Seponski |
| GIVEN NAMES | Desiree M |
| FAMILY NAME | Seponski |
| SIGNATURE | SEPONSKI D M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Georgia |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1056-6895 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 29 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Swallow medicine, eat rice, pray about health’: Health, health care and health-seeking experiences of South-East Asian older refugees
South-East Asian refugees have lived in the United States of America for nearly four decades, with early refugee immigrants experiencing ageing and later life within the refugee context. As refugees age, health concerns of this older population grow, highlighting the need for ongoing assessment of refugee health and health-seeking behaviours. This study builds on previous literature that assessed the health and health-seeking patterns of South-Ea…
Hopefully you've landed the waka on the shore: Negotiated spaces in New Zealand's bicultural mental health system
The multifaceted context of Aotearoa / New Zealand offers insight into the negotiation of cultural discourses in mental health. There, bicultural practice has emerged as a theoretically rights-based delivery of culturally responsive and aligned therapies. Bicultural practices invite clinicians into spaces between Indigenous and Westernized knowing to negotiate and innovate methods of healing. In this article, we present findings from a qualitativ…
Concurrent and convergent validity of culture-specific psychopathology syndromes among Cambodian adolescents
Psychopathology is defined in part by its impacts on life functioning (e.g., fulfillment of daily responsibilities at work or school, in family relationships). Relations to life functioning are particularly important in the validation of culture-specific syndromes (patterns of mental health symptoms specific to a particular culture), to demonstrate that culture-specific symptom patterns do in fact represent pathology. The current study's goal was…
Knowledge of psychology in Cambodia: Exploring the relationships to demographics, psychopathology, and idioms of distress
Rates of mental health disorders in Cambodia are markedly higher than in other low- or middle-income countries. Despite these high rates, mental healthcare resources remain scarce and mental health stigma is pervasive, particularly for vulnerable populations of young women and individuals of low socioeconomic status. To address this gap, teaching Western mental health treatments and using a mental healthcare framework are recommended within the C…
Intergenerational Transmission of Traumatic Stress and Resilience Among Cambodian Immigrant Families Along Coastal Alabama: Family Narratives
Purpose: Intergenerational transmission of psychological trauma is an ongoing global public health concern. Cambodia experienced ∼4 years of genocide, causing about 2 million deaths. Many survivors fled and resettled in the United States where they continued to face the psychological and relational consequences of forced displacement, with limited access to mental health treatment. This study employed an ecological social determinants of health f…
A sociopolitical response to vicarious witnessing: Testimonial therapy
Vicarious witnessing is an emergent focus for social workers who support highly traumatized communities. Research indicates that indirectly witnessing another person’s trauma narrative can lead to internalizing those narratives resulting in adverse emotional, relational, and somatic symptoms. In this Practice Corner, we reconceptualize testimonial therapy as a strategy to foster wellbeing among service providers who support clients with trauma. P…
Disaster preparedness and well-being among Cambodian– and Laotian–Americans
Purpose Using two main research questions, the purpose of this paper is to examine well-being and preparedness among Cambodian and Laotian immigrants living near the Gulf Coast of the USA, and the ways in which indicators such as sense of community and risk perception are related to these constructs. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a cross-sectional prospective design to examine disaster preparedness and well-being among Laotian a…
Culturally sensitive assessment of anxious-depressive distress in the Cambodian population: Avoiding category truncation
In a large national survey in Cambodia (N = 2689), the present study investigated the prominence of certain culturally salient symptoms and syndromes in the general population and among those with anxious-depressive distress (as determined by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, or HSCL). Using an abbreviated Cambodian Symptom and Syndrome Addendum (CSSA), we found that the CSSA complaints were particularly elevated among those with anxious-depressi…
Humanitarian healthcare: Treating Syrian patients in Israeli hospitals
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings on interpersonal relational processes of Israeli healthcare providers (HCPs) and Syrian patients and caregivers using data collected in two Israeli hospitals. Design/methodology/approach Using a parallel mixed-methods design, data were integrated from observations, interviews, and surveys. In total, 20 HCPs and three Syrian patient caregivers provided interview data. Quantitative data w…
Conflict and Care: Israeli Healthcare Providers and Syrian Patients and Caregivers in Israel
Israel has provided immediate healthcare to Syrian children, civilians and fighters since early 2013 despite being in an official state of war with Syria since 1973. We present qualitative findings from a larger mixed-methods phenomenological study to understand how the geopolitical and social history of Israel and Syria influences healthcare providers and Syrian patient caregivers in northern Israel. Theories of humanization and cognitive disson…
A responsive evaluation of mental health treatment in Cambodia: Intentionally addressing poverty to increase cultural responsiveness in therapy
Mental health issues are significant contributors to the global burden of disease with the highest incidence in resource poor countries; 90% of those in need of mental health treatment reside in low resource countries but receive only 10% of the world's resources. Cambodia, the eighth least developed country in the world, serves as one example of the need to address mental health concerns in low-income, resource poor countries. The current study …
Transcendent Sacrifice and Spirituality: Cambodian Grandparents raising Orphaned Grandchildren
The aim of this study was to analyze the lives of 10 grandparents raising orphaned grandchildren in Cambodia. Using family exchange theory, this study shows that families struggle to engage in instrumental exchange and continue to provide affective exchanges but greatly sacrifice their own spiritual growth in symbolic exchanges. Struggles to provide for everyday existence limits participation in Buddhist merit building practices that are associat…
Religious and Spiritual Values Transactions: A Constant-Comparison Analysis of Grandmothers and Adult-Granddaughters
Religious and spiritual development continues throughout the lifespan, with life transitions, trajectories, and stages affecting that development. One important catalyst for these changes is family relationships. This article examines transactions between grandmothers and adult-granddaughters that influence both parties' spiritual and religious values. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight grandmother/adult-granddaughter dyads. Dat…
Awakening to the desires of older women: Deconstructing ageism within fashion magazines
Caring for and Learning from Each Other: A Grounded Theory Study of Grandmothers and Adult Granddaughters
This study examines the transmission of values between grandmothers and adult granddaughters, including how these values are transmitted bidirectionally and then used to cocreate a mutually formed value set. Past research has been restricted to a unidirectional approach of transmission of values from older generation to younger generation. The majority of past studies support that youth look to elders for guidance on life, values, and moral devel…
Awakening to the desires of older women: Deconstructing ageism within fashion magazines
Culturally sensitive assessment of anxious-depressive distress in the Cambodian population: Avoiding category truncation
In a large national survey in Cambodia (N = 2689), the present study investigated the prominence of certain culturally salient symptoms and syndromes in the general population and among those with anxious-depressive distress (as determined by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, or HSCL). Using an abbreviated Cambodian Symptom and Syndrome Addendum (CSSA), we found that the CSSA complaints were particularly elevated among those with anxious-depressi…
Hopefully you've landed the waka on the shore: Negotiated spaces in New Zealand's bicultural mental health system
The multifaceted context of Aotearoa / New Zealand offers insight into the negotiation of cultural discourses in mental health. There, bicultural practice has emerged as a theoretically rights-based delivery of culturally responsive and aligned therapies. Bicultural practices invite clinicians into spaces between Indigenous and Westernized knowing to negotiate and innovate methods of healing. In this article, we present findings from a qualitativ…
Caring for and Learning from Each Other: A Grounded Theory Study of Grandmothers and Adult Granddaughters
This study examines the transmission of values between grandmothers and adult granddaughters, including how these values are transmitted bidirectionally and then used to cocreate a mutually formed value set. Past research has been restricted to a unidirectional approach of transmission of values from older generation to younger generation. The majority of past studies support that youth look to elders for guidance on life, values, and moral devel…
Transcendent Sacrifice and Spirituality: Cambodian Grandparents raising Orphaned Grandchildren
The aim of this study was to analyze the lives of 10 grandparents raising orphaned grandchildren in Cambodia. Using family exchange theory, this study shows that families struggle to engage in instrumental exchange and continue to provide affective exchanges but greatly sacrifice their own spiritual growth in symbolic exchanges. Struggles to provide for everyday existence limits participation in Buddhist merit building practices that are associat…
Caring for and Learning from Each Other: A Grounded Theory Study of Grandmothers and Adult Granddaughters
This study examines the transmission of values between grandmothers and adult granddaughters, including how these values are transmitted bidirectionally and then used to cocreate a mutually formed value set. Past research has been restricted to a unidirectional approach of transmission of values from older generation to younger generation. The majority of past studies support that youth look to elders for guidance on life, values, and moral devel…
Awakening to the desires of older women: Deconstructing ageism within fashion magazines
Religious and Spiritual Values Transactions: A Constant-Comparison Analysis of Grandmothers and Adult-Granddaughters
Religious and spiritual development continues throughout the lifespan, with life transitions, trajectories, and stages affecting that development. One important catalyst for these changes is family relationships. This article examines transactions between grandmothers and adult-granddaughters that influence both parties' spiritual and religious values. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight grandmother/adult-granddaughter dyads. Dat…
Transcendent Sacrifice and Spirituality: Cambodian Grandparents raising Orphaned Grandchildren
The aim of this study was to analyze the lives of 10 grandparents raising orphaned grandchildren in Cambodia. Using family exchange theory, this study shows that families struggle to engage in instrumental exchange and continue to provide affective exchanges but greatly sacrifice their own spiritual growth in symbolic exchanges. Struggles to provide for everyday existence limits participation in Buddhist merit building practices that are associat…
A responsive evaluation of mental health treatment in Cambodia: Intentionally addressing poverty to increase cultural responsiveness in therapy
Mental health issues are significant contributors to the global burden of disease with the highest incidence in resource poor countries; 90% of those in need of mental health treatment reside in low resource countries but receive only 10% of the world's resources. Cambodia, the eighth least developed country in the world, serves as one example of the need to address mental health concerns in low-income, resource poor countries. The current study …
Conflict and Care: Israeli Healthcare Providers and Syrian Patients and Caregivers in Israel
Israel has provided immediate healthcare to Syrian children, civilians and fighters since early 2013 despite being in an official state of war with Syria since 1973. We present qualitative findings from a larger mixed-methods phenomenological study to understand how the geopolitical and social history of Israel and Syria influences healthcare providers and Syrian patient caregivers in northern Israel. Theories of humanization and cognitive disson…
Humanitarian healthcare: Treating Syrian patients in Israeli hospitals
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings on interpersonal relational processes of Israeli healthcare providers (HCPs) and Syrian patients and caregivers using data collected in two Israeli hospitals. Design/methodology/approach Using a parallel mixed-methods design, data were integrated from observations, interviews, and surveys. In total, 20 HCPs and three Syrian patient caregivers provided interview data. Quantitative data w…
Disaster preparedness and well-being among Cambodian– and Laotian–Americans
Purpose Using two main research questions, the purpose of this paper is to examine well-being and preparedness among Cambodian and Laotian immigrants living near the Gulf Coast of the USA, and the ways in which indicators such as sense of community and risk perception are related to these constructs. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a cross-sectional prospective design to examine disaster preparedness and well-being among Laotian a…
Culturally sensitive assessment of anxious-depressive distress in the Cambodian population: Avoiding category truncation
In a large national survey in Cambodia (N = 2689), the present study investigated the prominence of certain culturally salient symptoms and syndromes in the general population and among those with anxious-depressive distress (as determined by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, or HSCL). Using an abbreviated Cambodian Symptom and Syndrome Addendum (CSSA), we found that the CSSA complaints were particularly elevated among those with anxious-depressi…
Intergenerational Transmission of Traumatic Stress and Resilience Among Cambodian Immigrant Families Along Coastal Alabama: Family Narratives
Purpose: Intergenerational transmission of psychological trauma is an ongoing global public health concern. Cambodia experienced ∼4 years of genocide, causing about 2 million deaths. Many survivors fled and resettled in the United States where they continued to face the psychological and relational consequences of forced displacement, with limited access to mental health treatment. This study employed an ecological social determinants of health f…
A sociopolitical response to vicarious witnessing: Testimonial therapy
Vicarious witnessing is an emergent focus for social workers who support highly traumatized communities. Research indicates that indirectly witnessing another person’s trauma narrative can lead to internalizing those narratives resulting in adverse emotional, relational, and somatic symptoms. In this Practice Corner, we reconceptualize testimonial therapy as a strategy to foster wellbeing among service providers who support clients with trauma. P…
Knowledge of psychology in Cambodia: Exploring the relationships to demographics, psychopathology, and idioms of distress
Rates of mental health disorders in Cambodia are markedly higher than in other low- or middle-income countries. Despite these high rates, mental healthcare resources remain scarce and mental health stigma is pervasive, particularly for vulnerable populations of young women and individuals of low socioeconomic status. To address this gap, teaching Western mental health treatments and using a mental healthcare framework are recommended within the C…
Concurrent and convergent validity of culture-specific psychopathology syndromes among Cambodian adolescents
Psychopathology is defined in part by its impacts on life functioning (e.g., fulfillment of daily responsibilities at work or school, in family relationships). Relations to life functioning are particularly important in the validation of culture-specific syndromes (patterns of mental health symptoms specific to a particular culture), to demonstrate that culture-specific symptom patterns do in fact represent pathology. The current study's goal was…
Swallow medicine, eat rice, pray about health’: Health, health care and health-seeking experiences of South-East Asian older refugees
South-East Asian refugees have lived in the United States of America for nearly four decades, with early refugee immigrants experiencing ageing and later life within the refugee context. As refugees age, health concerns of this older population grow, highlighting the need for ongoing assessment of refugee health and health-seeking behaviours. This study builds on previous literature that assessed the health and health-seeking patterns of South-Ea…
Hopefully you've landed the waka on the shore: Negotiated spaces in New Zealand's bicultural mental health system
The multifaceted context of Aotearoa / New Zealand offers insight into the negotiation of cultural discourses in mental health. There, bicultural practice has emerged as a theoretically rights-based delivery of culturally responsive and aligned therapies. Bicultural practices invite clinicians into spaces between Indigenous and Westernized knowing to negotiate and innovate methods of healing. In this article, we present findings from a qualitativ…
Psychology (13 works) · Medicine (10 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Political science (6 works) · Migration, Health and Trauma (5 works) · Psychiatry (5 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Geography (4 works) · Grandparent (4 works)