Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2014 Counseling with Iranian-Americans: a critical review of the literature Crystal Saidi Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Saidi, Crystal, "Counseling with Iranian-Americans: a critical review of the literature" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 437. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/437 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology COUNSELING WITH IRANIAN-AMERICANS: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A clinical dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology by Crystal Saidi May, 2014 Miguel Gallardo, Psy.D.-Dissertation Chairperson This clinical dissertation, written by Crystal Saidi under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY Doctoral Committee: Miguel Gallardo, Psy.D., Chairperson Shelly Harrell, Ph.D. Negar Shekarabi, Psy.D. © Copyright by Crystal Saidi (2014) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION… ............................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. vii VITA ................................................................................................................................ viii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xiii Chapter I. Introductory Literature Review...........................................................................1 Iranian-Americans....................................................................................................1 Family ..........................................................................................................2 Collectivism .................................................................................................3 Education, Achievement, and Pride .............................................................4 History of Iranian-American Immigration to the United States ..............................5 Acculturation............................................................................................................6 Acculturation and Mental Health .................................................................9 Acculturation in Older Iranian-Americans ................................................11 Acculturation Differences between Genders .............................................11 Overview of Common Concerns ...........................................................................14 Gender Roles ..............................................................................................14 Intergenerational Difficulties .....................................................................15 Impact of Iranian Culture on Treatment ................................................................16 Treatment Modalities .............................................................................................19 Purpose of Literature Review ................................................................................20 Chapter II. Review and Analysis Procedures ....................................................................21 Introduction ............................................................................................................21 Review Procedures.................................................................................................21 Identification of Relevant Literature ..........................................................21 Collection of Relevant Literature...............................................................22 Analysis Procedures ...............................................................................................22 Review and Analysis of Literature ........................................................................23 Synthesis of General Findings ...............................................................................23 Clinical Recommendations Based on Literature....................................................23 Chapter III. Review and Analysis of Literature .................................................................24 Introduction ............................................................................................................24 Iranian-Americans......................................................................................24 Ethnic Identity Development .....................................................................24 Page Common Presenting Concerns ..............................................................................29 Help-Seeking Behaviors ............................................................................29 Acculturation..............................................................................................34 Gender Roles ..............................................................................................38 Marital Difficulties .....................................................................................41 Parent-Child Difficulties ............................................................................47 Trauma .......................................................................................................52 Body Image and Disordered Eating ...........................................................55 Gambling....................................................................................................57 Anxiety and Depression .............................................................................59 Treatment Modalities .............................................................................................64 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) .......................................................64 Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) ..............................................................66 Family Therapy ..........................................................................................66 Alternative Interventions ...........................................................................68 Special Populations ................................................................................................70 Older Adults ................................................................................................70 Adolescents .................................................................................................72 Jewish Iranian-Americans ...........................................................................76 Cultural Considerations .........................................................................................77 Family ........................................................................................................77 Cultural Dynamics .....................................................................................78 Bargaining for Fees ....................................................................................80 Time ...........................................................................................................80 Boundaries .................................................................................................80 Psychoeducation ........................................................................................82 Strengths ....................................................................................................82 Chapter IV. Discussion ......................................................................................................86 Introduction ............................................................................................................86 Synthesis of General Findings ...............................................................................86 Ethnic Identity ............................................................................................86 Help-Seeking Behaviors ...........................................................................87 Acculturation..............................................................................................88 Common Presenting Problems ...................................................................90 Treatment Modalities .................................................................................91 Cultural Considerations .............................................................................92 Limitations ...............................................................................................................9 Future Directions for Research ..............................................................................94 Clinical Implications and Guidelines .....................................................................97 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................101