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Hassan Kalantari, Psy.D., is a 2024 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Santa Barbara.

Dissertation Committee

  • Brett Kia-Keating, EdD, Chairperson
  • Stephen Southern, EdD, Committee Member
  • Ali Akbar Mahdi, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

marital relationship; Iranian immigrants; phenomenological research; United States

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2024

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Abstract

This current study will focus on the impact of acculturation on the marital relationships of Iranian Immigrants. Understanding the behaviors and values of Iranian culture and how these evolve through socialization within the context of North America is crucial, particularly given the increasing population of Iranian immigrants in the United States. Clinicians working with Iranian couples must grasp the cultural background of these couples to minimize judgment and pathologizing in order to effectively support the adjustment process. An interpretative phenomenological methodological approach was used to develop a more complete understanding of the relationship between levels of acculturation and their impact on marital relationship of Iranian immigrants. Participants were selected among the Iranian population residing in Southern California. Eight participants were selected to participate in face-to-face interviews for the present study. A phenomenological approach was utilized to organize the participants' descriptions of acculturation into meaningful units. These units of meaning formed clusters of themes that depicted how acculturation has impacted their marital relationships since their arrival in their new society. The researcher derived multiple theme clusters from the interview results, providing insights into Iranian immigrants' experiences and perceptions regarding this issue. This study may have significant implications for research, theory, and practice within this population. The results indicated that gender differences were not a significant factor in the relationship between acculturation and marital relationships among the participants. The findings of this study suggest that, during the process of acculturation, individuals may adopt a bicultural orientation as a coping strategy within the host society. By successfully integrating aspects of both cultures, rather than solely identifying with one, individuals may better navigate acculturative stress in a healthier and more constructive manner. Future research endeavors should aim to include larger sample sizes and consider replicating the study with younger couples who have immigrated in recent years. Additionally, there is a need for further exploration into psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, alienation, loss of cultural identity, and feelings of self-identity loss among immigrant populations. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu.

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ORCID: 0009-0001-3018-7932

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