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Yulia Shtareva, PsyD, is a 2025 graduate of the PsyD program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Seattle.

Dissertation Committee:

Melissa Kennedy, PhD, Committee Chair

Elena Cherepanov, PhD, Committee Member

William Heusler, PsyD, Committee Member

Keywords

Former Soviet Union Refugees (FSURs), evangelical Slavic community (ESC), Slavic immigrants, generational trauma, displacement, Cycle of Authoritarianism, authoritarianism, cultural freeze, maladaptive survival strategies, historical trauma, religious trauma, generational trauma, trauma cycles

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

This dissertation builds on historical and scientific assertions that Former Soviet Union immigrants survived distinct political traumas, resulting in unique, culturally adaptive behaviors and beliefs. Using constructivist grounded theory, it examined how these behaviors manifest in the evangelical Slavic community (ESC) of former Soviet Union Refugees (FSURs) in the U.S. The researcher asserts that (a) adaptations are generationally preserved in the ESC through a “cycle of authoritarianism,” and (b) survival strategies became maladaptive in new social environments. Narratives from eight young adults raised in the ESC were analyzed alongside a literature review and lived experience. Findings show that coping strategies such as suppression, frugality, and conformity, once protective, now perpetuate authoritarian patterns, producing psychological dissonance and identity impairment. A phenomenon coined as “cultural freeze” emerges as chaos triggers a threat-freeze reaction, leading to rigidity and control through shaming and ostracization. Implications highlight historically sensitive interventions and resource-building to improve outcomes.

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Yulia Shtareva, PsyD, 2025

ORCID iD 0009-0004-9581-058X

Bio:

Yulia Shtareva, PsyD is a 2025 graduate of the PsyD program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Seattle. Yulia's work has emphasized relational, experiential, and culturally attuned interventions that foster lasting change. Her special interests are in the scientific understanding and treatment of trauma, such as individual, collective, generational, and attachment trauma.

Publications:
Shtareva, Y. (2024). The Role of Stress and Inflammation in Adult ADHD: A Holistic Approach to Treatment. American Psychological Association 2024 Convention, Seattle, WA, United States.

Shtareva, Y., Costa, C., Kennedy, M. (2024). Do Difficulties with Nasal Breathing Relate to Anxiety Levels? A Correlational Pilot Study. American Psychological Association 2024 Convention, Seattle, WA, United States.

Presentations:

Shtareva, Y. (2025, July 18). Religious Trauma: Etiology, Symptomology, and Treatment [CEU Presentation]. Deep Eddy Therapy, Austin, TX, United States.

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