Meifen Wei

• Ph.D.
• Iowa State University

Objectives: This purpose of this study was to examine (a) the effects of a video intervention on decreasing racial color-blindness, increasing White people’s empathy toward racism (i.e., White empathy), and increasing willingness to confront White privilege; and (b) whether ethnocultural empathy moderated the effect of this intervention on these tw...

The purpose of this project was to identify and cross-validate distinct profiles of emotion regulation difficulties. In Study 1 (N = 438 U.S. college students), latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles: Challenged, At-Risk, and Functional. Attachment anxiety and avoidance significantly differentiated the three profiles. Additional...

The present study used a latent growth curve modeling approach to (a) examine the effectiveness of a brief self-compassion intervention on reducing impostor phenomenon, maladaptive perfectionism, and psychological distress and (b) explore who would benefit more from this intervention. A total of 227 college students at a large Midwest university we...

The purpose of this study was to validate the use and interpretation of scores derived from the Stigma of Loneliness Scale (SLS) with a sample of college students from a large, Midwestern university. A two-factor oblique solution with 10 items was selected through exploratory factor analysis and cross-validated through confirmatory factor analysis....

The purpose of this project was to identify distinct profiles of circumplex interpersonal problems, cross-validate the profiles, and examine construct validity through associations with adult attachment, basic psychological needs frustration, and psychological outcomes. Undergraduates at two universities provided survey data. In Study 1 (N = 469),...

In the current study we sought to find support for a culturally modified application of objectification theory to Asian and Asian American women. The positive association between socialization experiences (i.e., racial teasing and appearance-focused social pressure) and the outcome variable (i.e., consideration of cosmetic surgery) was hypothesized...

Objective This study aimed to examine the personal (i.e., self-compassion) and social (i.e., social connectedness) resources that can buffer individuals’ psychological distress in the face of difficulty based on previous literature on self-compassion and social connectedness. Method We used a cross-sectional online survey to examine whether there...

Based on Berry’s (1997) framework, we investigated the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility and the moderating effect of relativistic appreciation on the association between acculturative stress and ethnocultural empathy. A total of 199 Chinese international students from two Midwestern universities in the United States participated. Results i...

We examined how the association between impostor feelings and psychological distress was mediated by interpersonal shame and moderated by self-compassion in a sample of 433 Asian American students at an East Coast public university. First, we found that the positive association between impostor feelings and psychological distress was partially medi...

Based on theories of stress-related growth, this study examined whether making positive sense of adversity mediated the associations between bicultural stress and perceived benefits (i.e., mediation hypotheses), and whether cognitive flexibility moderated the association between bicultural stress and making positive sense of adversity (i.e., modera...

In this study, we examined whether the constructs of appearance self-schema and perfectionistic self-presentation were significant mediators for the direct association between physical appearance comparison and body esteem. A total of 290 South Korean students from a university in South Korea participated in this study. Results from structural equa...

This study examined how mother–daughter connectedness may moderate: (a) the effect of acculturative family distancing (AFD) on psychological well-being (PWB), (b) the effect of mother–daughter conflict on PWB, and (c) the mediation effect of AFD on PWB through mother–daughter conflict. Four hundred and ten Asian American students completed an onlin...

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the coping strategies of internalization (e.g., attributing the causes or responsibility of racial discrimination events to oneself) and resistance (e.g., confronting others for their discriminatory behaviors) moderated the association between racial discrimination and experience of new possibilities...

This study examined a moderated mediation model to see whether self-reflection moderated (a) the association between acculturative stress and ethnocultural empathy and (b) the indirect effects of acculturative stress on 2 positive outcomes (i.e., bicultural competence and making positive sense of adversity) through ethnocultural empathy. A total of...

Objective: This study examined the moderation effects of management strategies on the association between hindering self-focused attention and counseling self-efficacy. Method: Participants were 160 counselor trainees. A hierarchical regression was used to analyze the data, and a simple effect analysis was used to explore the nature of the inter...

Studies in the acculturation literature have evidenced the relationship between acculturative stress and psychological outcomes such as adjustment, depression, and discrimination. However, researchers have investigated these associations without examining specific stressors (e.g., psychological distancing resulting from acculturation gaps) or consi...

The purpose of this study was to test whether self-esteem and social connectedness (SC) in the ethnic community and mainstream society would be moderators that buffer the associations between perceived language discrimination (PLD) and outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms). A total of 201 Chinese international stud...

Most of the research on forgiveness has examined forgiveness of others, but not forgiveness of self even though researchers have argued that the latter deserves more attention. To fill this gap in the literature, and based on attachment theory's internal working models of self and others, this study examined forgiveness of self and others as modera...

The study examined links from acculturation experience (i.e., acculturation and enculturation) through coping strategies (i.e., social connectedness [SC]) to short-term outcomes (i.e., future subjective well-being [SWB]). Using a longitudinal design, 213 Chinese international students completed an online survey. Results partially supported two medi...

We examined how social factors (i.e., social connection, social self-efficacy, and comfort with disclosing distress) and English proficiency predicted two subjective well-being trajectories (i.e., negative affect and satisfaction with life). The sample of this four-wave longitudinal study (across pre-arrival and first three semesters) included 411...

A key step toward the actualization of social justice is understanding under what circumstances (i.e., high vs. low openness to diversity [OTD]) non-Latino Whites in each White racial identity attitude status show empathy toward targets of racism. Among a sample of 252 self-identified non-Latino White students, we found moderating effects of OTD. S...

The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism by which counselor trainees' mindfulness and psychological flexibility are positively associated with counseling self-efficacy. First, it was hypothesized that having fewer experiences of hindering self-focused attention (i.e., counselor trainees' awareness of their own anxiety and distracting...

This article provides a systematic and critical review of all behavioral science research articles about Asian Americans published in 2013. As the fifth review of the series, we followed the methodology and format employed in the first annual review of Asian American psychology articles published in earlier reviews (Juan, Lee, & Bates, 2012; Kim, W...

The Cross-Cultural Loss Scale (CCLS), a measure of loss associated with crossing national boundaries, was developed across 2 samples of international students. With Sample 1 (N = 262), exploratory factor analyses were used to select the 14 CCLS items and to determine 3 factors: Belonging-Competency (α = .87), National Privileges (α = .68), and Acce...

This study examined male Asian international college students' perceptions of racial discrimination, subjective masculinity stress, centrality of masculine identity, and psychological distress by testing a moderated mediation model. Participants were 160 male Asian international college students from 2 large public universities. Participants' perce...

In his acculturative family distancing (AFD) theory, Hwang (2006b) argued that acculturation gaps among parents and youth may lead to psychological and emotional distancing. AFD includes 2 dimensions: incongruent cultural values and breakdowns in communication. This study examined whether bicultural competence (BC) served as a mediator and moderato...

Findings from past research have suggested a link between experiential avoidance and expressive suppression. However, there is emerging evidence showing that the suppression of emotional expression may have different meanings depending on the specific cultural context. Taking a cultural perspective, the present study aimed to examine whether the li...

The theoretical model proposed by Berry and colleagues (Berry, 1997; Berry, Kim, Minde, & Mok, 1987) highlights the importance of identifying moderators in the acculturation process. Accordingly, the current study examined the Asian cultural value of family recognition through achievement (FRTA) and contingency of self-worth on academic competence...

This research examines adult attachment and the investment model. Study 1 tests anxiety and avoidance predicting romantic relationship commitment, mediated by satisfaction, alternatives, and investments. Additional studies added outcomes of relationship maintenance (Study 2) and persistence (Study 3). In all 3 studies, satisfaction, alternatives, a...

Based on Markus and Kitayama’s (1991) theory, this study was conducted to examine whether the association between emotional suppression and interpersonal harmony would be moderated by cultural group (i.e., Chinese and European Americans) and an Asian cultural value (i.e., emotional self-control). A total of 451 college students (205 Chinese and 246...

This study was conducted to examine under what situation (i.e., when individuals used more or less family support) and for whom (i.e., those with high or low self-esteem) perceived racial discrimination would or would not have a significant positive association with psychological distress. A total of 95 Asian American male college students complete...

This study examined the effects of experiential self-focus writing on changes in psychological outcomes (i.e., unforgiveness and negative affect) after an interpersonal hurt and the buffering effects of experiential self-focus writing on the association between anger rumination and these psychological outcomes. A sample of 182 college students who...

This study examined whether attachment to God moderated the relation between perceived stress and well‐being (i.e., life satisfaction and positive affect) among 183 Chinese Christian international students and immigrants. Results showed significant main effects of (a) perceived stress on life satisfaction and (b) secure attachment to God and avoida...

This study was conducted to develop the Perceived Language Discrimination (PLD) scale across three samples of international students. In Sample 1 (N = 224), the seven items of the PLD were selected (α = .94) through an exploratory factor analysis. In Sample 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (N = 222) provided a cross-validation of the one-factor mo...

The aim of this study was to examine the moderators of (a) general or cross-cultural advisory working alliances and (b) perceived English proficiency on the association between acculturative stress and psychological distress. A total of 143 East Asian international students completed an online survey. Results from a hierarchical regression indicate...

Carter (2007) proposed the notion of race-based traumatic stress and argued that experiences of racial discrimination can be viewed as a type of trauma. In a sample of 383 Chinese international students at 2 predominantly White midwestern universities, the present results supported this notion and found that perceived racial discrimination predicte...

Ethnic minority students' perceptions of racism may be associated with a host of secondary emotional, interpersonal, and academic difficulties that can nevertheless be the chief reason these students seek treatment at a counseling center. This study examined archival data from the Presenting Problems Checklist completed by 1555 African American cli...

This study examined rumination as a moderator and mediator between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and depression and anxiety symptoms. The study was a cross sectional study. Survey data were collected from 332 undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university. The results from hierarchical analyses supported the moderator role of rumination....

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Concerns about Counseling Racial Minority Clients (CCRMC) scale among counselor trainees. Sample 1 was used for an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Four factors were identified, Managing Cultural Differences (α = .82), Offending or Hurting Clients (α = .87), Bias...

Based on Berry's (1997) theoretical framework for acculturation, our goal in this study was to examine whether the use of a culturally relevant coping strategy (i.e., forbearance coping, a predictor) would be associated with a lower level of psychological distress (a psychological outcome), for whom (i.e., those with weaker vs. stronger identificat...

We examined whether perception of university environment mediated the association between minority status stress and college persistence attitudes after controlling for perceived general stress. Participants were 160 Asian American, African American, and Latino students who attended a predominantly White university. Results of a path model analysis...

Research on subjective well-being suggests that it is only partly a function of environmental circumstances. There may be a personality characteristic or a resilient disposition toward experiencing high levels of well-being even in unfavorable circumstances. Adult attachment may contribute to this resilient disposition. This study examined whether...

Increasing trainees' multicultural counseling competence (MCC) has been a hot topic in counseling. Scholars have identified predictors (e.g., race/ethnicity, color-blindness) of MCC, and educators provide multicultural training for trainees. Using a sample of 370 psychology trainees, this study examined whether multicultural training (a) moderated...

Based on biculturalism theory (LaFromboise, Coleman, & Gerton, 1993), the present study examined the direct effect of perceived bicultural competence (PBC) on depressive symptoms, and PBC as a potential coping resource to moderate the association between minority stress and depressive symptoms. Participants were 167 Asian American, African American...

Attachment anxiety is expected to be positively associated with dependence and self-criticism. However, attachment avoidance is expected to be negatively associated with dependence but positively associated with self-criticism. Both dependence and self-criticism are expected to be related to depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed from 424 undergra...

Four studies were conducted to develop and validate the Coping With Discrimination Scale (CDS). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (N = 328) identified 5 factors: Education/Advocacy, Internalization, Drug and Alcohol Use, Resistance, and Detachment, with internal consistency reliability estimates ranging from .72 to .90. In Study 2, a confi...

The purpose of our study was to explore: (a) the association between racial discrimination stress and depressive symptoms, and (b) how coping (e.g., individualistic/collectivistic and dispositional/situation-specific coping) attenuated or strengthened this association specifically among Asian Americans. Data were collected from 201 Asian Americans...

This study examined 3 coping strategies (reflective, suppressive, and reactive), along with self-esteem, as moderators of the relation between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms. International students (N = 354) from China, India, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong provided data via an online survey. The role of perceived general stress was...

This study examined a model in which the need for reassurance from others and the capacity for self-reinforcement mediated the relationships between two dimensions of perfectionism (evaluative concerns [EC] perfectionism and personal standards [PS] perfectionism) and anxiety and depression. Results from structural equation modeling of data from 295...

Recent theoretical work in the psychology of men suggests that the negative consequences associated with traditional male gender roles might be lessened for men who experience a sense of social support. However, little research exists exploring how men adaptively utilize social support. Using a sample of 396 male participants, this study explores w...

The present study examined whether maladaptive perfectionism (i.e., discrepancy between expectations and performance) and length of time in the United States moderated the association between acculturative stress and depression. Data were collected through online surveys from 189 Chinese international students from China and Taiwan attending a midw...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Big Five personality factors, measured by the NEO Personality Inventory Five-Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and vocational confidence across Holland's hexagon, measured by the Skills Confidence Inventory (SCI; Betz, Borgen, & Harmon, 2005), were useful in discriminating among educatio...

The present study developed and examined a conceptual model of working through self-defeating patterns. Participants were 390 college students at a large midwestern university. Results indicated that self-defeating patterns mediated the relations between attachment and distress. Also, self-esteem mediated the link between self-defeating patterns an...

We developed a 12-item, short form of the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR; Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 19985. Brennan , K. A. , Clark , C. L. and Shaver , P. R. 1998. “Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview”. In Attachment theory and close relationships, Edited by: Simpson , J. A. and Rholes , W. S. 46–...

This study examined the mediating effects of anticipated risks, benefits, and attitudes toward seeking counseling on the link between adult attachment and help-seeking intentions for psychological and interpersonal concerns in a sample of 821 undergraduates. The structural equation modeling results indicated that the link between higher attachment...

Little research exists exploring the intersection of male gender role conflict (GRC), racial identity, and psychological distress. Accordingly, using a sample of 130 self‐identified African American male participants, this study explored which aspects of racial identity mediated the relationship between GRC and psychological distress. Results demon...

This study examined perceived discrimination as both a mediator and moderator between adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and levels of depression in a gay male sample. Survey data were collected from 234 self-identified gay males through the Internet and in person through community resources across several states. Results from structural equa...

This study used a longitudinal design to examine whether maladaptive perfectionism and ineffective coping served as 2 mediators of the relation between adult attachment and future depression. Data were collected from 372 undergraduates at 2 time points. Results indicated that (a) the impact of attachment on future depression was mediated through fu...

Two studies examined the predictors of seeking psychological services. Study 1 examined the role of attitudes in mediating the relationship between 11 psychological factors and intent to seek help for 3 psychological problems. The results demonstrated that (a) the psychological factors and attitudes predicted 62% of the variance in intent to seek h...

This study examined basic psychological needs satisfaction (i.e., the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness) as a mediator between adult attachment (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) and distress (i.e., shame, depression, and loneliness). A total of 299 undergraduates from a Midwestern university participated. Results from structural equation m...

This longitudinal study examined whether social self-efficacy and self-disclosure serve as mediators between attachment and feelings of loneliness and subsequent depression. Participants were 308 freshmen at a large Midwestern university. Results indicated that social self-efficacy mediated the association between attachment anxiety and feelings of...

This study examined the mediating roles of perceived social support and psychological distress on the relationship between adult attachment and help-seeking intentions. Participants were 355 college students at a large Midwestern university. The structural equation model results indicated that attachment anxiety in individuals was positively relate...

In this survey study of 430 undergraduates, elements of the social competencies and interpersonal processes model (B. Mallinckrodt, 2000) were tested. Two social competencies were hypothesized to mediate the direct effects of 2 independent variables, attachment anxiety and avoidance, on 2 outcomes, psychological distress and perceived social suppor...

Attachment working models of self and others may govern adults' preferences for internal vs. external sources of reassurance, which, if unavailable, lead to depressive symptoms. This study examined a model in which the link between depressive symptoms and attachment anxiety is mediated by (a) capacity for self-reinforcement and (b) need for reassur...

This study examined the mediating role of affect regulation among attachment, negative mood, and interpersonal problems. Participants were 229 college students at a large midwest university. Structural equation modeling indicated attachment anxiety and avoidance contributed to negative mood and interpersonal problems through different and distinct...

One mission of the International Forum section in The Counseling Psychologist is to increase the globalization of counseling psychology (Leong & Ponterotto, 2003). The goals of this study are in line with this mission: (a) to replicate U.S. counseling research on the working alliance to Taiwan by examining clients’perceptions of their counselors’ c...

Reports an error in the original article, "Adult Attachment, Depressive Symptoms, and Validation From Self Versus Others," by Meifen Wei, Brent Mallinckrodt, Lisa M. Larson, and Robyn A. Zakalik (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2005[Jul], 52[3], 368-377). In this article, boxes were inadvertently placed around every path coefficient in Figure 2 (...

This study examined factorial invariance, structured means, and association with negative mood of adult attachment across 4 ethnic groups. Online survey data (N = 831) were collected from African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Caucasian college students. Results indicated that the factor structure of the Experiences in Close Relat...

This study examined maladaptive perfectionism (concern over mistakes, doubts about one's ability to accomplish tasks, and failure to meet high standards) as both a mediator and a moderator between adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and depressive mood (depression and hopelessness). Survey data were collected from 310 undergraduates and analyz...

This study examined perceived coping (perceived problem-solving ability and progress in coping with problems) as a mediator between adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and psychological distress (depression, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, and interpersonal problems). Survey data from 515 undergraduate students were analyzed using structural equ...

Two studies examined the generalizability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; P. P. Heppner, 1988) through research with Black South African samples. Study 1 examined the generalizability of the factor structure of the PSI through confirmatory factor analysis. Study 2 examined the relationship between problem solving and psychological distress a...

This article provides a test of an application of M. Zeidner and D. Saklofske's (1996) adaptive model of coping to counseling through the development of a brief multidimensional outcome measure for psychotherapy that specifically examines clients' resolution of their presenting problems. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed 4 prima...