28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

in sexual and reproductive health behaviors. The program is currently being scaled up under the
auspices of the United Nations.
3017.3 Socioeconomic, cultural, political and historical considerations in the growth of
international adoption, N. Kirwan, Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT, USA
The past decade has seen an explosion in the numbers of children adopted into the United States
from foreign countries including Russia, Guatemala and Eastern Europe. Although adoption of
Asian infants from Korea and Vietnam has a relatively long history, China is more of a newcomer
to the international adoption scene. This paper will focus on the unique social, cultural, political
and economic changes that have made this phenomenon possible, with particular focus on changes
within China and the United States. Among the factors to be considered are China’s history and
traditions, as well as more recent policies that have resulted in thousands of children, mainly girls,
who are available for adoption.
3017.4 International student women in transition, J.M. Hinkelman, University of Tulsa, Tulsa,
OK, USA
Increasing numbers of international students (ISs) face the challenges of leaving home to study
abroad. ISs have greater difficulty in adjusting into a university than those from domestic locations
(Hechanova-Alampay, et al., 2002) and may have more difficulty seeking assistance (Kaczmarek,
et al., 1994). ISs experience physical and psychosocial difficulties and need support (Lund, 2002).
A supportive campus environment assists ISs in attaining academic/personal goals (Arthur, 1997).
Counselors are important in the delivery of direct counseling and campus outreach programming
to ISs (Arthur, 1997). Specific suggestions for counselors to address adjustment concerns of
female ISs in transition will be made.
3017.5 Menarche stories, J.C. Chrisler, J.C. Rose, M. McGinn, Connecticut College, New
London, CT, USA
College students from Austria, India, and Nigeria were invited to write the story of their first
menstruation in as much detail as memory would allow. The stories were read and their contents
analyzed for the presence or absence of information on such topics as emotional reaction,
preparedness, sources of information about menstruation, changes in body image, and celebrations
of this rite of passage for adolescent girls. Similarities and differences in the stories from the three
countries will be discussed and compared to earlier samples from Lithuania, Malaysia, Sudan, and
the U.S. Implications for health education will be discussed.
3017.6 Changing roles of women in populations that are aging, L. Garcia-Shelton 1 , J. Shiang 1 ,
H.S. Wu 2 , 1 Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto, CA, USA; 2 Department of
Veteran’s Affairs, NJ, USA
Part I: A Macro View. Common characteristics of aging populations in a number of countries will
be presented. Part II: A Micro View. This study of 181 adults of Chinese heritage living in the U.S.
completed measurement tools to assess family relationships, living arrangements, depression,
self-construal, and daily symptoms. Ten individuals were interviewed to gather qualitative data to
better understand the nature of the relationships between generations. It was found that depression
level and specific symptoms constellations were associated with self-construal orientation and that
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