The number of young adults participating in international learning opportunities has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. Nearly three-quarters of a million students from other nations study in the United States annually, one-fifth of which are from China. International students are challenged with developmental tasks above and beyond typical domestic students, as they learn to accommodate dual and conflicting cultural ideologies relating to identity development. This is particularly true for international students from China, who are socialized with the values of filial piety, which include obedience to and respect for one's parents and engagement in conduct to avoid shaming one's family. Moreover, family needs, obligations, and honor come before personal desires. Thus, sexual identity development is of particular importance for Chinese international students, as a gay, lesbian, or bisexual (GLB) identity may not align with family responsibilities and expectations. Yet, missing from the literature is an empirical understanding of the influence of family values on the process of sexual identity development for this population. This theory-building article reviews current models of general and sexual identity development and the complications with their potential use with international students from China, as well as implications for potential research and clinical practice in this area.

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Demographic shifts among the aging population of the United States call for a re-examination of our understanding of the needs of these individuals, especially when race, ethnicity, family composition, and country of origin are considered in the discourse. This paper examines some of the implications of the rapid increase in racial and ethnic diversity among the older population in the United States for delivering culturally competent care through community based service providers. As much of our population ages, families across cultures and classes will increasingly need to be involved with specialized service providers. An ecological approach to this issue posits that elders, their families, and communities are closely intertwined, and need to be examined in relationship to one another. Issues such as race, ethnicity and culture of origin are part of this mix. Nevertheless, the family field, in particular, has been slow in examining the intersections between family, community supports and diversity. This paper highlights this phenomenon in order to spur an interest among scholars and practitioners in expanding this topic. Only with adequate scholarship and discussion will the appropriate delivery of much needed services to these culturally diverse elders and their families become a central component of the family field.

This article focuses on symbolic interactionism and its utility when applied to adoptive families. We argue that Mead's (1934, 1956) theoretical concepts of self, generalized other, and shared meaning are underutilized tools for exploring prospective parents' decision of whether to adopt, the transition to adoptive parenthood, and subsequent family adjustment over time. We also advocate for the extension of salience to generalized other, in order to better understand and reflect prospective parents' perspectives of and experiences with adoption. We chose symbolic interactionism as a single theoretical framework to unify the extant adoption literature; in doing so, a conceptual model was developed to better illustrate the theoretical principles as they inform decision making and action taking across the transition to adoptive family life. The model posits six specific propositions that warrant further empirical exploration to test and refine its predictive utility.

Date Presented 04/04/19 Existing research suggests that better outcomes of children in temporary placements occur when proxy caregivers exhibit commitment toward children in their care and presence of a consistent relationship exists. The purpose of this poster is to present findings of a mixed-methodology study exploring the perceptions of RTF caregivers’ in their occupation. Primary Author and Speaker: Amy Lynch Additional Authors and Speakers: Bethany Hepp