Handbook of Race and Development in Mental Health

This project is unique in the field for a number of reasons, both in structure and in content. Specifically, it will have leading experts on specific age groups (Childhood to Adolescence, Young Adulthood to Middle Age, and The Elderly) within the cultural groups of interest (European-Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans) contribute a chapter covering current research on both positive and negative functioning for each population. Each chapter will present basic demographic information, strengths that contribute to resilience, and three significant challenges each group faces to maintaining mental health. Each chapter will then include an integrative section, where ideas are advanced about how the strengths of each group can be harnessed to address the challenges that group faces. To conclude, each chapter will propose future directions for research which addresses integrative approaches to mental health for each group, and the implications that such approaches could have for future treatment. The main points of each section of each chapter will be visually summarized in a concluding table.

From the reviews:

“Using a positive psychology model, this book considers the five largest racial groups in the United States … across the lifespan. … The audience includes researchers, practitioners, and students in various disciplines in psychology … and social work. … Numerous figures and tables help clarify the text. Many of the chapters end with conclusions and future recommendations. … It is easy to read and gives practical ideas for intervention. … It will be a great addition to any clinician’s library.” (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody’s Review Service, March, 2012)

“Handbook of Race and Development in Mental Health is novel in its comprehensive approach to positive psychology across race and life span … .  Chang and Downey’s edited book is intended for clinicians, researchers, students, and other professionals in diverse fields … . The organization of the book makes it user-friendly for the intended audience. … All in all, Chang and Downey’s book encourages a much-needed shift from a one-size-fits-all notion of positive psychology to redefining mental health and psychological well-being within a cultural context.” (Sussie Eshun and Sangeetha Nayak, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 57 (29), July, 2012)

Edward C. Chang is Professor of Clinical Psychology and a Faculty Associate in Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his B.A. in psychology and philosophy from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Chang completed his APA-accredited clinical internship at Bellevue Hospital Center-New York University Medical Center. He serves as a program evaluator for the Michigan Department of Community Health – Social Determinants of Health, working with the Asian Center Southeast Michigan. Dr. Chang also serves as an Associate Editor of Cognitive Therapy and Research, the Asian American Journal of Psychology, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He has published more than a hundred empirical and scholarly works focusing on optimism and pessimism, perfectionism, loneliness, social problem solving, and cultural influences on behavior. Dr. Chang is the editor of Optimism and Pessimism: Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice (2001), Self-Criticism and Self-Enhancement: Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications (2007), and Handbook of Adult Psychopathology In Asians: Diagnosis, Etiology, and Treatment (forthcoming), and is a co-editor of Virtue, Vice, and Personality: The Complexity of Behavior (2003), Social Problem Solving: Theory, Research, and Training (2004), and Judgments Over Time: The Interplay of Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors (2006).  

Christina A. Downey is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Indiana University Kokomo.  She received her B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  Her dissertation work focused on lay theories of health among community adults.  Her research interests include mixed-method study of lay theories of health, understanding the relations between perfectionism and disturbed eating behaviors, college student attitudes about various aspects of diversity, and the outcomes of including service learning in college pedagogy.  She has published articles in Cognitive Therapy and Research and Eating Behaviors, and has co-authored chapters in Social Problem Solving: Theory, Research, and Training (Chang, D’Zurilla, & Sanna, 2004) and Judgments Over Time: The Interplay of Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors (Sanna & Chang, 2006).  Her next chapter, on multicultural considerations in positive psychology (co-authored with Dr. Chang) will appear in the upcoming APA Handbook of Multicultural Psychology.  She also maintains a strong commitment to excellent college teaching, and has presented on the value of incorporating service learning in the teaching of research methods in psychology.