First Advisor

Tori Crain

Term of Graduation

Summer 2026

Date of Publication

8-11-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Applied Psychology

Department

Psychology

Language

English

Subjects

Asian American, cultural values, recovery from work, second-generation, work experience

Physical Description

1 online resource (vii, 174 pages)

Abstract

Individuals of Asian descent make up approximately 7.4% of the U.S. population. As one of the fastest-growing minority groups, their population is projected to reach nearly 15% by 2065, with 38% being foreign-born – surpassing all other racial minority groups. Despite their increasing presence in the U.S. workforce, research on Asian workers' nonwork experiences remains limited. One key unexplored area is how Asian workers engage in recovery after work, considering their unique cultural and racialized experiences. Drawing on literature examining psychological recovery from work, this qualitative study employed multiple methods of analysis, both listening guide method and thematic analysis, to examine, through one-hour semi-structured interviews with second-generation Asian American workers, how (a) cultural values shaped Asian American workers' experiences during nonwork time, (b) Asian American workers described their recovery activities from workplace stressors, and (c) identity-related and general challenges hindered Asian American workers' psychological recovery. Results indicated that cultural values including collectivism, achievement orientation, long-term orientation, power distance, restraint, and uncertainty avoidance, enacted through the ongoing negotiation of a hybrid second-generation identity, shaped the conditions under which recovery was pursued and experienced. Within this cultural context, Asian American workers engaged in a range of recovery activities (e.g., passive leisure, social connection, physical and creative pursuits), while also facing identity-related challenges (e.g., relational overload, racialized expectations, and code-switching) and general challenges (e.g., work overload, erosion of work-life boundaries, and mental preoccupation with work).

Rights

© 2026 Laura Yang

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45114

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