Is a Bright Future Ahead of Us? The Perception of Large-Scale Social Progress Among South Asian Americans with Variations in Depressive Traits, Sana Asifriyaz, UG '25 (B122A141)

Prior socio-psychological research has found that a belief in social progress motivates prosocial behaviors as well as emotional and behavioral well-being in individuals (Rutjens et al., 2010). However, identity-related adversities may lead some populations in the U.S., namely South Asian Americans, to have negative beliefs about social progress, compared to many other U.S. adults who believe in social progress (Chandrasekhar, 2003; Hur & Ruttan, 2023; Verma, 2019). Moreover, because pessimism is a key trait of depression (Roepke & Seligman, 2016), depressed populations may believe in social regress. It is thus crucial to study South Asian Americans with depressive traits who may experience decreased well-being due to beliefs in social regress. This entry explains how South Asian Americans with varying levels of depressive traits might perceive social progress. The main hypotheses of the study are outlined: 1) there is a relationship (e.g. correlation) between participants’ depressive levels, measured by Beck’s Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and their social progress beliefs, 2) pessimism, measured by the Revised Optimism-Pessimism (PSM-R) scale, mediates the relationship between depressive levels and social progress beliefs, and 3) South Asian Americans with higher levels of subclinical or clinical depression are more pessimistic about social progress than their European American counterparts. I will analyze survey responses in which participants complete the BDI-II and PSM-R scale as well as answer questions about social and other forms of progress. The study’s potential results (both ones that align with and those that deviate from the hypotheses) are discussed. This entry seeks to enhance designs of culturally relevant interventions that can best promote the belief in social progress and thus greater well-being in South Asian Americans.

Date: May 3rd, 2024
Speaker: Sana Asifriyaz, UG '25 (B122A141)
Department: Psychology
Appears In: Princeton Research Day 2024 Research Day

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Is a Bright Future Ahead of Us? The Perception of Large-Scale Social Progress Among South Asian Americans with Variations in Depressive Traits, Sana Asifriyaz, UG '25 (B122A141)

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