Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Michiyo Hirai

Second Advisor

Liza Talavera-Garza

Third Advisor

Yu-Cheng Lin

Abstract

High mental health disparities among Hispanic individuals have been well-documented. One potential contributing factor to mental health challenges is interpersonal conflict, which is prevalent among Hispanic young adults. Effective interventions are needed to treat psychological symptoms associated with interpersonal conflict, and one possible approach is bibliotherapy via fantasy fiction reading. This study examined the therapeutic benefits of fantasy fiction reading compared to self-help and scholarly reading materials among 109 Hispanic college women. Participants attended two lab sessions scheduled one week apart. In Session 1, self-report measures and a reading assignment were administered to participants, while in Session 2, post self-report measures were administered. Results from Session 1 indicate that higher interpersonal conflict was correlated with greater depression, anxiety, and stress. However, reading preference (fantasy fiction vs. non-fantasy fiction or nonfiction) was not significantly associated with depression, anxiety, stress, or empathy in Session 1.

Furthermore, none of the three reading groups demonstrated superior therapeutic effects for psychological symptoms or coping; however, all groups significantly decreased depression, empathy, and coping strategies from Session 1 and Session 2, while anxiety and stress remained stable over time across the groups. Additionally, the ability to identify with the narrative did not influence psychological or coping outcomes within the fantasy reading group. These findings underscore the strong link between interpersonal conflict and mental health challenges in Hispanic college women. The lack of superior therapeutic effects of fantasy fiction reading may be due to the study design limitations and unmeasured external factors.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Ruby Kaitlynn Tijerina. https://proquest.com/docview/3240591647

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