Study Name: Aspirational North: Colonial Mentality, Identity Conflict, and Loneliness Among Latin Americans
Researcher
German Noe Arias Soriano
gariassori@constructor.university
First Supervisor
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kühnen
ukuehnen@constructor.university
Second Supervisor
Prof. Dr. Sonia Lippke
sonia.lippke@haw-hamburg.de
Bachelor’s Program: Integrated Social and Cognitive Psychology
Institution: Constructor University
Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this research is to explore how internalized cultural hierarchies (“colonial mentality”), identity conflict, acculturative stress, and intra-group discrimination relate to loneliness among Latin Americans living in Latin America, Europe, and the United States. By investigating these psychological processes across different geographic contexts, this study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of how cultural hierarchies shape mental health outcomes among Latin American communities.
Context of the Study: This research is being conducted as part of a bachelor’s thesis in Integrated Social and Cognitive Psychology at Constructor University. The study compares Latin American non-migrants in their countries of origin, Latin American migrants in Europe, and Latin American migrants in the United States to examine how geographic context influences the relationship between identity threat, acculturative stress, and loneliness. Constructor University’s international connections provide an ideal context to reach diverse Latin American communities worldwide.
What to Expect as a Participant: If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete an anonymous online survey about your demographic background, cultural background, experiences of discrimination (including intra-group discrimination), identity and cultural adaptation experiences, and feelings of social connection/loneliness.
The survey consists of several validated scales including:
• Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale (AROS; Campón & Carter, 2015)
• UCLA-3 Loneliness Scale
• Adapted acculturative stress measures
• New intra-group discrimination measures
Completing the survey will take approximately 15-25 minutes.
Optional follow-up: If survey responses are limited, some participants may be invited to a voluntary 45-60 minute online interview to explore experiences in more depth.
Your responses will help provide insight into how internalized cultural hierarchies and identity conflict contribute to loneliness across Latin American communities.
Use of Findings: The findings from this study will contribute to a better understanding of how internalized cultural hierarchies, identity threat, and acculturative stress predict loneliness among Latin Americans. The results may help identify patterns of psychological distress and contribute to discussions on culturally-tailored mental health interventions and public health strategies addressing structural factors of loneliness in marginalized communities.
The results may be presented as part of the bachelor’s thesis, shared in academic settings, or used for educational purposes. All data collected in this study will be anonymized to ensure the confidentiality of participants.
Voluntary Participation: Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. You may choose whether or not to participate, and your decision will not affect your relationship with the researcher, the supervisors, or Constructor University in any way.
Withdrawal from the Study
You may withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without any negative consequences.
• For the survey: Exit before submitting (anonymous data cannot be withdrawn after submission).
• For interviews: Contact researcher within 2 weeks using your pseudonym.
Confidentiality: All responses collected in this study will remain anonymous and confidential. No personally identifying information will be collected, and your responses will not be linked to your identity.
The collected data will be stored securely on encrypted, password-protected servers and will only be accessible to the researcher and supervising faculty members. Confidentiality will be maintained to the fullest extent possible, in compliance with institutional guidelines and GDPR-compatible standards where applicable.
General Data Protection Regulation GDPR: Is an EU law protecting personal data privacy. Since this study is at a German university and may involve EU participants, it follows GDPR standards: your data is processed only for this research, stored securely, and you have rights like accessing or erasing it (pre-submission). No personal identifiers are collected, making data fully anonymous.
Questions About the Research
If you have any questions about this research or your rights as a participant, you may contact the researcher or the supervisors!
Researcher:
German Noe Arias Soriano
gariassori@constructor.university
First Supervisor:
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kühnen
ukuehnen@constructor.university
Second Supervisor
Prof. Dr. Sonia Lippke
sonia.lippke@haw-hamburg.de
Institution: Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
