Date of Graduation

Summer 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Program

Clinical Psychology (PsyD)

First Advisor

Dellanira Garcia, PhD

Second Advisor

Daniela Dominguez, PsyD

Third Advisor

Molly Memel, PhD, ABPP-CN

Abstract

Asylum seekers are exposed to violence and traumatic events in their home countries at high rates, leading to mental health challenges such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD symptoms and comorbidities such as depression and alcohol misuse are associated with impacts to multiple domains of cognitive functioning among populations such as Veterans. However, the neurocognitive performance of Latinx asylum seekers who experience PTSD symptoms are under-documented in the current literature despite its meaningful impact on clinical care engagement and navigation of the legal process. This study utilized an exploratory, quantitative, cross-sectional design to examine whether higher levels of self-reported PTSD, depression, and alcohol use symptoms predicted lower performance on neurocognitive tasks assessing working memory, learning, memory, and executive functioning among 30 Latinx adult asylum seekers (ages 18–65). Results indicated that mental health symptoms did not significantly predict cognitive performance. Demographic variables such as age, years of education, and gender emerged as significant predictors of cognitive performance. More specifically, greater years of education predicted better performance on measures of attention and executive functioning, older age predicted poorer executive functioning, and female participants demonstrated better verbal memory performance than male participants. Although psychological symptoms did not significantly predict objective cognitive performance, high levels of distress may nonetheless impact perceived cognitive and daily functioning efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the intersection of psychological distress, demographic factors, and cognitive challenges when supporting Latinx asylum seekers in clinical and legal contexts which can guide culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches for treatment engagement and may support more equitable asylum adjudication.

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