Juan Xi, Ph.D.

Juan Xi, Ph.D.

Title: Associate Professor
Dept/Program: Sociology
Office: Olin 252
Phone: 330-972-7995
Email: jx@uakron.edu
Curriculum Vitae: Download in PDF format

Biography

I received my Ph.D. in Medical Sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2006. I worked as a Bio-statistician in the Medical School of UAB from 2007-2008. I joined the University of Akron faculty in 2008.

Currently, my research focuses on a deeper understanding of mental well-being and how to enhance mental well-being among college students. In one of my recent projects, I have 146 undergraduate students participated in an experimental study on the effect of mindfulness meditation. In another project concerning college students’ mental health, I have involved my undergraduate research methods class in designing questionnaire and analyzing survey data.

My long-term goal is continuing my research on mental well-being and finding ways to enhance my students’ well-being in classrooms and research projects. I am interested in further transforming my teaching into an experiential learning process. I discovered that the benefit of the whole-person experiential learning goes way beyond effective learning. It is also central to students’ well-being as they learn to follow the intelligence of their heart and hands. It is also good for my own well-being.

Research

Current Research Interests

Mental health and well-being; mental health among college students; holistic medicine and medical care; health, and health behavior

External Sponsored Research Support

2017 Juan Xi and Matthew T. Lee. Funded. “Tackling the Epidemiological Paradox: The Effect of Health-Related Asian Cultural Practice in Improving Physical and Mental Wellbeing among the Asian Population in the Akron Area.” Tian-Zhu Charity Foundation, Hong Kong. $30,000

Where publications appear

  • Social Science & Medicine
  • Journal of Humanistic Psychology
  • Society and Mental Health
  • Social Science Research
  • Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
  • Medical Care
  • Social Indicators Research
  • International Journal of Obesity

Publications

  1. Xi, Juan and Matthew Lee. In Press. “Inner Peace as a Contribution to Human Flourishing: A New Scale Developed from Ancient Wisdom.” In Matthew T. Lee, Laura D. Kubzanzsky, and Tyler J. VanderWeele (Eds.) Measuring Well-Being: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from the Social Sciences and the Humanities. New York: Oxford University Press.
  2. Xi, Matthew Lee, Jeremy Carter, David Delgado. Forthcoming. “Gender Differences in Purpose in Life: The Mediation Effect of Altruism,” Journal of Human Psychology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167818777658
  3. James Carte, Robert L. Peralta, and Juan Xi. 2019. “The Association Between Ethnic Identity and Non-Medical Prescription Drug Use Among A Sample of College Students: Does a Sense of Ethnic Belonging Matter?” Substance Use & Misuse 54: 203-213.
  4. Jun Ye, Juan Xi & Richard L. Einsporn. 2018. “Functional principal component analysis in age–period–cohort analysis of body mass index data by gender and ethnicity.” Journal of Applied Statistics 45(5) 901-917.
  5. Xi, Matthew Lee, William LeSuer, Peter Barr, Katherine Newton, and Margaret Poloma. 2017. “Altruism and Existential Well-Being.” Applied Research in Quality of Life 12:67-88.
  6. Xi, Juan. 2016. “Types of Integration and Depressive Symptoms: A Latent Class Analysis on the Resettled Population for the Three Gorges Dam Project, China.” Social Science & Medicine. 157:78-86.
  7. Xi, Juan, Baffour Takyi, and Enoch Lamptey. 2015. “Are Recent Immigrants Bigger than Earlier Ones at Their Arrival? Cohort Variation in Initial BMI among US Immigrants, 1989-2010.” Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 17:1854-62.
  8. Xi, Juan. Sean-Shong Hwang, and Yue Cao. 2015 “Risk Information Sharing: An Empirical Study on Risk Perception and Depressive Symptoms among Those Displaced by the Three Forges Project.” Pp 56-68. In Irge Satiroglu and Narae Choi.(Eds.) Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement New York, NY: Routledge.
  9. Cao, Yue, Nicole DiPiro, Juan Xi, and James S. Krause. 2014. “Unmet Expectations of Adjustment and Depressive Symptoms among People with Chronic Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.” Rehabilitation Psychology. 59 (3) 313-320.
  10. Wasserman, Jason, Richard Suminski, Juan Xi, Carlene Mayfield, Alan Glaros, and Richard Magie. 2014. “A Multi-level Analysis Showing Associations between School Neighborhood and Child Body Mass Index.” International Journal of Obesity.38:912-18.
  11. Elman, Cheryl, Linda Wray, and Juan Xi. 2013. “Fundamental Resource Dis/advantages, Youth Health and Adult Educational Outcomes.” Social Science Research 43: 108-126.
  12. Xi, Juan. 2013. “English Fluency of the U.S. Immigrants: Assimilation Effects, Cohort Variations, and Periodical Changes.” Social Science Research 42:1109-1121.
  13. Xi, Juan, Sean-Shong Hwang, and Patricia Drentea. 2013. “Experiencing a Forced Relocation at Different Life Stages: the Effects of China’s Three-Gorges Project-Induced Relocation on Depression” Society and Mental Health. 3: 69-76.
  14. Cao,Yue, Sean-Shong Hwang, and Juan Xi. 2012. “Project-Induced Displacement, Secondary Stressors, and Health.” Social Science and Medicine 72:1130-38.
  15. Xi, Juan and Sean-Shong Hwang. 2011. “Relocation Stress, Coping, and Sense of Control among Resettlers Resulting from China’s Three Gorges Dam Project” Social Indicators Research 104: 507-522.
  16. Xi, Juan and Sean-Shong Hwang. 2011. “Unmet Expectations and Symptoms of Depression among the Three Gorges Project Resettlers.” Social Science Research 40:245-56.
  17. Hwang, Sean-Shong, Yue Cao, and Juan Xi. 2011. “The Short-Term Social, Economic, and Health Impact of China’s Three Gorges Dam Project: A Prospective Study.” Social Indicators Research 101:73-92.
  18. Xi, Juan, Sean-Shong Hwang, and Yue Cao. 2010. “Ecological Context and Immigrants’ Earnings: English Ability as a Mediator.” Social Science Research. 39:652-661.
  19. Hwang, Sean-Shong, Yue Cao, and Juan Xi. 2010. “Project-induced Migration and Depression: A Panel Analysis” Social Science and Medicine.70:1765-72.
  20. Hwang, Sean-Shong, Juan Xi, and Yue Cao. 2010. “The Conditional Relationship between English Language Proficiency and Earnings among U.S. Immigrants.” Ethnic and Racial Studies.33:1620-1647.

Education

Ph.D. Medical Sociology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2006

Courses

3850 100 Introduction to Sociology (Lecture and online)

3850 301 Methods of Social Research I (Lecture and online)

3850 302 Methods of Social Research II (Lecture)

3850 321 Population, Environment, and Health (Lecture)