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

List of Publications and External Grants by Research Area

(1)   Involuntary Migration, Adaptation, and Health
1.     Fu, Mingqi, Brian J. Hall, Juan Xi, and Jing Guo. 2021. “Gender Differences in Trajectories of Mental Health Symptoms among Chinese Earthquake Survivors.” Journal of Psychiatric Research 142: 117-124. (2022 Impact Factor: 4.8)
2.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 5.4)
3.     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.
4.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 5.1)
5.     Cao,Yue, Sean-Shong Hwang, and Juan Xi. 2012. “Project-Induced Displacement, Secondary Stressors, and Health.” Social Science and Medicine 72:1130-38. (2022 Impact Factor: 5.4)
6.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 3.1)
7.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 2.5)
8.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 3.1)
9.     Hwang, Sean-Shong, Yue Cao, and Juan Xi. 2010. “Project-induced Migration and Depression: A Panel Analysis.” Social Science and Medicine.70:1765-72. (2022 Impact Factor: 5.4)
10.  Hwang, Sean-Shong, Juan Xi, Yue Cao, Xiaotian Feng, and Xiaofei Qiao. 2007. “Anticipation of Migration and Psychological Stress and the Three Gorges Dam Project, China.” Social Science and Medicine 65:1012-24. (2022 Impact Factor: 5.4)
11.  Xi, Juan. 2007. "Age Differentials in Anticipation of Involuntary Migration: Psychological Stress and the Three Gorges Dam Project," China Saarbrucken, Germany: VDM Verlag Muller.

 (2)   Voluntary Migration, Adaptation, and Health
1.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 1.9)
2.     Xi, Juan. 2014. “Migration, Stress, and Health.” in The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society, edited by William C. Cockerham, Robert Dingwall, and Stella Quah. Oxford, England: Blackwill Publishing Ltd.
3.     Xi, Juan. 2013. “English Fluency of the U.S. Immigrants: Assimilation Effects, Cohort Variations, and Periodical Changes.” Social Science Research 42:1109-1121. (2022 Impact Factor: 2.5)
4.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 2.5)
5.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 2.5)
6.     Hwang, Sean-Shong, and Juan Xi. 2008. “Structural and Individual Covariates of English Language Proficiency.” Social Forces 86:1079-1104. (2022 Impact Factor: 4.8)

 (3)   Life Course, Aging, and Health
1.     Hu, Jierong, Minzhi Ye, and Juan Xi (Senior Corresponding Author). Forthcoming. “Late Life Cognitive Function Trajectories among the Chinese Oldest-old Population – A Machine Learning Approach,” Journal of Gerontological Social Work (2022 Impact Factor: 3.2)
2.     Danxia Liu, Juan Xi, Brian J. Hall, Mingqi Fu, Bo Zhang, Jing Guo, and Xinglin Feng. 2020. “Attitudes toward Aging, Social Support and Depression among Older Adults: Difference by Urban and Rural Areas in China.” Journal of Affective Disorders 274:85-92. (2022 Impact Factor: 6.6)
3.     Jun Ye, Juan Xi, and 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. (2022 Impact Factor: 1.5)
4.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 4.9)
5.     Elman, Cheryl, Linda Wray, and Juan Xi. 2014. “Fundamental Resource Disadvantages, Youth Health and Adult Educational Outcomes.” Social Science Research 43: 108-126. (2022 Impact Factor: 2.5)
6.     Drentea, Patricia, Suzanne Durham, Mercie Mwaria, Emily Norman, and Juan Xi. 2004 “Day Care Hopping: Stabilizing Day Care Options for Low-income Mothers through Subsidies.” Child Care in Practice 10 (4): 381-393. (2022 Impact Factor:1.9)

 (4)   Health Behavior and Chronic Conditions
1.     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. (2022 Impact Factor: 2.7)
2.     Curtis, Jeffrey R, Tarun Arora,Juan Xi, Andrew Silver, Jeroan J. Allison, Lang Chen, Kenneth G. Saag, Anna Schenck, Andrew O Westfall, Cathleen Colón-Emeric. 2009. “Do Physicians Within The Same Practice Setting Manage Osteoporosis Patients Similarly? Implications for Implementation Research.” Osteoporosis International 20:1921-27. (2022 Impact Factor: 4.0)
3.     Curtis, Jeffrey R, Juan Xi, Andrew O Westfall, Hong Cheng, Kenneth Lyles, Kenneth G Saag, Elizabeth Delzell. 2009. “Improving the Prediction of Medication Adherence: The Example of Bisphosphonates for Osteoprosis.” Medical Care 47:334-341. (2022 Impact Factor: 3.0)
4.   Curtis, Jeffrey R., Amy S Mudano, Daniel H Solomon, Juan Xi, Mary Elkins Melton, Kenneth G Saag, 2009. “Identification and Validation of Vertebral Compression Fractures using Administrative Claims Data.” Medical Care 47(1): 69-72. (2022 Impact Factor: 3.0)
5.   Mudano A.S., J. Bian, J. Cope, J.R. Curtis, T.P. Gross, J.J. Allison, Y. Kim, D. Briggs, M.E. Melton, Juan Xi, K.G. Saag. 2009. “Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Are Associated with an Increased Risk of Secondary Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Population-based Cohort Study.” Osteoporosis International 20(5):819-26. (2022 Impact Factor: 4.0)
6.     Curtis, Jeffrey R., Juan Xi, Nivedita Patkar, Aiyuan Xie, Carolyn Martin, and Kenneth Saag. 2007. “Drug-Specific and Time-Dependent Risks of Bacterial Infections among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Exposed to TNF-α Antagonists.” Arthritis and Rheumatism 4226-27. (2022 Impact Factor: 9.0)

(5)   Well-being and Flourishing
Publications:
1.     Xi, Juan, Matthew Lee, Jeremy Carter, David Delgado. 2022. “Gender Differences in Purpose in Life: The Mediation Effect of Altruism.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology 62 (3):352-376(2022 Impact Factor: 1.7)
2.     Xi, Juan and Matthew Lee. 2021. “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.
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. (2022 Impact Factor: 2.0)
4.     Xi, Juan. 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. (2022 Impact Factor: 3.4)

Funded Grants:
1.     Juan Xi and Matthew T. Lee. 2017. “The Effects of Meditation on Stress Management, Psychological Well-being and Academic Performance among College Students.” Funded by The Tian-Zhu Charity Foundation, Hongkong. $30,000.  Principal Investigator

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)