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There has been limited research that examined the association between gratitude and acculturation stress and the mediation and moderation mechanisms of the link. This current study discussed whether affect balance and resilience mediate the relationship between gratitude and acculturation stress and whether social support moderates the mediation effects. We used the data selected from 266 international students from One Belt & One Road countries in China to test the theoretical model. The participants completed the measures of gratitude, acculturation stress, affect balance, resilience, and social support. The findings indicated that gratitude was negatively related to acculturation stress. Moreover, affect balance and resilience mediated the relationship between gratitude and acculturation stress. The findings further indicated that perceived social support moderates the association between gratitude and affect balance. The limitations and implications for future studies are discussed in the end., Author(s): Mengfan Xia [sup.1] , Chunyu Yang [sup.2] , You Zhou [sup.3] , Guohai Cheng [sup.4] , Jiali Yu [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.41156.37, 0000 0001 2314 964X, School of [...]

The current study investigated how different socio-demographic variables and coping styles are associated with the level of acculturative stress among international students in Germany. Participants consisted of 652 international students (53 % female, 47 % male; mean age = 25.77 years, SD = 3.79) who were mainly recruited with the support of offices of student affairs of the universities. Data was collected through an online survey comprised of Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS), Problem-focused Styles of Coping (PF-SOC), and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis found age, continent of origin, German language proficiency, time spent in Germany and prior travelling experience as significant predictors of acculturative stress. Being younger, having high level of self reported German language proficiency, and prior inter-culture travelling experience significantly predicted a low level of acculturative stress. Coming from a home country in Asia, Africa, or Latin America predicted a higher level of acculturative stress as compared to coming from any European country. Among coping styles, suppressive coping and reactive coping were found to predict significantly a high level of acculturative stress among international students. The findings of the current study are useful for student service organizations and offices of student affairs at university campuses to offer special counselling programs for the vulnerable group of students., Author(s): Mubeen Akhtar[sup.1] [sup.2] , Birgit Kroner-Herwig[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Georg-Elias-Mueller Institute of Psychology, Georg August University, Gossler Str. 14, 37073, Goettingen, Germany (2) [...]

This study examines the role of social identity (acculturation and gender) in moderating the association between discrimination and Somali adolescent refugees' mental health. Participants were English-speaking Somali adolescent refugees between the ages of 11 and 20 (N = 135). Perceived discrimination, trauma history, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive symptoms, and behavioral acculturation were assessed in structured interviews. Fourteen in-depth qualitative interviews and 3 focus groups were also conducted. Results indicated that discrimination was common and associated with worse mental health. For girls, greater Somali acculturation was associated with better mental health. Also, the association between discrimination and PTSD was less strong for girls who showed higher levels of Somali acculturation. For boys, greater American acculturation was associated with better mental health, and the association between discrimination and depression was less strong for boys with higher levels of American acculturation. DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01061.x

This study addresses potentially stressful events that accompany the process of immigration for children and their families. Acculturation stress, combined with service disparities, may contribute to a higher risk for psychopathology among immigrant children and youth, as compared to their parents. Culturally informed, evidence-based treatment and preventive interventions that meet the mental health and cultural needs of immigrant children and families have the potential to minimize this higher risk of adverse mental health consequences. DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01053.x

The current investigation examined the relationship of ethnic identity, acculturation, and psychological functioning among 334 Chinese, Japanese, and Korean American participants. Multiple regression analyses revealed that ethnic identity and acculturation differentially predicted well-being on the basis of ethnic group membership. Results also indicated that a bicultural worldview was positively associated with psychological well- being. Implications for counseling and recommendations for future research are discussed., Asian Americans constitute one of the fastest growing ethnic minority groups in the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2002). From 1980 to 1990, the number of Asian Americans [...]

Background: Previous epidemiological studies have shown a high incidence of schizophrenia in African-Caribbeans in the UK, but not in Asians. Aims: We investigated the hypothesis that cultural adherence might protect the Asians against the stress of living in a majority white culture. Methods: The Culture and Identity Schedule (CANDID) was given to patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia making their first contact with psychiatric services, and to a matched group of controls randomly selected from the general population. Results: While the Asian patients displayed no drift away from the traditional values as espoused by their controls, the African-Caribbean patients were less traditional than their controls. Conclusions: The fact that a movement away from their traditional culture distinguishes African-Caribbean patients with a severe psychiatric illness, schizophrenia, from their mentally healthy controls strongly favours marginalization over biculturalism as an interpretation of this shift.

The present study examined the relationship between discriminatory experiences and acculturative stress levels among a sample of 283 Dominican immigrants. Findings from a linear regression analysis revealed that experiences of daily racial discrimination and major racist events were significant predictors of acculturative stress after controlling for demographics, acculturation, and transnationalism. Findings from this study have implications for interventions with this understudied and underserved population given the evidence of the negative effect of discriminatory experiences.

This study examined the influence of acculturation, enculturation, parental education level, financial concerns, and gender on 106 Mexican American high school students' decisions to apply to college. Results indicated that [...]

The present study tested the generalizability of a multidimensional individual difference acculturation (MIDA) model in three cultural contexts. The model includes three predictor variables (Psychosocial Resources, Connectedness, and Hassles), predicting three outcome adaptation variables (In-Group Contact, Out-Group Contact, and Psychophysical Distress). The roles of two dimensions of acculturation attitudes (toward Own Culture Maintenance and New Culture Acquisition) were also included in the model. The model was tested and validated with three samples of Iranian immigrants living in the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The results provided support for the multidimensional model. The relations between each variable in the model are discussed with reference to the demographic variation of the samples and the complexity of societal context. Keywords: Iranian immigrants; acculturation; MIDA model

The purpose of this study was to identify factors distinguishing Mexican American women living near the U.S.-Mexican border who are resilient to the experience of stress from those who are not. The study sample consisted of 418 participants ranging in age from 20 to 61 years. Data were gathered through a self-report survey instrument composed of items assessing stress vulnerability, acculturation, health, physical activity, education, and marital status. Descriptive discriminant analysis was used to determine which variables made the greatest contribution in discerning between stress-resistant and stress-susceptible women. The results indicated that higher educational attainment, greater acculturation, better health status, and marriage differentiated between those women reporting themselves resilient to the effects of stress and those reporting being vulnerable. These results have implications for stress resilience promotion among this population group. Keywords: stress resilience; vulnerability; acculturation; Mexican American women; hardiness

This article investigates the relationship between psychological distress, acculturation, and help-seeking attitudes among people of African descent (N = 130). Psychological distress was measured using the Global Severity Index from the Brief Symptom Inventory (L. R. Derogatis & N. Melisaratos, 1983), acculturation was measured using the Measurement of Acculturation Strategies for People of African Descent (E. M. Obasi, 2005), and help-seeking attitudes were measured using the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale (E. H. Fischer & J. I. Turner, 1970). Overall, as psychological distress increased, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological services became more negative. The negative relationship between psychological distress and confidence in therapist was significantly stronger for participants who expressed a cultural maintenance of traditional beliefs. Future directions for this body of research are discussed. Keywords: African American, acculturation, psychological distress, help-seeking attitudes, mental health disparities

Understanding score reliability is a necessary step in examining the validity of acculturation instruments. Thus, the authors evaluate the aggregate reliability of three multigroup, bidimensional acculturation instruments: General Ethnicity Questionnaire--Abridged, Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale, and Vancouver Index of Acculturation. Reliability generalization techniques are used to analyze 51 internal consistency estimates and 6 sample characteristics for these instruments. Overall, reliability estimates for all three instruments appear to be robust. However, the ranges of reliability estimates across diverse samples vary greatly, which has implications for the interpretation of substantive outcomes and acculturation instrument selection. In addition, variability in reliability estimates is associated with scale length, gender, and ethnic composition of sample. Implications for acculturation research and measurement are discussed. Keywords: acculturation, meta-analysis, reliability generalization, General Ethnicity Questionnaire, Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale, Vancouver Index of Acculturation

There is considerable evidence indicating that Asian American college students have less favorable attitudes toward and are less likely to use mental health services than other ethnic groups in the United States. Because a person's attitudes are often strongly associated with their voluntary behaviors, understanding what influences help-seeking attitudes may help shed light on why Asian American college students refrain from seeking mental health treatment. Andersen's Sociobehavioral Model is commonly used as a guide to understand help-seeking in the mainstream population. A modified version of this model that includes culture-related variables (i.e., level of acculturation and stigma tolerance) was used to guide this study. Results indicated that stigma tolerance predicted help-seeking attitudes above and beyond traditional variables associated with help-seeking. These findings suggest that reducing societal stigma and increasing individual tolerance to stigma should be a focus for prevention and intervention programs on college campuses. Keywords: Asian American, help-seeking attitudes, stigma, college students, acculturation

This study examines the self-esteem, acculturation, and ethnic identity of 150 Latino adolescents enrolled in either a bilingual or traditional education program. Bilingual education programs were established to ensure that academic failure was not the product of limited English proficiency. Grade point average (GPA), acculturation, and ethnic identity significantly predicted self-esteem for students in bilingual programs, whereas only GPA and acculturation significantly predicted self-esteem for students in traditional educational programs., Ethnic diversity has dramatically increased in the United States over the last several decades. From 1980 to 1992, the Latino population rose from 6.5% to 9.5% and the African American [...]

This study examined the relationships between Mexican acculturation, cultural values, gender, and help-seeking intentions among Mexican American community college students. Findings suggest that as Mexican Americans lose their culture of origin and increase their generational status, their attitudes toward help seeking become less favorable. This contradicts cultural barrier theory as an explanation for underuse of mental health services by Mexican Americans. Furthermore, adherence to traditional Mexican culture and cultural values may actually encourage help seeking., Census predictions indicate that by 2020 Latinos/as will constitute 15% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). As of the 2000 Census, Latinos/as represented approximately 12.5% of the U.S. [...]

Models of compensation for phonological variation in spoken word recognition differ in their ability to accommodate complete assimilatory alternations (such as run assimilating fully to rum in the context of a quick run picks you up). Two experiments addressed whether such complete changes can be observed in casual speech, and if so, whether they trigger perceptual compensation. Experiment 1 used recordings of naive speakers and found that the presence of following context supporting place assimilation led to an increase in miscommunication rate when listeners were asked to identify the potentially assimilated words. This result was also obtained when trained phoneticians gave their considered judgments of a subset of the stimuli. Experiment 2 examined the extent to which words articulated correctly by naive speakers (e.g., rum) would be perceived as assimilated and found that compensation for assimilation in these stimuli depended on the type of following phonemic context and the semantic fit with the preceding sentence. These results suggest that place assimilation does involve complete alternations and that the perceptual system can compensate for them in certain circumstances. Keywords: assimilation, speech perception, spoken word recognition, lexical access, phonological variation

The mental health of individuals of Mexican origin may vary as a function of native status (i.e., Mexican born or USA born). Some have reported that Mexican Americans tend to display more depressive symptoms than Mexican immigrants. The present goal was to estimate the associations among acculturation and native status, and explore relative deprivation in the prevalence of depression. Participants included 153 individuals of Mexican origin who completed the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Revised Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale, and relative deprivation questions. Analyses indicated women and those scoring low on acculturation were significantly more likely to report depressive symptoms. Participants who felt they had relatively better family happiness than Euro-Americans reported lower depressive symptoms. So participants' sex, acculturation, and relative lack of depressive symptoms allow better understanding of depressive symptoms among these Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants.

Background: Acculturation is the phenomenon that results when a group with one culture comes into continuous contact with a host culture and changes occur in the original culture of either one or both groups. Acculturation has also been linked with stress-related psychological disorder and depression. Aims: This article investigates the acculturation process and the depressive state of foreign immigrants living in the greater Athens area. Methods: All consecutive cases of 157 foreign immigrants who visited a nongovernmental organization (NGO) providing consultative services to immigrants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire including the Immigrant Acculturation Scale (IAS) and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies--Depression (CES-D) scale. Results: Factor analysis of IAS yielded a three-factor solution and 17 items with loadings ranging from 0.74 to 0.41. This scale was also tested and proven to be reliable. The main finding is that the higher the acculturation level of the immigrant individual, the lower the CES-D scale score; the fewer the depressive symptoms are self-reported. Length of stay, existence of family in Greece, legal status of residence and employment were also found to have an effect on depressive symptomatology. Conclusion: Acculturation could be seen as a beneficial mechanism protecting the individual to be exposed to stressful non-adaptive behaviour. Key words: acculturation, adaptation, depressive state, immigration

Immigration is a major factor that is greatly contributing to the unprecedented demographic changes that are presently occurring in the United States. This article discusses the challenges encountered by immigrants, taking into account the historical, sociopolitical, economic, cultural, and psychological factors that contribute to successful adjustment and adaptation to their new environment. In doing so, it outlines a new theoretical approach to working with this unique cultural group that is embedded in a multicultural/social justice helping perspective., Current statistics indicate that the immigrant and refugee populations in the United States are rapidly increasing. In fact, the United States has witnessed the greatest migration in its history with [...]

This study aims to evaluate the factor structure and Criterion validity of the English Language Acculturation Stress (ELAS) scale in a community-based sample of elderly Russian immigrants. The sample consists of 300 Russian immigrants with an equal number of females and males, from 59 to 93 years of age (Mean = 73.26, SD = 7.271). The majority of the respondents were married (72%) at the time the interviews were conducted. On average, the respondents have lived in the U.S. for about 7 years (SD = 3.00). We performed both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to ascertain the factor structure or conceptual dimensions of the 11-item ELAS scale. The findings revealed that this 1l-item scale encompasses three dimensions: Basic English skills, survival English skills, and social involvement English skills. Correlation analyses of the scale with depression, physical health status, and length of residence suggest that the ELAS has good criterion validity and potential as a screening instrument of language acculturation stress for elderly Russian immigrants. Implications for research and practice are discussed, doi:10.1300/ J083v50n3_04 KEYWORDS. Adjustment, distress, depression, health status, migration, psychometrics, screening

Social judgment theory holds that a person's own attitudes function as reference points, influencing the perception of others' attitudes. The authors argue that attitudes themselves are influenced by reference points, namely, the presumed attitudes of others. Whereas exposure to a group that acts as a contextual reference should cause attitude assimilation, exposure to a group that acts as a comparative reference should cause attitude contrast. In Study 1, participants subliminally primed with their political ingroup or outgroup endorsed more extreme political positions than did controls. Study 2 demonstrated that prime types known to uniquely facilitate assimilation and contrast enhanced the polarization effect in the ingroup and outgroup conditions, respectively. Study 3 established an important boundary condition for whether group salience produces attitude assimilation or contrast by showing that perceived closeness to the elderly moderates the direction and strength of the group priming effect. The results suggest that the transition from assimilation to contrast occurs when a group ceases to function as a context and becomes a comparison point. Implications for social judgment theory, assimilation and contrast research, and conflict escalation are discussed. Keywords: attitudes, reference points, assimilation, contrast, intergroup conflict

Background: The current literature on the relationship between cultural adaptation and mental health is premature to offer a comprehensive explanation about the ways acculturation exerts either positive or adverse effects on the mental health of migrants. Aim: This study is an empirical approach towards understanding the magnitude of the relationship between consequences of cultural adaptation and psychological distress. Methods: Two samples of Ghanaian migrants in the Netherlands were included: a clinical group (n=36) and a non-clinical community group (n = 97). Data were acquired by administering a semi-structured interview. Quantified data were analysed using multivariate techniques. Results: Contradictory to our hypotheses, the reported level of mental health symptoms in both groups was relatively low, suggesting a substantial resilience among the Ghanaian group. Confirming our hypotheses, specific dimensions of the acculturation process were associated with health status, particularly affiliation with cultural traditions and feelings of loss concerning the country of birth. Conclusions: Acculturation demands capture critical elements of migrants' experiences that warrant professional interventions tailored to their specific needs. A subtle balance between holding on to the supportive cultural traditions together with moderate involvement in ruminating about pre-migration life, in conjunction with acquiring instrumental skills of the host culture, is a starting position for better health.

Acculturation, the process by which individuals or groups transition from one or more cultures into another, can be complex and often stressful. In many cases, reason for immigration can contribute, both positively and negatively, to levels of acculturative stress. Immigrants to the United States from Iraq over the past several decades have shifted in terms of prevalence, reason for and ease of immigration, and pre and postmigration trauma among individuals and groups. The authors examined the psychological by-products of acculturative stress by measuring posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression among three distinct waves of immigrants from Iraq. The authors found support for the hypotheses that these variables were positively correlated with recency of immigration. Implications for psychological practitioners are discussed. Keywords: Iraqi, immigrants, acculturation, stress, PTSD

To investigate whether a relationship exists between acculturation and attitudes about suicide, 81 Ghanaian immigrants living in the U.S. who responded to a mail inquiry were selected to participate in the current study. This particular immigrant sample was chosen because although they represent a rapidly growing group in the U.S., they have been rarely studied. Respondents consisted of 42 women and 36 men (3 did not identify their sex), with a mean age of 29.5 yr. (SD = 10.6). Participants completed measures of acculturation and attitudes about suicide. Results indicated significant correlations between length of residency in the United States and negative suicide attitudes, and also between psychological acculturation and negative suicide attitudes. No significant relationship was found between behavioral acculturation and suicide attitudes. Furthermore, length of residency was a stronger predictor of suicide attitudes than other subjective measures of acculturation. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Studies have reported discrepant findings about the relationship between acculturation and mental health, often because of inattention to interethnic group differences. This 2003 exploratory study of various Latina ethnic groups attending the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program compared five measures of acculturation and mental health status/utilization. The subgroups differed on language, immigration/migration history, and the prevalence of anxiety attacks and depressive syndrome. The prevalence of anxiety attacks was the highest among those who spoke primarily Spanish, the prevalence of the depressive syndrome was the highest among those with more traditional beliefs, and the use of mental health services was the highest among those with less traditional beliefs. Implications for practice are discussed. Keywords: acculturation; Latinas; mental health; women

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Brief Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II) using two samples of Mexican American children: 292 middle school students from a mid-sized culturally diverse southwestern city, and 116 third-through fifth graders in culturally homogeneous rural elementary schools. Results provided evidence of the reliability and validity of this measure of acculturation for both age levels. Factor analysis supported the two-scale structure reported by Cuellar. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was adequate for both samples. Validity demonstrated by the significant association between the distribution of acculturation status and sample group. Language of form (English or Spanish) selected by the student was correlated with acculturation status. Keywords: acculturation; bullying; children; adolescents

Psychological acculturation patterns within a Moroccan adult and adolescent population in the Netherlands were determined through latent class analysis. The Psychological Acculturation Scale (PAS) was adapted, and strong psychometric properties were demonstrated. We found Dutch and Moroccan Psychological Acculturation Subscales (D-PAS; M-PAS). Three classes with similar patterns of acculturation were revealed for both populations. One class showed medium scores on the D-PAS and M-PAS items and one class revealed a pattern with high scores on the M-PAS and medium to high scores on the D-PAS items. The third class was characterized by low scores on the D-PAS and high scores on the M-PAS items. These acculturation classes were shown to be meaningful constructs and yield detailed information about acculturation. Keywords: psychological acculturation; latent class analysis; Moroccan immigrants

Building on previous cultural adjustment profile work by Sonderegger and Barrett (2004), the aim of this study was to propose an organised structure for a number of single risk factors that have been linked to acculturative-stress in young migrants. In recognising that divergent situational characteristics (e.g., school level, gender, residential duration in Australia, social support, and cultural predisposition) are selectively paired with internal processing characteristics (e.g., emotional stability, self-worth/acceptance, acculturation/identity, and future outlook), a top-down path model of acculturative-stress for children and adolescents was proposed and validated. Self-report ratings obtained from primary (n = 131) and high school (n = 142) students of former--Yugoslavian and Chinese backgrounds were analysed for internal reliability. To determine goodness of model fit, path analysis utilising regression procedures was employed. Specific cross-cultural profiles are discussed. KEY WORDS: stress; culture; acculturation; adolescent; children.

In response to appeals for empirical data on culture-specific differences and developmental pathways of acculturative stress among young migrants and refugees, the present study examines the cultural adjustment patterns of ethnically diverse migrants to Australia. Two hundred and seventy three primary and high school students (comprised of former-Yugoslavian and Chinese cultural groups) participated in this investigation. Participants completed self-report measures of acculturation, internalising symptoms, social support, self-concept/esteem, ethnic identity, and future outlook, and were compared by gender, school level, cultural group, heterorganic ethnicity, and residential duration variables. The main findings from this study indicate: (1) patterns of cultural adjustment differ for children and adolescents according to cultural background, gender, age, and length of stay in the host culture; (2)former-Yugoslavian migrants generally report greater identification and involvement with Australian cultural norms than Chinese migrant youth; and (3) the divergent variables social support and bicultural adjustment are not universally paired with acculturative stress, as previously indicated in other adult migrant and acculturation studies. Specific cross-cultural trends and differences are discussed. KEY WORDS: migration; culture; adjustment; adolescent; children.

Three studies found support for the notion that immigrants' acculturation to the host culture is interactively determined by their need for cognitive closure (A. W. Kruglanski & D. M. Webster, 1996) and the reference group they forge on their arrival. If such reference group is fashioned by close social relations with coethnics, the higher the immigrants' need for closure, the weaker their tendency to assimilate to the new culture and the stronger their tendency to adhere to the culture of origin. By contrast, if the reference entry group is fashioned by close relations with members of the host country, the higher their need for closure, the stronger their tendency to adapt to the new culture and the weaker their tendency to maintain the culture of origin. These findings obtained consistently across 3 immigrant samples in Italy, 1 Croatian and 2 Polish, and across multiple different measures of acculturation.

The authors have attempted to increase counselors' understanding of Vietnamese men in the U.S. by discussing masculine gender role socialization influences from Vietnamese culture, including the ritual of nhau (a [...]

La ville est non seulement un pole d'attraction, mais aussi de diffusion; c'est donc un phenomene culturel lieu de metissage des memoires. The city is a pole, not only of [...]

The study examines stereotype priming effect by activating an independent or interdependent self-construal followed by a dumb Blonde stereotype or a control prime before measuring encyclopedic knowledge performance. Subjects displayed assimilation under interdependence and contrast under independence, indicating that self-activation moderates both effects.

A case report of an African American women with anorexia nervosa is presented, who was referred to a center for eating disorders in The Netherlands. An illustration is provided of the role and possible effects of sociocultural factors in the development of anorexia nervosa.

The article examines the impact of cultural assimilation on children's mental health in Australia. Data were drawn from the interrelationship between region of origin, length of stay and indicators of mental health impairment. Findings indicate that children of migrant parents do not significantly differ from children of Australian-born parents in mental health.