Acculturation and mental health status among Hispanics: Convergence and new directions for research.

Abstract

Acculturation, the process whereby immigrants change their behavior and attitudes toward those of the host society, is a fundamental part of migration-induced adaptations to new sociocultural environments. A rapidly expanding research literature on acculturation has accompanied the growth of international migrations. In response to the need to integrate the growing literature on acculturation and mental health status among Hispanics in the United States, and to identify points of convergence and new directions for research, 30 publications were examined. Points of convergence are identified, as are problems and limitations. The research needs new directions, proceeding from but not constricted by the assumptions and procedures in the work already done.

Understanding differences in past year psychiatric disorders for Latinos living in the US

“…Few psychiatric epidemiological studies of Latinos have investigated factors that account for the risk of psychopathology among Latino ethnicity/nativity subgroups living in the U.S., at least partially due to the challenge of disentangling the effects of acculturation from other risk factors (Rogler, Cortes, & Malgady, 1991). Acculturation can be defined as "the acquisition of the cultural elements of the dominant society" (Lara, Gamboa, Kahramanian, Morales, & Bautista, 2005), including norms, values, ideas and behaviors.…”

“…Traditional acculturation measures have been criticized for their focus on a single variable with the extreme values (all Spanish/all English) representing high adherence to either the native or host-culture (Cortes, 1994;Kim & Abreu, 2001). This unidimensional model mistakenly assumes that the increasing acquisition of the dominant culture directly corresponds to systematic disengagement from the native culture (Rogler et al, 1991), thereby precluding assessment of the degree to which an individual is involved in each culture (Cortes, 1994;Marin & Marin, 1992).…”

“…Moreover, disruption of family support networks (Rogler et al, 1991), increased intergenerational conflict, and heightened family burden in the form of excessive demands by extended family are hypothesized to be linked to psychiatric disorders. The socialization of young Latino children in U.S. schools could be related to family cultural conflict, which itself may have an impact on the social support network.…”

Untitled

“…Acculturation is described as the degree to which immigrants from one culture adapt their attitudes and behavior to their perceptions of the norms of the host culture (1). Acculturation plays an important role in the modification of Hispanic values, norms, attitudes, and behaviors, thus becoming a fundamental part of the immigrant's migration induced adaptation to a new sociocultural environment.…”

Facets of acculturation and their diverse relations to body shape concern in Fiji

“…Acculturation may promote risk for disordered eating in two key ways. First, undergoing major cultural change may promote generic risk for mental illness via a diathesis-stress model [14][15][16][17] ; this, in turn, could increase vulnerability for disordered eating, among other disorders. Second, assimilation to a global culture may promote attitudes and behaviors that increase risk for an eating disorder.…”