Acculturative Stress and School Belonging Among Latino Youth

Abstract

Dimensions of acculturative stress and their implications for school belonging and achievement were examined among 199 Latino middle-school students. The proposed model hypothesized that school belonging would mediate the association between acculturative stress dimensions and low school achievement. Eighty percent youth of the sample were immigrants, 73% had Mexican origins, 57% were girls, and the mean age of the participants was 13.6 years. A factor analysis yielded two dimensions of acculturative stress: discrimination stress and immigration-related stress. Immigration-related stress was associated with age of immigration, but discrimination stress was not. Findings supported the hypothesis that lack of school belonging may be a mechanism by which discrimination stress, but not immigration-related stress, decreases school performance among Latino youth.

Risky behaviors and educational attainment among young Mexican-origin mothers: The role of acculturative stress and the educational aspiration–expectation gap

“…Prior work with Latino youth has found that acculturative stress, or stressors experienced by immigrant groups during the process of adapting to a dominant culture (Berry, 2006), are associated with poor school performance (Roche & Kuperminc, 2012) and engagement in risky behaviors (Forster, Grigsby, Soto, Schwartz, & Unger 2015; Gil, Wagner, & Vega, 2000). Despite the growing representation of Latino immigrants in the U.S. and teen mothers’ high risk for poor adjustment, limited work has examined the role of distinct aspects of acculturative stress (e.g., English/Spanish competency pressures, pressures to or against assimilation), as well as the process through which acculturative stress may inform educational and behavioral adjustment.…”

“…Within the literature on acculturation, individuals’ engagement in negotiations over assuming host-culture practices, values, and identifications and disregarding those from the heritage culture (i.e., the focus of the present study) are referred to as assimilation pressures (Berry, 2006; Schwartz, Zamboanga, Rodriguez, & Wang, 2007). Empirical findings with Latino youth suggest that acculturative stress, in general, impacts youths’ educational adjustment (e.g., school performance; Roche & Kuperminc, 2012) and engagement in risky behavior (e.g., substance abuse; Gil et al, 2000). Relatively few studies, however, have examined how unique aspects of acculturative stress differentially impact Latino youths’ adjustment (Rodriguez et al, 2002).…”

“…In one cross-sectional study with Latino middle school students, Roche and Kuperminc (2012) found that discrimination stress (e.g., stress from perceived stereotypes against Latinos) impacted youths’ school performance through school belonging, such that when youth reported greater discrimination stress, they were also more likely to report lower school belonging, which in turn predicted youths’ lower grades. This association, however, was not found with immigration-related stress (e.g., stress associated with perceiving distance from the heritage country), suggesting that specific types of acculturative stress may differentially impact youths’ educational adjustment.…”

“…Despite research findings suggesting that Latino youth indeed experience acculturative stress (Gonzales, Fabrett, & Knight, 2009; Umaña-Taylor & Alfaro, 2009), and evidence supporting the direct link between acculturative stress and educational (Plunkett & Bámaca-Gómez, 2003; Roche & Kuperminc, 2012) and behavioral maladjustment (Forster et al, 2015; Gil et al, 2000; Kam, 2011; Thai et al, 2010), the mechanism through which specific dimensions of acculturative stress impact individuals’ adjustment is not well understood. Some research suggests that acculturative stress may prompt emerging adults’ maladjustment through increased hopelessness.…”

Problem gambling and family violence in the Asian context: a review

“…For example, adapting to life in a new country carries an increased risk of experiencing unique hardships related to minority status and acculturation, specifically in familial (e.g., intergenerational differences), social (e.g., perceived discrimination), and economic (e.g., poor finances) domains (Berry 1997; Cervantes and Cordova 2011). Furthermore, the process of immigration is commonly associated with feelings of boredom, isolation, and loneliness that can lead to mental illness (Jamil et al 2007;Roche and Kuperminc 2012;Trevorrow and Moore 1998). These constructs are also frequently reported as motivations for gambling among problem gamblers (Blaszczynski and Nower 2002;Hallebone 1999), thus suggesting that immigrants may be at a higher risk of developing gambling problems.…”