Acculturative Stress, Violence, and Resilience in the lives of Mexican-American Youth

Abstract

This article explores how Mexican-American youth experience stress and trauma in a variety of arenas. Such youth utilize their energy, creativity, and resilience in order to cope with cultural tensions that arise from acculturative processes, role conflicts with family and peers, school challenges, and identity formation processes. Violence, in the form of internalized colonialism, external oppression, and actual violent acts (e.g., gang fights, suicides, and physical and=or sexual abuse), can be a major risk factor for negative outcomes such as substance abuse. However, this ethnographic study demonstrates that many Mexican-American adolescents navigate stressors and traumas in such a way that transforms the potentially distressing events into life-affirming rites of passage. This article explores these issues through qualitative data analyses from a study of Mexican-American youth in a Southwestern city.This ethnographic study examines the experiences of Mexican American youth in the Southwest, illuminating a number of stressors, traumas, and strengths. It considers the overlay of culture, ethnicity, and experience of stress and violence in personal and interpersonal arenas. While some of these experiences are common to all groups, this article illustrates the perspective of Mexican American youth working out their identities in the midst of their

Bullying of Mexican Immigrant Students by Mexican American Students

“…By bullying the recently immigrated students, the Mexican American students assert their dissimilarity to a group that is more vulnerable to discrimination. These findings are consistent with other studies that portrayed the conflicts and discrimination that are present within an ethnic group due to different levels of acculturation and feeling superior over the more or less acculturated group (Holleran & Jung, 2005;Niemann et al, 1999;Qin et al, 2008;Waters, 1991). Romero and Roberts (2003) indicated that stress may result from cultural conflicts within an ethnic group due to the different levels of acculturation.…”

“…It appears that Mexican American students have acculturated into the dominant American culture and now discriminate against Mexican immigrant students. Results are also consistent with Holleran and Jung's (2005) findings, which showed that there are frequent clashes and prejudice exists between more and less acculturated groups. In a school environment, these conflicts arise and take the shape of verbal, physical, and relational bullying.…”

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Recidivism in a Sample of Juvenile Offenders in Community-Based Treatment

“…The lower rate of ACEs among Hispanics may explain the insignificant effects if, as suggested above, a threshold exists. It is also possible that Hispanic youth in the State of Florida are better able to cope with these stressors and traumas in a way that does not translate into crime and violence, that is, they are more resilient (Holleran & Jung, 2005). Accordingly, future research should explore the potential for both individual and cultural factors to moderate the relationship between ACEs and the negative life events often being connected to them.…”

Peer violence perpetration among urban adolescents: Dispelling the myth of the violent immigrant

“…Little is known about more moderate forms of interpersonal violence (e.g. physical and nonphysical types of aggression toward peers) despite that fact that it is more prevalent (Bui & Thongniramol, 2005; Feldmeyer, 2009; Holleran & Jung, 2005; Kim & Goto, 2000; Lee, Martinez, & Rodriguez, 2000; Martinez, 1997, 2000; Peguero, 2008; Reiboldt, 2001; Rodriguez & Brindis, 1995). Moderate interpersonal violence is an important public health problem with serious physical and emotional consequences (Bui & Thongniramol, 2005; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2009; Gupta et al, 2009; Rodriguez & Brindis, 1995; Silverman, Decker, & Raj, 2007; Smokowski & Bacallao, 2006; Smokowski et al, 2009).…”