Discrimination, acculturation, acculturative stress, and Latino psychological distress: A moderated mediational model.

Abstract

Prior research has found that perceived discrimination is associated with adverse mental health outcomes among Latinos. However, the process by which this relationship occurs remains an understudied area. The present study investigated the role of acculturative stress in underlying the relationship between perceived discrimination and Latino psychological distress. Also examined was the ability of acculturation to serve as a moderator between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress. Among a sample of Latino adults (N=669), moderated mediational analyses revealed that acculturative stress mediated the perceived discrimination-psychological distress relationship, and that the link between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress was moderated by Anglo behavioral orientation but not Latino behavioral orientation. The findings are discussed within a stress and coping perspective that identifies the psychological consequences associated with perceived discrimination and acculturative stress.

Acculturative stress is associated with trajectory of anxiety symptoms during pregnancy in Mexican-American women

“…It is also possible that discrimination contributes to acculturative stress. Previous work suggests that in non-pregnant Mexican-American populations, acculturative stress mediates the relationship between discrimination and psychological distress (Torres, Driscoll, & Voell, 2012). Furthermore, in non-pregnant adolescents, perceived discrimination accounted for a proportion of the variance between acculturative stress and anxiety (Suarez-Morales & Lopez, 2009).…”

Contextual Approach to Acculturative Stress Among Latina Immigrants in the U.S.

“…According to some studies, Latino men's behavior is influenced by machismo, which permits them authority in the household and grants them the ability to prove virility through the domination and impregnation of women [21,33,35]. Some studies suggest that Latinas' behavior is influenced by the value of marianismo, which associated with Virgin Mary's portrayal as devout, pure, noble, and giving.…”

“…Some studies suggest that Latinas' behavior is influenced by the value of marianismo, which associated with Virgin Mary's portrayal as devout, pure, noble, and giving. Although not all Latina women subscribe to this value, research suggests that Latinas, may be expected to be submissive, self-sacrificing, dependent, sexually naïve, repressed, and good housewives [11,21,27,[33][34][35]. These values are in direct opposition to mainstream culture in the U.S. where equality among genders is promoted, authority is challenged, and personal fulfillment and development takes precedence over that of others [10].…”

“…The following external contextual factors have been linked with acculturative stress: perceived discrimination [35], citizenship and immigration status [3], unemployment [18], U.S. lifestyle, lower levels of education [15], the presence of adolescents in the household [14], and lack of adequate income [23]. Social support [2,26] and positive expectations about the U.S. [15,29] were associated with low acculturative stress.…”

What predicts threat perceptions toward people opposing to the government? A population-based study following Umbrella Movement, Hong Kong

“…Realistic threat denotes potential harm to tangible, material objects such as money, personal/interpersonal security, and land, whereas symbolic threat denotes potential harm to intangible aspects such as ingroup's identity, and value and belief systems. Amid social or political upheavals, outgroups including immigrants in Europe (Lesińska, 2014), asylum seekers and refugees in Australia (Correa-Velez, Spaaij, & Upham, 2013;Suhnan, Pedersen, & Hartley, 2012), and ethnic minorities in the USA (Torres, Driscoll, & Voell, 2012) were regarded as outgroups who disrupted different aspects of society including security and local culture. There is also evidence showing heightened perceptions of threat toward outgroups during disruptive social/political situations, such as Arab Israelis in Israel (Canetti, Snider, Pedersen, & Hall, 2016), Australian, European, Hong Kong, and African immigrants in Britain (Ford, 2011), and Muslim populations in European countries (Hjerm & Nagayoshi, 2011).…”