Acculturation and Mental Health in the Latino

American Community

Amanda SmallArgosy University

Introduction

• As of 2007, 45.5 Million Latinos were living in the United States (U.S. Census as cited in Mejia & McCarthy, 2010)

• By 2050 an estimated over ¼ of the U.S. Population will be Latino (U.S. Congressional Research Service, 2011)

• Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. have been found to have a higher depression rate than those living in Mexico (Vegas, Sribney, Arguilar-Gaxiol, & Kolody as cited in Torres, 2010)

Source: U.S. Congressional Research Service, 2011

Acculturation• Acculturation: The process by which two cultures in

constant contact engage in an exchange of ideas, traditions, and characteristics that ultimately alter both cultures.

• The process can be emotionally and psychologically taxing, leading to mental distress and self-identity issues in individuals

• Typical acculturation styles include: • Assimilation – individual values other culture and rejects

own• Separation – individual rejects other culture and values own• Integration – individual values both own and other culture

The Question

Is there a relationship between acculturation stress and mental distress for the Latino community in the United States?

And…….If there is, what can help to

mitigate that mental distress for the community?

Mental Distress Acculturation stress in the Latino

community of the U.S. has been linked to:• Anxiety (Crockett et al., 2007)

• Suicidal Ideations (Hovey, 2000)

• Depression and Depressive Symptoms (Crockett et al., 2007; Hovey, 2000; Torres & Rollock, 2007; Torres, 2010)

• Poor Academic Performance in Students (Crockett et al., 2007)

Mitigating Factors Several factors have been found to be

influential in an individuals ability to successfully cope with the impacts of acculturation:• Amount of Exposure to Latino Culture• Intercultural Competence• Ethnic Self-Identity• Social Support

Ethnic Self Identity

• Strong Latino orientation or ethnic self identity are significant association with life satisfactions, high self esteem, and reduced mental distress even while high acculturation stress is present (Edwards & Lopez, 2006; Torres, 2010; Umana-Taylor & Updegraff, 2007)

• A well-grounded ethnic self identity also mitigates the commonly found depressive responses to discrimination and perceived discrimination (Torres & Ong, 2010; Umana-Taylor & Updegraff, 2007)

Social Support

• Individual who have Family and Peer social supports tend to experience less acculturation stress, and those who are still experiencing high stress tend to experience fewer symptoms of mental distress (anxiety/depression) (Crockett et al., 2007; Hovey, 2000)

• Also adequately supported individuals tend to have higher overall life satisfactions (Edward & Lopez, 2006).

• Of the two types of social support (family and peer), family support is found to have a more pronounced effect on mental distress (Crockett et al., 2007).

Exposure to Latino Culture & Intercultural Competence

• Individuals who have a median amount of exposure to Latino culture experience less negative consequences from acculturation, than those who were over or under exposed in their daily lives (Dona & Berry, 1994).

• Individual who demonstrate intercultural competency (the ability to adapt to pressures from other cultures and function effectively with those cultures) experience fewer depressive symptoms despite the presence of acculturation stress (Torres & Rollock, 2007).

Research Issues Challenges in conducting acculturation

research with Latino community:• Heavy reliance on self-reporting measures• Data is largely correlative in nature• Measures are developed in English are

being use with non-English or bilingual populations.

• Diagnostic criteria may lack cultural sensitivity, especially as they relate to acceptable coping behaviors (Torres & Rollock, 2007).

Conclusion Americans every day experience

acculturation either as a member of the majority or as a member of a minority. For the Latino community with adequate social support, and an established ethnic identity as well as access to their culture, the consequences of that acculturation do not have to be poor mental health.

ResourcesReference

Crockett, L. J., Iturbide, M. I., Torres, R. A., McGinley, M., Raffaelli, M., & Carlo, G. (2007). Acculturative stress, social support, and coping: Relations to psychological adjustment among Mexican American college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(4), 347-355. doi:10.1037/1099-98089.13.4.347

Dona, G., & Berry, J. W. (1994). Acculturation attitudes and acculturative stress of Central American refugees. International Journal of Psychology, 29(1), 57-70.

Edwards, L. M., & Lopez, S. J. (2006). Perceived family support, acculturation, and life satisfaction in Mexican American youth: A mixed-methods exploration. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(3), 279-287. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.279

Hovey, J. D. (2000). Acculturative stress, depression, and suicidal ideation in Mexican immigrants. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 6(2), 134-151. doi:10.1037/1099-9809.6.2.134

Mejia, O. L., & McCarthy, C. J. (2010). Acculturative stress, depression, and anxiety in migrant farmwork college students of Mexican heritage. International Journal of Stress Management, 17(1), 1-20. doi:10.1037/a0018119

Torres, L. (2010). Predicting levels of Latino depression: Acculturation, acculturative stress, and coping. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16(2), 256-263. doi:10.10037/a0017357

Torres, L., & Ong, A. D. (2010). A daily diary investigation of Latino ethnic identity, discrimination, and depression. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16(4), 561-568. doi:10.1037/a0020652

Torres, L., & Rollock, D. (2007). Acculturation and depression among Hispanics: The moderation effect of intercultural competence. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(1), 10-17. doi:10.1037/1099-9809-13.1.10

Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Updegraff, K. A. (2007). Latino adolescents’ mental health: Exploring the interrelations among discrimination, ethnic identity, cultural orientation, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Adolescence, 30, 549-567. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2006.02.002

U.S. Congressional Research Service. (2011) The Changing Demographic Profile of the United States, (RL32701). Washington, DC: Shrestha, L.B., & Heisler, E.J. Retrieved from: www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32701.pdf