Acculturative stress, social support, and coping: Relations to psychological adjustment among Mexican American college students.

Abstract

This study examined the relations between acculturative stress and psychological functioning, as well as the protective role of social support and coping style, in a sample of 148 Mexican American college students (67% female, 33% male; mean age ϭ 23.05 years, SD ϭ 3.33). In bivariate analyses, acculturative stress was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Moreover, active coping was associated with better adjustment (lower depression), whereas avoidant coping predicted poorer adjustment (higher levels of depression and anxiety). Tests of interaction effects indicated that parental support and active coping buffered the effects of high acculturative stress on anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms. In addition, peer support moderated the relation between acculturative stress and anxiety symptoms. Implications for reducing the effects of acculturative stress among Mexican American college students are discussed.

Development and validation of the Acculturative Stress Scale for Chinese College Students in the United States (ASSCS).

“…Potential difficulties in the acculturation process which may lead to acculturative stress include linguistic challenges, loss of social support and difficulty establishing new social ties, disruptions in family dynamics, difficulty finding jobs in the new country, value and role conflict, discrimination, and non-acceptance by the host culture (Crockett et al, 2007;Hwang & Ting, 2008;Gil, Vega, & Dimas, 1994;Padilla, Wagatsuma, & Lindholm, 1985).…”

“…Social support refers to the provision of psychological and material resources from others to help the person in stress (Crockett et al, 2007). Social support can alleviate acculturative stress and help people achieve a better mental health status (Han et al, 2007).…”

“…Social support is another important area of interest. Many researchers try to investigate how social support buffers the influence of acculturative stress on mental health and well-being (Crockett et al, 2007; Han, Kim, Lee, Pistulka, & Kim, 2007;Frey & Roysircar, 2006;Poyrazli, Kavanaugh, Baker, & Al-Timimi, 2004;Ye, 2006;Yeh & Inose, 2003). However, there is little research on how international students cope with acculturative stress and how to help students with acculturative stress.…”

Youth and Parent Versions of the Asthma-Related Anxiety Scale: Development and Initial Testing

“…7 Ethnic minority youth and youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds-those at the most risk for asthma 12-14 -face increased risk for anxiety related, in part, to their sociocontextual experiences, such as urban stressors, 15,16 living in poverty, [17][18][19] and acculturative stress, 20,21 and this anxiety may impact asthma management.…”

20201218

“…Intercultural contact evokes appraisal to determine the level of perceived stress and to assess coping resources, which are subsequently activated to master, tolerate, reduce, or control stress. A wide range of coping techniques are available, including problemand emotion-focused coping, positive reframing and acceptance, and seeking social support (Aroian et al, 2009;Crockett et al, 2007;Jibeen & Khalid, 2010;Kloek, Peters, & Sijtsma, 2013). When these coping strategies are effective and successful, acculturation leads to adaptation, that is, psychological and emotional wellbeing.…”