Effects of Cultural Stress on Identity Development and Depression among Hispanic College Students

Meca, Alan; Webb, Taylor; Cowan, Isis; Moulder, Alicia; Schwartz, Seth J.; Szabó, Ágnes; Ward, Colleen

doi:10.1080/15283488.2021.1960838

Cited by 20 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Once again, it is important to acknowledge that this study was conducted in a context where HL emerging adults are a majority. Within a large ethnic enclave, the rejection of both heritage and U.S. cultural streams may stem from experiencing challenges with straddling both cultural streams, which may result in a sense of displacement that undermines individuals’ sense of self (Meca, Webb, et al, 2022), as opposed to experiencing unfair treatment from others. The uniqueness of this profile highlights the need for future research to further attend to directionality between cultural stressors and acculturative processes, particularly beyond the current work that has largely focused on discrimination and ERI (e.g., Gonzales-Backen et al, 2018; Meca et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As proposed by cultural stress theory (Salas-Wright & Schwartz, 2019), HL emerging adults are faced with a variety of unique stressors rooted in racism, colorism, and xenophobia as well as the need to balance one’s heritage and U.S. culture (Meca, Webb, et al, 2022). These perceptions have led to widespread discrimination and a hostile context of reception for HL emerging adults, particularly those from immigrant families (Krogstad & Lopez, 2016).…”

Section: Conceptualization Of Cultural Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These perceptions have led to widespread discrimination and a hostile context of reception for HL emerging adults, particularly those from immigrant families (Krogstad & Lopez, 2016). Taken together, this constellation of negative experiences, referred to as cultural stressors (Meca, Webb, et al, 2022) can precipitate cultural stress (i.e., the subjective experience of distress associated with specific cultural stressors).…”

Section: Conceptualization Of Cultural Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Profiles of acculturative strategies and cultural stressors among Hispanic/Latinx college-attending emerging adults.

Meca,

Cruz,

Lucero

et al. 2023

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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Objective: The present study identified unique profiles of cultural stressors (i.e., bicultural stress, discrimination, and negative context of reception) and acculturative strategies (i.e., heritage practices, heritage identification, U.S. practices, and U.S. identification), in Hispanic/Latinx (HL) emerging adults. Additionally, we examined associations between positive and negative psychosocial functioning, with profiles of acculturative strategies and cultural stressors. Method: The present study utilized a baseline sample of 779 HL college students (75.8% female, M age = 20.80 years, SD = 2.66) drawn from a daily diary study on acculturation. Results: Latent profile analysis identified four distinct profiles. The Bicultural and Low Cultural Stressors (B-LowCS; 53.55%) was marked by strong heritage and U.S. cultural orientation and low levels across all cultural stressors. The Marginalization and High Acculturative Stressors (M-HighAS; 20.13%) was marked by weak heritage and U.S. cultural orientation, high acculturative stressors, and low discrimination. The third profile, the Heritage Rejection and Low Cultural Stressors (HR-LowCS; 16.05%) was marked by rejection of heritage culture and low cultural stressors. Finally, the Separation and High Cultural Stressors (S-HighCS; 10.26%) was marked by weak U.S. cultural orientation and high cultural stressors. Consistent with past research, the B-LowCS profile was marked by the highest level of positive psychosocial functioning and the lowest levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Conclusions: The results of the present study highlight the usefulness of person-centered approaches for understanding the interplay between acculturative strategies and cultural stressors, and the implications of these distinct profiles on psychosocial functioning in HL emerging adults. Public Significance StatementOur findings highlight that acculturation and cultural stressors do not occur in a vacuum, but instead, cooccur and are interrelated in complex ways. Indeed, our findings highlighted two distinct groups of Hispanic/Latinx marked by low cultural stressors, one endorsing a bicultural orientation, the other largely detached from their cultural heritage. On the other end, we identified two profiles marked by high cultural stressors, each with a distinct cultural orientation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conceptualization Of Cultural Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conceptualization Of Cultural Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Profiles of acculturative strategies and cultural stressors among Hispanic/Latinx college-attending emerging adults.

Meca,

Cruz,

Lucero

et al. 2023

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Future work will need to address the extent to which detached orientations may reflect low behavioral activation system (BAS) (73) sensitivity or anhedonia and low social approach (74)(75)(76), resulting in reduced effort to obtain rewards and/or low sensitivity to rewards. Such links would represent significant progress in establishing clinical phenotypes of acculturation that have been previously related to outcomes such as depression (17,20), substance use (72,77), and suicide risk (71).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although specific configurations have been inconsistently observed across studies, biculturalism has been consistently identified and characterized as the most adaptive orientation (10,18,19). Indeed, individuals who are bicultural have been found in comparison to other orientations to exhibit fewer symptoms of depression (17,20) and anxiety (20), lower substance use (12), and highest levels of flourishing and life satisfaction (21).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acculturative orientations among Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study: Associations with caregiver and youth mental health and youth brain function

Meca

Peraza

Riedel

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Population-based neuroscience offers opportunities to examine important but understudied sociocultural factors, such as acculturation. Acculturation refers to the extent to which an individual retains their cultural heritage and/or adopts the receiving society's culture and is particularly salient among Hispanic/Latinx immigrants. Acculturation has been linked to vulnerability to substance use, depression, and suicide and is known to influence family dynamics between caregivers and their children. Methods: We investigated first- and second-generation Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study and examined how caregivers' acculturative orientation impacts their mental health, as well as the mental health and brain function of their children. Neuroimaging analyses focused on regions associated with self- and affiliation-based social processing (ventromedial prefrontal cortex, insula, and temporoparietal junction). Results: We identified two profiles of caregiver acculturation: bicultural (retains heritage culture while adopting US culture) and detached (discards heritage culture and rejects US culture). Bicultural caregivers exhibited fewer internalizing and externalizing problems compared to detached caregivers; further, youth exhibited similar internalizing effects across caregiver profiles. In addition, youth with bicultural caregivers displayed increased resting-state brain activity (i.e., fALFF and ReHo) in the left insula, which has been linked to psychopathology; however, differences in long-range functional connectivity were not significant. Conclusions: Caregiver acculturation is an important familial factor linked to significant differences in youth mental health and insula activity. Future work should examine sociocultural and neurodevelopmental changes across adolescence to assess long-term outcomes and determine whether localized, corticolimbic brain effects are ultimately translated into long-range connectivity differences.

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Cultural Stress Profiles: Describing Different Typologies of Migration Related and Cultural Stressors among Hispanic or Latino Youth

Zeledon

Unger

Meca

et al. 2023

J Youth Adolescence

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Youth of immigrant origin vary across their families’ migration history (e.g., country of heritage, reasons for migration, etc.) and in the communities in which they reside. As such, these youth are often faced with different cultural and immigrant stressors. Although prior research documented the detrimental impact of cultural and immigrant stressors, variable-centered approaches fail to account for the fact that these stressors often co-occur. Addressing this gap, the current study identified typologies of cultural stressors in Hispanic/Latino adolescents using latent profile analysis. Cultural stress profiles were derived using socio-political stress, language brokering, in-group identity threats, and within-group discrimination as indicators. The study was conducted in two sites (Los Angeles and Miami; total N = 306) during Spring and Summer 2020. A four-profile solution was identified: Low Cultural Stress (n = 94, 30.7%), Sociopolitical and Language Brokering Stress (n = 147, 48%), Sociopolitical and In-group Identity Threat Stress (n = 48, 15.7%), and Higher Stress (n = 17, 5.6%). Results indicate that profiles with stress were characterized by worse mental health symptoms, reporting higher means of depression, stress, and lower self-esteem, as well as by higher heritage cultural orientation compared to the low stress profile. Interventions designed to mitigate the deleterious effects of cultural stressors would benefit from adopting an individualized, tailored approach that addresses youth’s stress profile membership.

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Effects of Cultural Stress on Identity Development and Depression among Hispanic College Students

Cited by 20 publications

References 42 publications

Profiles of acculturative strategies and cultural stressors among Hispanic/Latinx college-attending emerging adults.

Profiles of acculturative strategies and cultural stressors among Hispanic/Latinx college-attending emerging adults.

Acculturative orientations among Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study: Associations with caregiver and youth mental health and youth brain function

Cultural Stress Profiles: Describing Different Typologies of Migration Related and Cultural Stressors among Hispanic or Latino Youth

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