As noted in the previous chapters, conclusive findings on the relationship between acculturation and mental health have remained somewhat elusive for many reasons. Namely, different types of outcome measures have been used, and specific social and cultural factors that may contribute to the association between acculturation and mental health are often overlooked. These are important research considerations given that specific elements of the acculturation process may be linked differentially to specific health outcomes. As immigrants adjust to a new society, their value orientations, attitudes, or behavior may change, which in turn affects their health status. Unfortunately, few studies have empirically examined these processes, especially as they relate to Asian American ethnic groups.This chapter begins to fill some of the void in the acculturation literature by focusing on psychological distress and alcohol use. Psychological distress and alcohol consumption represent different types of measures, and we hypothesize that acculturation measures are uniquely associated with each outcome. Although psychological distress, especially in the form of depression, and alcohol use often occur simultaneously, they also have different associations with some social and cultural variables. For example, a consistent finding in the empirical literature is that women tend to have higher levels of psychological distress but lower levels of alcohol use than men (Rosenfield, 1999). In the same light, this chapter examines how acculturation may vary in its association with psychological distress and alcohol use. The chapter also contributes to the study of acculturation by concentrating on two overlooked factors that may be linked to health and may vary with acculturation: ethnic identity and religiosity.
Support for this chapter was provided inpart by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) 09633, the Fetzer Institute, and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 44331.