1. findings
1.1. researchers found that participants with effective coping strategies, good proficiency in English, and a strong family structure were less likely to experience acculturative stress
1.2. participants who had spent a longer period of time in the USA were less likely to demonstrate acculturative stress
2. conclusion
2.1. protective factors (biological, psychological, family or community) can influence the extent to which one acculturates and the effect on their mental health
3. evaluation
3.1. limitations
3.1.1. ecological validity
3.1.1.1. emotional detatchment and hypothetical situations compared to physical interactions
3.1.2. population validity
3.1.2.1. gender bias: there is a higher proportion of female participants, which suggests the findings may not be applicable to all participants (there may be events/struggles more specific to female populations that may influence their level of acculturative stress)
3.1.3. self-reported measures
3.1.4. temporal validity
3.1.4.1. the political climate has changed significantly since the conduction of the study; factors such as discrimination (as a result of sociopolitical changes) may influence their level of acculturative stress - disproportionally depending on the extent to which different ethnic groups are discriminated against
3.2. strengths
3.2.1. research triangulation
3.2.1.1. other studies such as Lueck & Wilson report similar findings - good language proficiency and strong family structure can help reduce/cope with acculturative stress
3.2.2. different research methods were used to assess a wide range of factors involved with acculturative stress
4. key terminology
4.1. acculturative stress: a process in which an individual adopts, acquires and adjusts to a new cultural environment
4.1.1. often refers to the socialisation process by which foreigners adopt the values, customs, norms, cultural attitudes and behaviours of the host culture
4.2. questionnaire and tests to assess acculturative stress
4.3. Latin immigrants to the USA
4.4. protective factors: psychological, biological, familial, communal, etc. characteristics that help people deal/cope with stressful events
5. aim
5.1. to investigate the factors that may influence the level of acculturative stress in Latin American immigrants into the USA
6. procedure
6.1. participants & sample
6.1.1. 197 participants
6.1.2. 63% women - 37 % men
6.1.3. Average years of migration to US: 22.5 Average level of residence: 3.9 years Average age of participants: 28.7
6.1.4. Spanish-speaking American immigrants
6.1.4.1. 47% Mexican ancestry
6.1.4.2. 34% Central American
6.1.4.3. 19% South American
6.2. design
6.2.1. completed questionnaires and tests
6.2.1.1. family cohesion
6.2.1.2. level of acculturation
6.2.1.3. level of acculturative stress
6.2.1.4. coping strategies for stress