The Acculturation of Iranian Immigrants in the United States and the Implications for Mental Health

Abstract

The process of acculturation among Iranian immigrants living in the United States was explored; specifically, the relationships between acculturation and mental health, age, gender, level of education, and length of residence in the United States were examined. Acculturation was measured via R. H. Mendoza's (1989) Cultural Life Style Inventory, which includes 3 components: cultural resistance, cultural incorporation, and cultural shift. A significant but slight relationship was found between acculturation and mental health: As cultural resistance increased, scores signifying better mental health decreased; as cultural incorporation and cultural shift increased, scores signifying better mental health increased. Also, Iranian men were found to have higher levels of cultural shift, lower levels of cultural resistance, and higher scores signifying better mental health than Iranian women.