Comparative Studies of Acculturative Stress

TLDR

Acculturative stress is a reduction in psychological, somatic, and social health among individuals undergoing acculturation, with systematic evidence linking these health changes to acculturation processes. The study calls for additional comparative research to understand acculturation phenomena across host societies, acculturating groups, and their interactions. The authors present a theoretical model and comparative framework, applying it to 1,197 participants over 15 years using a common, reliable, and valid acculturative stress indicator. Findings show substantial variation in acculturative stress across acculturating groups, individual differences (sex, age, education, attitudes, cognitive style), and social factors (contact, support, status).

Abstract

A series of studies of acculturative stress is reported, involving immigrants, refugees, Native peoples, sojourners and ethnic groups in Canada. Acculturative stress is defined as a reduction in health status (including psychological, somatic and social aspects) of individuals who are undergoing acculturation, and for which there is evidence that these health phenomena are related systematically to acculturation phenomena. A theoretical model and a comparative framework are presented within which the empirical studies were conducted. A total of 1,197 individuals were studied in the last decade and a half, using a common indicator of acculturative stress, for which reliability and validity indices are presented. Results indicate substantial variation in stress phenomena across types of acculturating groups, and across a number of individual difference variables (such as sex, age, education, attitudes and cognitive style), and across a number of social variables (such as contact, social support and status). A need for further comparative studies is identified so that acculturation phenomena may be understood in terms of their origins in variations across host societies, across acculturating groups and their interactions.