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PubMed1989

The structure and validity of acculturation. Analysis of an acculturation scale.

This paper presents data from a study of acculturation in 291 Greek Cypriot immigrants from the general population of Camberwell, south London. Factor analysis was carried out, and factors were extracted using the maximum likelihood method and subjected to oblique rotation. The best solution was based on two highly correlated factors (0.64), which together explained 28% of the variance. The first factor appeared to represent Cultural Identification, the second, Language Mastery/Ethnocentricism. The construct validity of the factors was substantiated by analyses relating them to a range of other variables likely to be correlated with acculturation. Issues concerning the measurement of acculturation are discussed.

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PubMed1992

Acculturation and drinking patterns among U.S. Anglos, blacks, and Mexican Americans.

The relationship between acculturation, generational status/nativity and drinking patterns is examined using data from a 1988 community survey of 1286 adult regular drinkers (at least two drinks/month) in San Antonio, Texas. This sample includes 412 Anglo, 239 Black, and 635 Mexican American respondents, with Mexican Americans further classified into high, medium, and low acculturation groups using a language-use-based acculturation measure. This data set allows comparisons between racial/ethnic majority and minority groups with further comparisons between Black and Mexican American subgroups. These racial/ethnic and acculturation level comparisons highlight the effects of minority status and cultural differences between groups with regard to drinking patterns. Overall, the analyses indicate little evidence to support an 'acculturation stress' model of alcohol use, wherein the stresses of acculturation produce higher levels of alcohol consumption among moderately or higher acculturation groups. Generally, in our data, quantity and frequency consumption was somewhat higher among the least acculturated males and moderately acculturated females. Further analyses by generational status indicate heavier consumption patterns among second-generation individuals, especially among the less acculturated, though those differences were eliminated by controls. The findings highlight inadequacies of using generational status/nativity measures alone to assess acculturation level. Further, joint effects of acculturation level and generational status suggest the viability of a cultural marginality model of acculturation, though many of the effects of acculturation and generational status are explained by demographic and psychosocial factors.

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PubMed1990

Heterogeneity of the blood pressure distribution among Solomon Islands societies with increasing acculturation.

This study illustrates the very complex nature of gene by environmental interactions influencing the blood pressure (BP) distribution in a series of genetically distinctive populations undergoing rapid acculturation. We report the results of two BP and anthropometric surveys on Solomon Islands societies separated by an interval of 14 to 19 years. While differences in acculturation existed at the time of the initial survey, the interval between surveys was marked by rapid acculturation in almost all societies. Seven of the eight societies originally covered were included in the resurvey, and a large but variable proportion of the original sample subjects was recovered in the follow-up. Because the genetic relationships of the societies have been described, we were able to establish the following points concerning the role of genetic differences in determining the distribution of BP among these populations and, more important, the interaction of these genetic differences with changes associated with increasing acculturation: 1) In the initial survey, mean adjusted systolic and diastolic BPs were significantly heterogeneous among societies within and among genetically related clusters of societies (genetic clusters) and sexes. At the same time, rank differences in these means were not associated with rank differences in acculturation status among societies ignoring cluster membership. 2) Importantly, in the follow-up survey increasing acculturation resulted in the disappearance of significant differences in mean systolic and diastolic BP among genetic clusters in males, despite continued significant heterogeneity among societies within genetic clusters. In females, differences among genetic clusters persisted, but the degree of significance was substantially less with increasing acculturation. We interpret these changes as evidence for genotype by environment interaction. 3) There were significant differences in interindividual variances of both systolic and diastolic BPs among genetic clusters in the first survey. Ranks of these variances were not significantly associated with acculturation rank. In the follow-up survey, however, most societies showed striking increases in the variance of both systolic and diastolic BPs with increased acculturation. These increases in variance of both systolic and diastolic BPs may be related to a) shifts in demography and/or anthropometry of some societies; b) increased range and intensity of environmental factors affecting BP and associated with increased acculturation; and/or c) genotype by environmental interactions. 4) The correlation between systolic and diastolic BP decreased over the interval for all societies within and among genetic clusters. This trend was partly the result of larger changes in variances for systolic than diastolic BP in the resurveys.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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PubMed1990

Oral health status of Mexican-Americans with low and high acculturation status: findings from southwestern HHANES, 1982-84.

This article presents the results of a cross-sectional analysis of the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease, as well as the use of dental services, among 395 low acculturated dentate Mexican-Americans, 12-74 years of age, examined during the southwestern portion of the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). Comparisons were carried out with 1,894 dentate Mexican-Americans who had high acculturation status. Mexican-American adolescents and adults with low acculturation status had 73 and 116 percent higher mean number of decayed and missing teeth, respectively, compared with those with high acculturation status. The differences between the two groups, however, did not remain statistically significant when the confounding effects of age, sex, education, and income status were taken into account. Gingivitis and periodontal pocketing were highly prevalent in both groups, but those with low acculturation status had significantly higher disease levels than those with high acculturation status. Despite the unmet dental needs and the higher prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease, Mexican-Americans with low acculturation status were significantly less likely than those with high acculturation status to have dental insurance and to have visited the dentist as frequently.

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PubMed1990

Acculturation and psychiatric disorder: a study of Greek Cypriot immigrants.

Data are presented from a study of acculturation and psychiatric disorder in 291 Greek Cypriot immigrants from the general population of Camberwell, south London. We hypothesized that 'pre-acculturation' would protect against mental disorder, that difficulties in the period immediately after migration would increase the risk of disorder, and that disorder would be least common among those in the middle range of the acculturation spectrum. Of pre-acculturation factors, only previous knowledge of English was associated with reduced prevalence. Difficulties in the settling-in period were clearly related to current disorder. No relationship was apparent between present acculturation and disorder, but this disguised an interesting but unpredicted gender effect: in males, disorder was most prevalent in the highly acculturated; in females, in the least acculturated.

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PubMed1990

Hypertension and acculturation in elderly Mexican Americans: results from 1982-84 Hispanic HANES.

The purpose of our study was to describe the relationship between acculturation and hypertension in elderly Mexican Americans. Two age groups, 55-64 and 65-74, were examined from data provided in the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). The prevalence of hypertension among subgroups of different acculturation was ascertained based on the modified Cuellar Acculturation Scale. Each age group was also stratified using the HHANES poverty index, with those above the index compared to those below. A stepwise logistic regression was performed among the variables of poverty, gender, age, and acculturation in relation to hypertension. The results indicate that acculturation and age are stronger predictors of hypertension than poverty in elderly Mexican Americans, with acculturation being a stronger predictor among those age 55-64. Factors related to acculturation may have a stronger influence on the prevalence of hypertension in older Mexican Americans than differences related to socioeconomic status.

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PubMed1990

Adverse effects of acculturation: psychological distress among Mexican American young adults.

We examined the relationship between acculturation and psychological distress in young (20-30), middle aged (31-50), and older adult (51-74) Mexican Americans (n = 3084). The data were from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). Acculturation was measured with items on spoken and written language and ethnic identification. Psychological distress was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). We found that as acculturation increased, distress significantly increased in young adults but tended to decrease in older adults. This general pattern held for males and females and was consistent for the CES-D total score and caseness rates. The effects of acculturation were independent of the effects of income and education. We discuss that alienation and discrimination may be two intervening events producing the psychological distress of the highly acculturated young adults. Further, our findings tentatively suggest a longitudinal process whereby acculturated younger Mexican Americans attempting to advance themselves economically and socially in the dominant society strip themselves of traditional resources and ethnically-based social support. Through the years, however, they may re-establish ties to their native culture which contributes to relatively positive mental health.

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PubMed1989

Acculturation and the probability of use of health services by Mexican Americans.

How does level of acculturation affect the probability that Mexican Americans use general health, mental health, and human social services? We studied this question using data from a general population sample of Mexican Americans (N = 1,055). Data were elicited in face-to-face interviews. After controlling for sociodemographic and economic factors, health status, and insurance coverage, Mexican Americans who were less acculturated had significantly lower probabilities of an outpatient medical visit for physical health problems and of a visit to a mental health specialist or human service provider for emotional problems. The less acculturated with good perceived general health were especially unlikely to receive outpatient medical care. Having Medicaid coverage was associated with a larger increase in the probability of an inpatient medical admission for the more acculturated than for the less acculturated. Other individual characteristics had generally similar effects on use of medical and mental health services for both the more and the less acculturated Mexican Americans.

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PubMed1990

Effects of acculturation and age on the exercise capacities of Solomon Islanders.

Submaximal exercise tests were carried out on 197 females and 290 males from five populations in the Solomon Islands to determine how acculturation affects the fitness of different age and sex groups. Males and females in the least acculturated group show the highest fitness levels, reflecting strenuous work patterns. Subjects from the most acculturated groups exhibit the lowest levels of fitness, a consequence of their more sedentary life-styles. Unexpectedly, older females in these groups show exercise capacities that are equal to those of younger women. This may be a consequence of generational differences in the practice of traditional activities, such as those associated with gardening. Groups ranked intermediate in acculturation show variable patterns. For some age and sex groups, modernization has reinforced and even intensified strenuous activity patterns, resulting in high levels of fitness. For others, modernization has promoted inactivity and/or altered dietary patterns, resulting in increased body fat and low levels of fitness.

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PubMed1989

Migration, acculturation and utilization of primary health care.

This study explored the roles of acculturation, urban-rural provenance and length of residence as determinants of the utilization pattern of first line health services by Moroccan, Turkish and Italian migrants in Belgium. Concurrently, utilization characteristics were recorded in Belgian reference patients. With increasing acculturation the demand for preventive care decreased, vague complaints became more prevalent, the delay before consulting for a curative problem shortened and the prognosis improved. There was no correlation between the occurrence of psychological problems and acculturation but, except for 15-44 year old female migrants, the rate of social problems was negatively associated with this study factor. Migrants with an urban background consulted earlier and presented more frequently vague complaints than migrants from rural provenance. We observed no significant influence of length of residence on utilization characteristics and only a marginal influence on morbidity pattern. Although acculturation seems to be a strong determinant of the migrant's utilization pattern of primary health care services, it does not consistently lead to a decrease of utilization differentials with the Belgian reference population. This may imply that there is a need for public health interventions targeted at ethnic minorities.

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PubMed1990

MMPI supplemental scale performance of Mexican Americans and level of acculturation.

Mexican American and Anglo American's performance on the Wiggins Content Scales, Harris-Lingoes subscales, and Serkownek subscales was assessed in a college student population. Level of acculturation (Mexican vs. Anglo orientation), age, and social class were statistically controlled. The results showed statistically significant differences between means of Anglo and Mexican Americans on most of the supplemental scales assessed. These differences were more numerous before scale validity criteria were applied. The number of statistically significant differences were further reduced when level of acculturation and age were statistically controlled. The results showed that level of acculturation is a highly important variable which moderates interpretation of the MMPI scale elevations we measured. Acculturation far outweighed the influence of the well established MMPI moderator variables of age and social class.

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PubMed1990

Language acculturation among older Vietnamese refugee adults.

The purpose of this study was to examine the English language acculturation among older Vietnamese refugees (aged 40 and over) in a nationwide sample. The findings reveal that age, sex, education in Vietnam, health, and length of residence in the U.S. had some significant relationships with language acculturation. In particular, older Vietnamese people had more problems with language acculturation than their younger counterparts, and Vietnamese women had more language acculturation problems than men.

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PubMed1989

Acculturation and low birthweight among Latinos in the Hispanic HANES.

Self reports from 1,645 Latino mothers of Mexican descent who participated in the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) were used to relate the birthweight of their infants to the HHANES acculturation index. After controlling for parity, a one point increase on the acculturation scale was found to be associated with a 1.19 (95% CI = 1.05, 1.34) increase in risk of maternal low birthweight (LBW) (1.98 risk increase for four points). The estimated relative risk increased to 1.34 (1.12, 1.60) with controls for age at interview, wealth, city size, and years of education; controlling for current smoking status reduced the relative risk to 1.31. US-born respondents were also at increased risk relative to Mexican-born, but this relation was explained by acculturation. The effect of education was found to depend on level of acculturation. Years of education was unrelated to risk among the Mexican-oriented, while increased education was associated with reduced risk in the US-oriented. These results suggest that factors associated with a Mexican cultural orientation may be protective against the risk of LBW.

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PubMed1992

Mexican-American migrant students' academic success: sociological and psychological acculturation.

This study attempted to describe and compare academically successful and academically unsuccessful high-risk Mexican-American migrant high school students. The two groups were compared on sociological and psychological indicators of acculturation, urbanization, and socioeconomic status (SES). It was hypothesized that the successful group would have higher SES, be more acculturated, urbanized, and psychologically adjusted to modern value systems, and have higher occupational aspirations and expectations than the unsuccessful group. In addition, their world views were compared by exploring early recollection data. The results showed that the unsuccessful group came from families that were larger, poorer, more rural, and more "foreign" (i.e., more parents and children born in Mexico) than the successful students' families. Regarding the psychological indicators of acculturation, the successful group was found to score higher on modernism, to be more stably acculturated, to have a clearer sense of themselves, to have higher occupational aspirations and expectations, and tended to desire jobs with greater responsibility and stability than did the unsuccessful group.

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PubMed1992

Mexican-Americans' performance on the Psychological Screening Inventory as a function of acculturation level.

The present study investigated 261 Mexican-American college students' performance on the Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI), a brief personality instrument designed to detect persons who might benefit from more extensive evaluations in mental health settings. In addition to providing PSI results against which other Hispanic-American populations can be compared, this study examined the relationship between the acculturation level of the subjects and their PSI performance. Only one of the five PSI subscales (Alienation) correlated significantly with acculturation, which suggests that increases in acculturation are associated with fewer feelings of alienation.

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PubMed1989

Respiratory health indicators and acculturation among the Inuit and Cree of northern Quebec: a regional approach using geographic seriation analysis.

The goal of the research reported on is the analysis of the geo-statistical relationships observed between three indicators of respiratory health (acute and chronic bronchitis; pulmonary function) and an index of acculturation. Data used in this work were obtained by means of a field survey that was conducted in the north of Quebec over a 24-month period (1982-1984). With regard to acculturation, a very elusive concept, a Bertin-type geographic seriation technique is used to characterize the levels of modernity of each of the 21 villages involved in this study. Notwithstanding difficulties of measurement, it can be concluded from this analysis that better levels of respiratory health are positively associated, to a degree, with acculturation. This is a very significant result in that it would demonstrate the opposite of what has been tentatively noted in some other studies of the health status of Aboriginal populations.

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PubMed1991

Acculturation and mental health status among Hispanics. Convergence and new directions for research.

Acculturation, the process whereby immigrants change their behavior and attitudes toward those of the host society, is a fundamental part of migration-induced adaptations to new sociocultural environments. A rapidly expanding research literature on acculturation has accompanied the growth of international migrations. In response to the need to integrate the growing literature on acculturation and mental health status among Hispanics in the United States, and to identify points of convergence and new directions for research, 30 publications were examined. Points of convergence are identified, as are problems and limitations. The research needs new directions, proceeding from but not constricted by the assumptions and procedures in the work already done.

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PubMed1992

Acculturation and psychological distress in three groups of elderly Hispanics.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between acculturation and psychological distress in three groups of older adults who have immigrated from Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Financial strain and social isolation are specified as intervening mechanisms that are thought to link acculturation with well-being in late life. Data from a recent nationwide survey of older Hispanics suggest that levels of psychological distress tend to vary across Hispanic groups and that these differences may be attributed in part to the complex interplay between educational attainment, language acculturation, financial strain, and social isolation.

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