The influence of cultural adaptation on depressive symptoms among young Hispanic immigrants

Abstract

This study examines how cultural adaptation and family cohesion impact depressive symptoms in Hispanic immigrants that migrated to the U.S. by the age of 17. Using the National Latino and Asian American Study, a recursive regression was conducted on a hypothesized model demonstrating the relationship among the study variables: acculturation, acculturative stress, subjective social status, discrimination, ethnic social identity, dissonant acculturation, family cohesion and depressive symptoms. Psychosocial contextual variables are also included in the analysis and include gender, age, years in the U.S., education, income, and ethnicity. Results revealed two important themes in the data. The first is the importance of family in the adaptation process. As hypothesized, dissonant acculturation leads to the development of depressive symptoms. Additional findings concluded that family cohesion moderated the effect of dissonant acculturation. The second theme revealed in the data was the risk posed by acculturative stress in the adaptation process. Acculturative stress contributes directly to dissonant acculturation and to depressive symptoms.