Psychological distress associated with acculturation in Latinx youth

ABSTRACT

There are various areas in the United States whose geographic location makes for unique rural communities, distanced from cities in more urban or industrialized regions. One such place is the population of Presidio, Texas, a rural community of approximately 5,000 people with the nearest cities being approximately 250 miles away. Existing research attempts to define acculturation through the lens of Latino or Hispanic cultures, otherwise known as Latinx, often failing to address specific subcultural groups within this cultural classification and disregarding the inter- and within cultural differences that may be impacted by regional differences (Michaels, 2014). Latinx, or Latino/Latina, is the umbrella term used for individuals of Latin descent. Populations of Mexican American adolescents residing in rural communities are believed to be uniquely affected by the acculturation or enculturation processes (Michaels, 2014). Acculturation refers to the process of integrating and adopting the values, customs, norms, attitudes, and behaviors of the dominant host culture (Nair et al., 2018). This happens when two or more cultures meet requiring an individual to adapt (Nair et al., 2018). Like acculturation, enculturation refers to socialization but is the individual process. A person learns the dynamics of their surrounding culture and acquires values and norms appropriate or necessary in that culture, like a child being born into a specific culture who naturally learns the culture's dynamics (Lorenzo-Blanco et al., 2012). As part of this process, the influences that limit, direct, or shape the individual (whether deliberately or not) include parents, other adults, peers, exposure to media, school settings, and so on. Several studies suggest gender roles may play a significant role in the way females and males respond to the acculturation process, resulting in differences in mental health outcomes (Revilla, 2008;Diaz & Bui, 2017). This study used the Brief Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) to determine if psychological well-being is associated with levels of acculturation (ARSMA, n.d.;PROMIS, n.d.). The study focused on a group of students believed to be affected by the acculturation process due to disadvantages related to cultural factors or race. These students have been identified as English Language Learners (ELL) that participate in Limited English Proficiency programs in public school systems. By investigating Mexican American youth between ages 13 and 17 who reside in a rural border community, this study focused on this specific cultural group rather than the general Latinx population. Ultimately, the goal of the present study was to identify gender differences in acculturation and psychological well-being within Mexican American ELL youth residing in a rural border-town community. Due to obstacles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the researcher was unable to gather a large enough sample to yield statistical significance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)