Examining the Association between Acculturation and Perceived Mental Health among Foreign-born Asians in the United States

• In Event: 123 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtable Session (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions and Section on Sociology of Mental Health).
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 05. Immigration and Acculturation

Abstract

Acculturation purportedly has effects on mental health, as immigrants have to deal with the stress from adjustment, loss of social networks and contacts, and discrimination. Acculturation is a process of cultural change that results when different cultures come into continuous contact. However, prior research on the acculturation and mental health relationship has produced contradictory findings. Using the 2002-2003 National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), I investigate the association between acculturation and self-rated mental health (SRMH) for foreign-born Asian immigrants, comparing across specific Asian ethnicities. I employ binary logistic regression to compare six commonly used proxy measures of acculturation and examine its relation with self-rated mental health. Results show that acculturation’s association with SRMH varies for the different measures of acculturation and by different ethnicities, but the most promising measures are those that capture benefits from language. This finding suggests looking more closely at native language proficiency, English proficiency, and bilingualism as potential proxies for acculturation.

Author

• Bonnie Bui, University of California, Irvine