How is Acculturation Linked to Subjective Wellbeing: Evidence from Turkish Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

Today, international migration has caused many ethnic groups to live in culturally diverse societies. Turkish immigrants in the United States is one of those ethnic groups whose population is growing. Despite the growing Turkish population, there is currently little research on how acculturation can influence the subjective wellbeing of Turkish immigrants living in the United States. This study sought to examine to what extent heritage and host acculturations were associated with the subjective wellbeing of Turkish immigrants residing in the United States. The study included 306 foreign-born Turkish Americans who are between 19 to 69 years old (mean = 39.39). They completed the Vancouver Index of Acculturation, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Short-Form of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. The results showed that participants reported higher levels of heritage and host acculturation, satisfaction with life and positive affect, and lower levels of negative affect. No gender differences were reported across these variables. Acculturation was positively related to satisfaction with life and positive affect and negatively related with negative affect. Host acculturation uniquely predicted satisfaction with life, positive affect, and negative affect after controlling for demographic characteristics. These findings highlight the unique importance of host acculturation in enhancing subjective wellbeing for Turkish immigrants and advance future research in this area.