Mainstream Acculturation Research Articles

Mainstream acculturation in superdiverse settings: The beneficial role of intergroup contact with ‘other‐cultures’ individuals

AbstractThis work focuses on migrants’ ‘other‐cultures’ intergroup contact – contact with individuals belonging to neither their heritage ingroup nor the mainstream outgroup. We test the overarching hypothesis that other‐cultures contact is positively associated with mainstream acculturation, especially when contact in the mainstream group is scarce. Study 1 results show that frequent other‐cultures contact is positively associated with mainstream identification among Maghrebi migrants to Quebec. This effect is stronger for participants with infrequent, versus frequent, mainstream contact. In Study 2, conducted among Russian migrants to Canada, having more other‐cultures friends is positively related to mainstream acculturation only for participants with few mainstream friends. Further, the entry of other‐cultures friends into migrants’ network takes place later than heritage friends but earlier than mainstream friends. The current work expands the traditional mainstream–heritage acculturation framework by moving away from binary conceptualizations of intergroup relations and considering other‐cultures contact in superdiverse contexts.

What Comes First, Acculturation or Adjustment? A Longitudinal Investigation of Integration Versus Mental Resources Hypotheses.

A focal point in the acculturation literature is the so-called "integration hypothesis," whereby integration (high mainstream cultural engagement and heritage cultural maintenance) is associated with higher psychosocial adjustment, compared to other strategies. Yet, the vast majority of this literature is cross-sectional, raising questions about how best to understand associations between integration and adjustment. Does greater integration lead to greater psychosocial adjustment, as proposed by the integration hypothesis? Or is it the other way around, with more adjustment leading to greater integration, consistent with what we name the "mental resources hypothesis?" This study tests these 2 competing hypotheses in a 4-wave longitudinal study of 278 international students in their first weeks and months in Canada. The results replicate well-documented cross-sectional acculturation-adjustment associations. They also show that baseline adjustment is prospectively associated with later integration and mainstream acculturation, but not vice versa, supporting the mental resources hypothesis but not the integration hypothesis.

Moral identity and acculturation process among Chinese Canadians: Three cultural comparisons

This study explored Chinese Canadians’ moral identities and extended the investigation of the socio-cultural impact on moral identity. The main sample consisted of 131 Chinese Canadians. Approximately equal numbers of participants from two reference groups, European Canadians and Chinese in China, were also recruited. All participants were presented a moral identity questionnaire. It was found that Chinese Canadians’ self-selected moral values were more similar to European Canadians than to Chinese in China. Unexpectedly, the Chinese Canadians scored significantly lower in moral identity of context of community than the two reference groups. In addition, mainstream acculturation positively predicted Chinese Canadians’ moral identities after controlling for length of residency in Canada and immigration status. However, age of arrival played a role in acculturation processes and moral identity in the context of school. These findings suggest the notion of acculturation, with individuals’ moral identities being acculturated to the norms of mainstream Canadian culture.

Cardiac vagal control among migrants: Associations with mainstream acculturation and perceived ethnic discrimination.

This cross-sectional study examines associations between cardiac vagal control and mainstream acculturation by systematically investigating the independent contributions of resting, reactivity, and recovery Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA)-physiological factors contributing to adaptive functioning, including social engagement capacity. This study also examines the moderating role of RSA reactivity in associations between perceived ethnic discrimination and mainstream acculturation. The sample comprised 111 migrants from Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) to Montreal, QC, Canada. On average, participants (60 women) were 31 years old and had immigrated 7 years prior to the study. The study design was cross-sectional. We collected both psychophysiological (electrocardiogram) and self-report questionnaire data. All three facets of cardiac vagal control are independently associated with mainstream acculturation: Higher mainstream acculturation was associated with higher resting RSA (β = .24), lower RSA reactivity (β = -.27), and higher recovery RSA (β = .26), controlling for several theoretically relevant covariates. Furthermore, lower RSA reactivity to a discrimination-recall task dampened the relation between perceived discrimination and mainstream acculturation (interaction β = -.20). This study replicates and extends prior work linking RSA and mainstream acculturation using a sample of racialized and marginalized migrants. It provides evidence that RSA is related to migrants' adoption of the mainstream culture and may modulate how they handle perceived ethnic discrimination. Thus, this study also provides evidence that RSA is tied to how individuals successfully navigate novel social environments, including novel cultural contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Come abroad with me: the role of partner characteristics and couple acculturation gaps on individual psychological adjustment

ABSTRACT Although many individuals migrate to a new country with their romantic partner, most acculturation research has focused on individual factors related to migration-related psychological adjustment without considering couple influences. The current research investigates traditional predictors of psychological adaptation – mainstream and heritage acculturation, motivation to migrate, and perceived discrimination – from the perspective of both migrants and their partners. Participants were 151 French migrant couples (n = 302) living in Canada. We conducted mixed-effects regression analyses (HLM) predicting psychological adaptation within an actor-partner interdependence modelling framework. In line with past results, actors’ motivation to migrate and mainstream acculturation were positively associated with psychological adaptation, whereas perceived discrimination was negatively associated with it. Contrary to our hypotheses, the actor’s heritage acculturation was negatively associated with psychological adaptation. Above and beyond these individual-level predictors, our results revealed a positive effect of partner’s motivation to migrate and a negative effect of partner’s perceived discrimination. Finally, acculturation gaps were significantly associated with psychological adaptation. Mainstream acculturation gaps seem to be detrimental to migrants’ psychological adaptation, whereas heritage acculturation gaps were associated with greater psychological adaptation. These findings underscore the necessity to better understand how romantic relationship dynamics following migration play out in individual-level migration outcomes.

Supplemental Material for Cardiac Vagal Control Among Migrants: Associations With Mainstream Acculturation and Perceived Ethnic Discrimination

Supplemental Material for Cardiac Vagal Control Among Migrants: Associations With Mainstream Acculturation and Perceived Ethnic Discrimination

Acculturation in a postcolonial context: Language, identity, cultural adaptation, and academic achievement of Macao students in Mainland China

The mainstream acculturation research focuses on international students and immigrants’ settlement in a new cultural environment, but little is known about the adaptation process of people from postcolonial areas relocating to their home country. Drawing from research on acculturation and postcolonial studies, this research examined the importance of language and social identity of Macao Chinese (N = 102; 50 males, Mage = 20.1) transitioning to universities in Mainland China. The results of path analysis showed that Chinese national identity and perceived Mandarin language proficiency were positively associated with each other, but they were linked to cultural adaptation through different paths. Perceived language proficiency was directly linked to social, academic, and psychological adaptation, whereas Chinese identity was indirectly associated with social and academic adaptation through acculturation to the Mainland Chinese culture. Moreover, academic adaptation was, in turn, associated with academic achievement (i.e., GPAs). The present study extends acculturation research to a postcolonial context, highlighting that national identity and language proficiency are important factors for successful cultural adaptation to the homeland. The theoretical and practical implications regarding intra-cultural adaptation barriers andprocesses in postcolonial contexts were discussed.

Acculturation and Sexual Attitudes: a Systematic Review

IntroductionThe culture plays an important role in sexuality. Although each ethnocultural group has its own sexual attitudes, in multicultural contexts, the acculturation process could modify the sexual attitudes of these groups. The aim of the study was to perform a systematic literature review of the studies that have examined the relationship between acculturation and sexual attitudes.MethodThe review was carried out in the ProQuest and Scopus databases. There was no time restriction in literature search.ResultsA total of 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. The year of publication of the studies ranged from 1982 to 2020. The studies were conducted in the USA and/or in Canada and included mainly Asians and Latinos/Hispanics. Proxy indicators, unidimensional, and bidimensional measures were used to measure acculturation. In general, results show that mainstream acculturation is positively related to liberal or positive sexual attitudes. Relevant interaction and mediation effects were also found: (1) mainstream dimension moderates the relationship between heritage dimension and sexual attitudes, (2) heritage dimension moderates the relationship between mainstream dimension and sexual attitudes, (3) acculturation moderates the relation between gender and sexual attitudes, (4) gender moderates the relation between acculturation and sexual attitudes, (5) the ethnocultural origin moderates the relationship between acculturation and sexual attitudes, and (6) sex guilt mediated the relationship between mainstream acculturation and sexual desire.ConclusionThe acculturation process is related to sexual attitudes.Policy ImplicationsKnowing the acculturation process could be important to achieve greater equity in sexual health among different groups.

Zahra or Zoe, Arjun or Andrew? Bicultural baby names reflect identity and pragmatic concerns.

Ethnic first names are a visible product of diversity in the West, yet little is known about the psychological factors that influence naming preferences and choices among bicultural individuals. Participants in Studies 1a (South Asian Canadians; N = 326) and 1b (Iranian Canadians; N = 126) were prospective parents who completed an online survey with measures of naming (consequences of ethnic naming, naming preferences) and psychological factors related to naming: heritage and mainstream acculturation, ethno-cultural continuity. Study 2 participants (N = 211) were parents of an Indian background living in three English speaking countries (Canada, United States, UK). They completed an online survey with measures of naming (consequences of ethnic naming, names as markers of cultural identity, actual naming choices) and psychological factors: heritage and mainstream cultural identifications, ethno-cultural continuity. Across all 3 studies we observed a strong preference for ethnic over mainstream names. In Studies 1a and 1b heritage acculturation and motivation for ethno-cultural continuity predicted stronger preference for ethnic names. In contrast, a preference for mainstream names was predicted by mainstream acculturation and expectations of negative consequences of ethnic names. In Study 2 choice of an ethnic name was positively related to beliefs about names as markers of ethnic identity, and negatively related to expectations of negative consequences of ethnic names. Baby naming among ethnic minorities is a complex cultural decision, reflecting both identity and pragmatic concerns. Implications for studies of acculturation and identity, and future research directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Juggling Between Parental and School Expectations: The Development of Domain-Specific Acculturation Orientations in Early Adolescence.

We examined how perceived acculturation expectations from parents and school, and ethnic discrimination predicted early adolescents’ heritage and mainstream acculturation orientations at home (private domain) and in school (public domain) one year later. We surveyed 263 early adolescents of immigrant background in Germany (Mage = 10.44 years, 60% female). Multigroup path analyses revealed that perceived acculturation expectations and ethnic discrimination were more strongly related to adolescents’ private than public acculturation orientations. Parental heritage expectations were the strongest predictor of adolescents’ acculturation orientations. Boys were more susceptible than girls to ethnic discrimination and acculturation expectations in school, which affected their private and public acculturation orientations. Results highlight the importance of integrating domain‐specific and gendered experiences when analyzing adolescents’ acculturative development.

Mistrust of Researchers Correlates with Stroke Knowledge among Minority Seniors in a Community Intervention Trial

BackgroundMedical mistrust influences patients’ treatment seeking, adherence, health behaviors, and minority participation in research studies. However, medical mistrust remains understudied within neurological diseases like stroke despite disproportionately affecting minority populations. ObjectiveThis study examines the relationship of medical mistrust with stroke knowledge among Black, Latino, Korean, and Chinese-Americans. MethodsSubjects greater than 60 years were enrolled from senior centers to test a culturally-tailored educational curriculum around stroke risk reduction in a randomized controlled trial. A Trust Physician Scale and a modified Trust of Medical Researchers Scale measured medical mistrust. The Stroke Action Test instrument measured stroke knowledge, focusing on intent to call 911 appropriately when presented with stroke symptoms. ResultsOf 225 subjects, 69.5% were female (n = 157) with an average age of 73.7 years (standard deviation 6.7). Blacks had highest trust scores of physicians relative to Latino/a, Korean or Chinese subjects (P< .05). In multivariable analysis, decreased stroke knowledge was associated with decreased researcher trust at baseline (<.05), but not physician trust, when controlling for covariates. Among Latino/a, Korean, and Chinese groups, mainstream acculturation reduced the association between researcher trust and stroke knowledge. A mediation model showed no evidence of physician trust mediating researcher trust. ConclusionsAmong minority seniors participating in a randomized controlled trial, decreased trust of researchers, not physicians, was associated with low baseline knowledge of stroke symptoms. Those least acculturated to US culture may be a particular focus for trust building intervention. Future studies should examine whether researcher mistrust is disproportionately preventing those with the largest knowledge gaps from participating in trials.

Threat, Anti-Western Hostility and Violence among European Muslims: The Mediating Role of Acculturation

In many Western countries, the public has extensively debated factors potentially leading Muslim minority-group members to support violence by foreign extremist states or to commit violence themselves. Here, one central question has been whether their acculturation orientations may play a role. Combining perspectives from intergroup threat theory and acculturation psychology, the present study investigated whether one reason for why threat perceptions lead to higher violent behavioral intentions among Muslims, as evidence by previous research, may be that they are related to distinct acculturation orientations. It tested this proposition in two samples comprising of Norwegian (N = 253) and British Muslims (N = 194). The more Norwegian Muslims perceived realistic threat, the more violent behavioral intentions they showed, but this relation was not mediated by acculturation. Among British Muslims, mainstream acculturation orientation was related to more violent intentions, while threat was not. In both samples, symbolic threat was associated with more support for Muslim military violence and this relationship was mediated by religious acculturation in the U.K. In contrast to previous research, symbolic threat was linked with less personal intentions to commit violence in the U.K., mediated by religious acculturation. Complementary analyses calculating acculturation strategies indicated that assimilated, and to some extend integrated, Muslims in both countries tended to show the highest violent behavioral intentions. By contrast, separated individuals showed the highest level of support for Muslim military violence. Ways in which these findings can be used to counter violence and improve intergroup relations in Western ethnically diverse societies are discussed.

Perceptions of depression among Hispanics with Pentecostal beliefs

ABSTRACTPrevious research has shown that Hispanics in the US and Christians, specifically Pentecostals, may hold beliefs about psychological disorders that affect help-seeking. In this study, Hispanic Pentecostal Christians (N = 142) completed a questionnaire that examined religious belief, acculturation, depression beliefs and depression symptoms. Results showed Hispanic Pentecostals were more likely to view depression as caused by social-relational factors than biological or spiritual factors, and were more likely to endorse spiritual treatments instead of professional mental health treatments. Mainstream acculturation was significantly associated with a stronger belief in genetics as a possible depression cause, but not with a preference for professional mental health treatment. Heritage acculturation was positively associated with religious belief, and there was no significant association of acculturation with depression. Possible recommendations include outreach to pastors, education of professional mental health staff regarding cultural and religious beliefs, and designing treatments that integrate religion and spirituality for this population.

Heritage and mainstream acculturation’s association with sexual response in young Chinese men and women in Canada

Previous research on Chinese individuals in Canada showed that mainstream acculturation (i.e., adoption of the customs and values of mainstream Canadian culture) was consistently associated with more permissive and less restrictive patterns in sexual attitudes, response, and behaviours. However, the role of heritage acculturation (i.e., retention of the customs and values of heritage Chinese culture) was not strongly linked to sexuality variables and remained poorly understood. The current study sought to examine the role of heritage and mainstream acculturation in a new sample of men and women. Undergraduate samples of men (n = 364) and women (n = 467) completed questionnaires on acculturation, and sexual attitudes, experience, fantasy, excitation, inhibition, desire, arousability, sexual anxiety, and sociosexual orientation. Mainstream acculturation was consistently associated with more permissive and less restrictive patterns in the sexuality variables. Heritage acculturation was positively correlated with mainstream acculturation and had some associations with more permissiveness and less restrictiveness among sexuality variables for heterosexual individuals, but the relationship was more complex in non-heterosexual individuals. There were significant interaction effects between mainstream and heritage acculturation observed in heterosexual men. The results replicated past findings with regards to mainstream acculturation, and suggested a potentially subtle and complex role for heritage acculturation. Limitations, theoretical aspects, and clinical implications were discussed.

Postnatal self-care experience of Truku women’s traditions and mainstream acculturation and reconstruction in Taiwan

PurposeThe preservation and disappearance of indigenous people’s traditional knowledge system, under mainstream social culture immersion and fusion, have presented a dynamic and changing acculturation interactive relationship impacting Truku women’s health concepts. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore how the traditional Gaya knowledge system and mainstream culture confinement care model affect the beliefs and behaviours of postpartum self-care amongst contemporary Truku women.Design/methodology/approachAn ethnographic semi-structured method, based on cultural care factors and the Leininger Sunrise Model, was conducted to interview 17 Truku women with childbearning experience in eastern Taiwan. As data were collected, UDIST Vivo 11.0 software was applied for analysis.FindingsAmongst the three knowledge system categories, namely, traditional, mainstream and reconstruction, the traditional knowledge system, including Gaya norms, provides the overall cultural value of a Truku family. While taboo is inherited through the experience of the elders, the mainstream knowledge system favours the Han. However, the reconstruction knowledge system highlights the “functional” response strategies based on Truku women’s comfort and conveniences.Originality/valueLimited relevant studies have focused on the health and postpartum self-care knowledge of ethnic Truku women in Taiwan. The results are expected to provide clinical medical personnel with a reference and strengthen cultural sensitivity and the ability to implement the cultural congruency care of postpartum indigenous women in Taiwan.

Acculturation and adjustment of migrants reporting trauma: The contextual effects of perceived ethnic density

Little is known about the relation between acculturation and socioecological contexts of migrants with a personal trauma history living in the community. This study represents an extension of our previous work and aimed to unpack the perceived neighborhood ethnic density (ED) effect and examine the moderating role of ED on the acculturation-adjustment relation in a community sample of migrants with trauma (N = 99) from developing countries residing in Montreal, Canada. ED was protective against general psychological distress but did not predict posttraumatic symptoms. The ED effect was mediated via degree of acculturation to the French-Canadian mainstream cultural context, rather than heritage acculturation, social support, or discrimination. Moreover, protective effects of French-Canadian mainstream acculturation for depressive symptoms and life satisfaction were found under high but not low ED conditions. Similarities and differences with our previous research as well as theoretical and prevention implications are discussed from a person-environment interaction perspective.

Acculturation and quality of life among Chinese American breast cancer survivors: The mediating role of self-stigma, ambivalence over emotion expression, and intrusive thoughts.

Highly acculturated Chinese American breast cancer survivors have greater access to health care providers, are English language proficient, and have more knowledge about the health care system. However, less is known about the potential psychosocial factors that may account for the health benefits of acculturation. As such, the current study seeks to understand how mainstream acculturation is associated with higher quality of life by investigating self-stigma, ambivalence over emotion expression (AEE), and intrusive thoughts, as serial mediators among Chinese breast cancer survivors. One hundred twelve Chinese American breast cancer survivors completed a self-reported questionnaire with these trait variables. We found support for a serial multiple mediation hypothesis in which mainstream acculturation was indirectly associated with quality of life through self-stigma, AEE, and intrusive thoughts. Specifically, mainstream acculturation was associated with lower self-stigma, which, in turn, was associated with lower AEE and intrusive thoughts and subsequently resulted in lower quality of life among Chinese American breast cancer survivors. The findings suggest that psychosocial factors are important mechanisms through which acculturation is associated with quality of life among Chinese American breast cancer survivors. As Chinese immigrants acculturate to mainstream American culture, they may benefit from the reduced public stigma toward breast cancer and incorporate new post-immigration knowledge about cancer that protects them from high levels of self-stigma. This, in turn, may lead Chinese American breast cancer survivors to experience lower AEE and intrusive thoughts and subsequently experience higher quality of life.

Proculturation: Self-reconstruction by making “fusion cocktails” of alien and familiar meanings

This paper considers mental processes unfolding during humans’ movement in a foreign environment and aims to overcome theoretical discrepancies concerning culture and acculturation between sociocultural anthropology and cross-cultural psychology under the frame of cultural psychology. I propose to perceive culture as a multi-self-centered semiotic field, which is populated by signs and meanings, necessarily emphasizing its heterogeneity and incoherence. Cultures have hazy boundaries and are embedded into the wider web of meanings. In fact, there is one big global culture and all humans are involved in mediating it through intersubjective interactions. Further, the term proculturation is used to fill the gaps left by mainstream acculturation research, which has been mainly oriented on measuring ontologized trait-like characteristics in terms of bidimensional mechanic relationship between cultures and related correlations. Namely, proculturation specifically reflects real-life human experiences and the role of (inter)subjectivity in the process of adaptation in emigration or elsewhere in any unfamiliar environment. Most importantly proculturation implies triadic semiotic relations and the possibility of the creation of novel fusions of meanings, by mixing various ingredients in the process of mediation between familiar and unfamiliar ideas and experiences. Proculturation is catalytically conditioned by references to temporal dimensions and essentially is ever-continuing process.

Acculturation and Career Development of International and Domestic College Students

The authors examined the relationships between career and cultural characteristics among 53 international and 54 domestic students at a large university in the southeastern United States. One‐way multivariate analysis of variance results showed an overall significant difference between groups for mainstream acculturation, but not for vocational identity, dysfunctional career thoughts, goal instability, or heritage acculturation. Regression results indicated that 71% of the variance in vocational identity of domestic college students was explained by dysfunctional career thoughts and acculturation, whereas dysfunctional career thoughts were the only significant predictor of vocational identity for international college students. Thus, a key implication from this study is for career practitioners to address and challenge the dysfunctional thinking of all students to improve their vocational identity. Future researchers should also explore how other potential moderator variables (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, parental education) may influence vocational identity, as well as include more qualitative approaches to better understand an individual’s worldview, including career and cultural characteristics.

Adaptation in a dialogical perspective—From acculturation to proculturation

This article aims to provide a reconsideration of the adaptive processes unfolding while meeting novel cultural elements in a dialogical perspective. The mainstream acculturation studies are criticized for seeing sociocultural transformations in a mechanistic and essentialist way and the term of proculturation is proposed instead, to emphasize constructive and subjective nature of human adaptation to novelties. Proculturation develops when a person faces any kind of novelties. It is a continuous process. Each proculturative experience inevitably makes imprint on personality, as any meeting with new ideas is interpreted subjectively and becomes part of a cognitive and affective experience. Proculturation can be initiated even without leaving home as globalization and modern mass media spread cultural elements from culture to culture easily throughout the whole world. Cultures overlap and constitute worldwide web of meanings. I propose ways for the integration of dialogical self theory (DST) and social representation theory (SRT). The term of social representation should be integrated in DST by replacing the term of meta-position as they serve essentially the same meaning in their theories respectively. In this way, dialogical self (DS) obtains processual dimension mediating through the personal and societal processes. Human subjectivity is contemplated as the stem of a semiotically mediated system of persons, cultures, and societies.