The Role of Acculturative Stress on Mental Health Symptoms for Immigrant Adolescents: A Longitudinal Investigation

Immigrant-origin adolescents represent the fastest growing segment of youth population in the United States, and in many urban schools they represent the majority of students. In this 3-wave longitudinal study, we explored trajectories of internalizing mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2013-04, Vol.49 (4), p.736-748
Main Authors: Sirin, Selcuk R, Ryce, Patrice, Gupta, Taveeshi, Rogers-Sirin, Lauren
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acculturation
Adolescent
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
African Americans - psychology
Anxiety
Anxiety - ethnology
Anxiety - psychology
Anxiety-Depression
Asian Americans - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Cognitive Structures
Demographics
Depression
Depression - ethnology
Depression - psychology
Developmental Psychology
Emigrants and Immigrants - psychology
Ethnicity
Female
Gender Differences
Generational Differences
Grade 10
Hispanic Americans - psychology
Human
Humans
Immigrant students
Immigrants
Immigration
Internalizing problems
Intervals
Investigations
Longitudinal Studies
Major Depression
Male
Measures (Individuals)
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders
Mental Health
Psychiatric disorders
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Sex Factors
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Sociocultural environment
Somatoform Disorders - ethnology
Somatoform Disorders - psychology
Stress
Stress Variables
Stress, Psychological - ethnology
Stress, Psychological - psychology
Symptoms
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
United States
Urban Population
Urban Schools
Urban Youth
Young Adult
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Summary:Immigrant-origin adolescents represent the fastest growing segment of youth population in the United States, and in many urban schools they represent the majority of students. In this 3-wave longitudinal study, we explored trajectories of internalizing mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms). The participants included 332 urban-residing first-and second-generation immigrant adolescents (44% male). Participants were recruited in 10th grade (M[subscript age] = 16.20 years, SD = 1.19), and 2 additional waves of data were gathered in 12-month intervals. Both generational and racial/ethnic background of the participants reflected the general demographics of urban centers in the United States. With individual growth curve modeling, the results show significant decline in internalizing mental health problems during the high school years. At the same time, greater exposure to acculturative stress predicted significantly more withdrawn, somatic, and anxious/depressed symptoms. Gender and generation status differences in internalizing mental health problems were also identified. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/a0028398