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

• 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
• ISSN: 0012-1649; 1939-0599
• DOI: 10.1037/a0028398

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.)