Date of Award:

5-2006

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Melanie Domenech Rodriguez

Committee

Melanie Domenech Rodriguez

Committee

Susan L. Crowley

Committee

Mark Innocenti

Committee

Brent C. Miller

Committee

Karl R. White

Abstract

Research on the relation between acculturation and mental health has yielded discrepant findings, with some studies finding a positive association between the two variables, others a negative association, and still others a curvilinear association. A meta-analysis of 84 studies yielding 3 73 individual effect sizes was conducted to examine the relation between acculturation and mental health among Latinos. The meta-analysis spanned the years of 1989 to 2004 and was comprehensive in its design. Several variables were chosen a priori to determine whether these would moderate the relation between acculturation and mental health. Results of an initial meta-analysis that disregarded the potential effects of moderator variables yielded an average effect size of r =.08, suggesting a weak association between acculturation and mental health among Latinos. However, the type of acculturation measure used, the methodological quality of the study, and the specific mental health outcome under consideration (e.g., depression vs. drug use) were all important moderators of the relation. Associations were strongest when measures of acculturation stress were used and for studies that possessed a high degree of methodological quality. Analyses using only studies that used orthogonal or bidimensional measures of acculturation indicated that bicultural individuals tend to have better mental health outcomes than individuals following other acculturation paths (d = .50). However, findings based on orthogonal measures are tentative due to the small number of these studies (n = 9). In addition, the mental health categories of drug use and alcohol use yielded the highest associations with acculturation. By examining the effects of moderator variables using a large number of studies, this study provided a clearer understanding of the relation between acculturation and mental health among Latinos.

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