Acculturation Gap 1 RUNNING HEAD: Acculturation Gap

Acculturation Gap Geraldine Gaona HDF 343 The University of Texas at Austin

Acculturation Gap 2 Acculturation Gap The following pages discuss four research studies that empirically investigate the links between acculturation gap and negative effects on child outcomes. Acculturation gap refers to the extent to which the individual acculturation levels differ between parents and adolescents. The study of acculturation gap is important for developing an understanding of how acculturation gap impacts psychological, emotional, and academic outcomes in adolescents. This paper will discuss descriptions of the measurements used, how acculturation gap is conceptualized, conclusions about its positive or negative affects, and the most significant features of the methodologies used in each of the research papers. Lastly, the paper will examine conclusions about methodological weaknesses and suggestions for future research. Bmaca-Colbert and Gayles (2010) What were they trying to find out? Bamaca-Colbert and Gayles (2010) were investigating which procedure among four different analytic measures best explained the interaction between cultural orientation dissonance, family functioning, and adolescent adjustment in sample of mother-daughter pairs of Mexican descent. Who did they study? Their sample included daughters in the 7th and 10th grades and their mothers. There were 159 early-adolescent girls, 160 late-adolescent girls, and 319 mothers who participated in the study. How did they do the study? Bamaca-Colbert and Gayles (2010) used the Bidimentional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics to determine mothers and daughters language-related cultural orientation. They used The Cultural Values Scale to measure mothers and daughters cultural orientation with respect to values. The frequency of conflict was assessed with a modified version of the Parent-Adolescent Conflict Scale. Daughters perceptions of their mothers

Acculturation Gap 3 supportive parenting was assessed with the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment. Daughters depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Daughters anxiety states were assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children-Trait Version. They used for analytic procedures (two variable-centered approaches and two person-centered approaches) for examining the interplay between culture orientation dissonance, family functioning, and adolescent adjustment regarding acculturation, enculturation, and familism. The measures used were difference scores, interactions, matched/mismatched groups, and latent profile analysis (LPA). The two person-centered approaches, matched/mismatched groups and LPA, yielded low matched, mismatched, and high matched levels corresponding to acculturation, enculturation, and familism and five profile groups (Cultural Orientation Dissonance Dyads (P1), Low Acculturated Daughter Dyads (P2), Familism Matched Dyads (P3), Low Enculturated Dyads (P4), and Cultural Orientation Matched Dyads (p5)) respectively. What did they find? The difference score analysis showed that higher levels of parentchild conflict were related to higher levels of depressive symptoms, higher levels of maternal supportive parenting were related to lower levels of depressive symptoms, and that higher levels of conflict in daughters reports related to higher levels of anxiety. The Interactive Analytic Procedure showed that higher levels of conflict were related to higher levels of depressive symptoms, higher levels of maternal supportive parenting were related to lower levels of depressive symptoms, and it exhibited a grade x familism interaction. Only 7th graders showed that mother-daughter familism was related to depression. It also revealed that for daughters with average familism, a one-unit increase in mothers; familism level was related to a larger effect of daughter familism on depressive symptoms. Effects of daughter familism on depressive

Acculturation Gap 4 symptoms were the greatest when mothers had high familism levels. Higher levels of conflict and enculturation were linked to higher anxiety levels in this analytic procedure. The matched/mismatched analytic procedure showed significant effects for maternal supportive parenting and for the mothers report of conflict. A significant enculturation group x mothers report of conflict interaction was also revealed. The procedure indicated that links between conflict and depressive symptoms were strongest for the mismatched enculturated group, moderate in the matched high Enculturated group, and non-existent in the matched low Enculturated group. There was a significant enculturation group x conflict interaction, and the links between conflict and anxiety were only visible in the high matched enculturated group. The LPA procedures significant results revealed that P1 had higher mean levels of depressive symptoms than all the other groups, P2 had higher mean levels of depressive symptoms than did P3, and that there was a significant cultural orientation by grade interaction. It also showed that P1 had a higher mean level of depressive symptoms than those in all the other groups for the 7th graders, daughters in P2 had higher mean depressive symptoms that those in P3 and P5, and 10th graders in P1 had higher mean depressive symptoms than those in P3. Significant findings in this procedure were a significant cultural orientation effect, P1 and P2 has higher mean levels of anxiety than P3 and P5, and P4 had a higher mean level of anxiety than did P5. What can they conclude from the study? The researchers concluded that results did indeed change depending on the procedure used and that LPA was the best analytic procedure used for explaining the interactions between cultural orientation, family functioning, and clarifying how adolescent adjustment changed as a function of mother-daughter cultural orientation dissonance and family functioning. Costigan and Dokis (2006)

Acculturation Gap 5 What were they trying to find out? Costigan and Dokis (2006) were investigating the magnitude of parent-child acculturation differences among immigrant Chinese families in both acculturation and enculturation domains in British Columbia (BC), Canada. They were also wanted to add to the literature of past studies on acculturation gap by evaluating three aspects of adjustment and using multidimentional and orthogonal assessment of accultuation. Who did they study? They had 89 father, 91 mother, and 91 child participants. The children ranged in ages from 9 to 15. How did they do the study? The researchers identified public and private domains for acculturation. They took independent self-reports of accultuation from mothers, fathers, and children. They used the interaction analysis method between parents and childrens acculturation reports in regression analyses. Canadian and Chinese behavioral practices (public domains) of acculturation were assessed with a modified version of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II. Private domains of acculturations were assessed with measures of ethnic cultural values and host culture values of importance. Chinese values were assessed with the Asian Value Scale. Canadian values were assessed by examining the parents views of the appropriate amount of adolescent independence. Parent-child intensity of conflict was measured with the Issues Checklist. Childrens depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Childrens achievement motication was measured with the Value of Academic Success Scale. What did they find? They found that higher conflict intensity was related with higher feelings of depression and lower achievement motivation and higher feelings of depression was related to lower achievement motivation. The following discussion contains significant findings from their research. As childrens chinese language use increased intensity of conflict would

Acculturation Gap 6 decrease but only when moms also had high Chinese language use. As childrens chinese language use increased, feelings of depression decreased but only when moms also had high chinese language use. As chilrens chinese language use increased, depression would increase but only when moms had low chinese language use. As childrens chinese language use increased, achievement motivation increased but only when moms also had high chinese language use. As childrens chinese media use increased, intensity of conflict would decrease but only when moms also had high chinese media use. As childrens chinese media use increased, achievement motivation would increase but only when dads also had high Chinese media use. As childrens chinese values increased, intensity of conflict decreased but only when dads also had high chinese values. As childrens chinese values increased, feelings of depression decreased but only when dads had high chinese values as well. As childrens canadian media use increased, achievement motivation increased but only when moms also had high canadian media use. What can they conclude? They concluded that parents level of engagement in the Chinese culture was predictive of adjustment levels, whereas parents level of engagement in Cadian culture was not. They also concluded that egative outcomes can occur but not intense enough to have detrimental affects on the children. Kim and Park (2011) What were they trying to find? Kim and Park (2011) are trying to find a significant relationship between acculturation gap and distress. They wanted to see if mother-adolescent acculturation discrepancies would be associated with adolescents internalizing and externalizing symptoms and if parent-child communication would moderate the gap-distress relationship. Who did they study? The researchers had 77 Korean-American mother-adolescent pairs from the Midwest. The children were between 11 and 15 years of age.

Acculturation Gap 7 How did they do the study? The researchers employed the difference score approach and the interaction term approach to look at how acculturation gap leads to depressive internal and external symptoms. Adolescent and mother self-reports were used to examine levels of acculturation and enculturation. Parent-adolescent communication and internalizing and externalizing symptoms were measured with the adolescent self-reports. Levels of acculturation and enculturation in mothers and adolescents were measured with the Asian American Multidimensional Acculturation Scale. Parent-Adolescent communication was assessed with the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale. It measured the youths perceptions of the communication quality with their mother and father. The Youth-Self Report assessed adolescents internalizing and externalizing symptoms. What did they find? The researchers discovered that when parent enculturation was high, youth externalizing symptoms would increase but only when youth enculturation was also high. They also found that as enculturation gap increased, youth internalizing symptoms would also increase but only when father-adolescent communication was low. They were also able to see that adolescents perception of communication with their fathers significantly moderated the relationship between the enculturation gap and internalizing symptoms. What can they conclude from the study? The researchers concluded that poor fatheradolescent communication had negative impacts for youths internalizing symptoms and that under different conditions of father-child communication, different effects were seen. They also concluded that depending on the selection of methodologies and theoretical frameworks, the acculturation gap could affect the sensitivity of an association between acculturation gap and child distress. They also were able to see that even with no gap, it was not as protective as expected.

Acculturation Gap 8 Kim, Chen, Li, Huang, and Moon (2009) What were they trying to find out? Kim, Chen, Li, Huang, and Moons goal was to look at the discrepancy between parent and child acculturation and at the discrepancy between parent and child heritage orientation and their affect on child outcomes in Chinese Immigrant Families. They also wanted to establish the impact that acculturation discrepancy has parenting practices (parental support) and how the level of support, in turn, affects adolescent depressive symptoms. Who did they study? The researchers had a sample of 388 father-child pairs with foreign born-father and 399 mother-adolescent pairs with foreign-born mothers. How did they do the study? They used a bidimentional view of acculturation. They assessed parent-child relationships as a function of affect and behavioral and communicative parenting by monitoring and inductive reasoning. They measured acculturation using a broader behavioral acculturation measure. They assessed acculturation with the Vancouver Index of Acculturation. They assessed parenting through measures adapted from the Iowa Youth and Families Project. They assessed adolescent depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale. They assessed their experience of discrimination with a scale developed by Kessler and colleagues. Fathers and mothers answered questions about family income and highest level of education attained. The acculturation scores for mothers, fathers, and children were assessed separately. Acculturation levels in both Chinese and American orientations were designated as low, medium or high What did they find? They found that if fathers and their children are discrepant in their American orientation, fathers are less likely to use monitoring and inductive reasoning, and children would be more likely to experience depressive symptoms. They also found that

Acculturation Gap 9 supportive parenting mediates between acculturation gap and depressive symptoms only in father-child relationships. What can they conclude from the study? They concluded that generational dissonance is not limited to economic prospects, but may also relate to adolescent adjustment problems in other areas, especially depressive symptoms. They concluded that paternal parenting mediates the relationship between father-child acculturation divergence and adolescent depressive symptoms even when factors such as socioeconomic status, their sense of discrimination, parents length of time in the United States, and when adolescent age and sex were controlled.

Using hierarchical regression analyses of the interaction terms, 3 dependent variables were predicted (intensity of conflict, feelings of depression, and achievement motivation).

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References Bmaca-Colbert, M. Y., & Gayles, J. G. (2010). Variable-centered and person-centered approaches to studying Mexican-origin motherdaughter cultural orientation dissonance. Journal of Youth And Adolescence, 39(11), 1274-1292. doi:10.1007/s10964-009-9447-3 Costigan, C. L., & Dokis, D. P. (2006). Relations between parent-child acculturation differences and adjustment within immigrant Chinese families. Child Development, 77, 1252-1267. Kim, M., & Park, I. K. (2011). Testing the moderating effect of parentadolescent communication on the acculturation gapdistress relation in Korean American families. Journal of Youth And Adolescence, 40(12), 1661-1673. doi:10.1007/s10964-011-9648-4 Kim, S. Y., Chen, Q., Li, J., Huang, X., & Moon, U. J. (2009). Parent-child acculturation, parenting, and adolescent depressive symptoms in Chinese immigrant families. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 426-437.