The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of acculturation on the parent and teacher ratings of non-clinical Mexican American children's behavior, using the BASC Parent Rating Scale-C (PRS-C ) and the Teacher Rating Scale-C (TRS-C ). One hundred twenty-three children of Mexican descent (ages 6-11) attending Texas public schools were rated by their parents and teachers. Parent acculturation level was measured using the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II. Parents were assigned to High, Medium or Low acculturation groups based on a combination of linear acculturation levels (Part 1) and obtained typologies (Part 2). Parent acculturation level was then assigned to TRS-C data creating matched-rater pairs (PRS-C and TRS-C of same child) for use in this study. Internal consistency reliabilities for the Total Mexican American sample's Teacher Rating Scale-C (TRS-C) were more similar to the published BASC general norms than the Total Mexican American sample's Parent Rating Scale-C (PRS-C ) on six of the nine clinical scales investigated and on all three of the shared adaptive scales. The most striking internal consistency result emerged when the sample was subdivided by acculturation, the High acculturation TRS-C Conduct Problems scale showed no cohesion of items for this sample (.00). Comparison of the Total, High, Medium, and Low groups' obtained distributions on each of the 16 selected scales of the PRS-C and TRS-C to the published BASC general norms revealed: 1) six significant differences of potential clinical relevance on the PRS-C scales, and 2) thirteen significant differences of potential clinical relevance on the TRS-C scales. Both parents and teachers rated the children as demonstrating less maladaptive symptoms on the Aggression, Depression, Hyperactivity, and Behavioral Symptom Index. Only parents reported lower Adaptability and Adaptive Skills scores. And only teachers of the High acculturation group reported higher Adaptability scores. No systematic influence of acculturation was present among any of the 16 selected scales. However, the parents and teachers of the High acculturation subgroup did have more moderate correlations than the Medium and Low groups combined.

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between acculturation level, generational status, and gender with acculturative stress. Acculturation level was determined by the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II) and acculturative stress was determined by the Societal, Attitudinal, Familial and Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale-Children's Version (SAFE-C). Subjects included 1268 Hispanic children ages 11-15. In order to validate the usefulness of the ARSMA-II with this sample, analyses were conducted between acculturation level and generational status. The Pearson product moment correlation (r=.44) and the ANOVA between the mean acculturation score and generational status were significant. However, the mean acculturation score from this study was considerably lower than the ARSMA-II score; therefore, new acculturation levels were developed to establish local adolescent norms for the ARSMA-II. All analyses involving acculturation levels were conducted using both the ARSMA-II and new acculturation levels because 300 subjects were reclassified with the new norms. Significant results were similar using both acculturation levels; however, there were more between group differences using the new acculturation levels. It was hypothesized that as acculturation level increased toward the Anglo culture, acculturative stress would decrease. The one-way ANOVA confirmed this relationship. It was also hypothesized that as generational status increased, acculturative stress would decrease. A one-way ANOVA also supported this hypothesis. In order to replicate previous findings on gender, a one-way ANOVA was conducted with acculturative stress and acculturation level. Results for both were non-significant. Overall findings indicate that generational status and acculturation level have a significant impact on acculturative stress in Hispanic children; however, gender does not seem to be a factor. Findings emphasize the importance of addressing cultural issues in the assessment, intervention, and treatment of acculturating Hispanic children. Furthermore, the ARSMA-II appears to be a useful instrument in assessing acculturation level in young adolescent Hispanics though new local adolescent norms for the ARSMA-II were developed from this study.

Studies have identified perceived racism as one type of social stress that is believed to contribute to hypertension, though no studies to date have examined the relationship between perceived racism and blood pressure among foreign-born Mexicans living in the United States (U.S.). In addition, studies have shown that acculturation may increase levels of perceived discrimination among foreign-born Mexicans living in the U.S. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived racism and ambulatory blood pressure among a convenience sample of 332 foreign-born Mexicans living in Utah County, Utah controlling for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and acculturation. This was done through the use of several multiple regression analyses using archival data collected at Brigham Young University. The Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire—Community Version (Brief PEDQ—CV) was used to measure perceived racism. The Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA-II) was used to measure both language and general acculturation. Four blood pressure variables, including waking systolic blood pressure (WSBP), waking diastolic blood pressure (WDBP), sleeping systolic blood pressure (SSBP), and sleeping diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) were used as outcome variables in the regression analyses. A relationship between perceived racism and any of the ambulatory blood pressure variables used in this study was not found. In addition, English-language acculturation was not found to moderate the relationship between perceived racism and blood pressure in the sample of first generation Mexicans participating in this study. A moderating effect of general acculturation on the relationship between perceived racism and blood pressure was found when controlling for age, BMI, and gender, though this moderating effect disappeared when WDBP was included in the regression model. Implications of findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Studies have identified metabolic health factors to be a major concern in Mexican-Americans, including Mexican immigrants to the United States (U.S.). Acculturation stress has been hypothesized to be a factor in the development of many health-related concerns in this population. Specifically, previous studies have shown that acculturation stress contributes to health concerns, including metabolic health concerns (e.g., diabetes, metabolic syndrome). The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between cultural orientation, a measure of acculturation designed to provide more information than traditional acculturation measures, and metabolic health outcomes. Specific acculturation-related stressors (social support, job-related stress, and depression) were hypothesized mediators in this relationship among a convenience sample of 98 foreign-born Mexicans living in Utah County, Utah controlling for age, gender, socio-economic status (SES), and years in the U.S. Data were collected twice with a three year interval to examine change over time. Changes in these constructs were examined through the use of Growth Modeling with Bayesian estimation. The Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican-Americans (ARSMA-II) was used to measure Anglo Cultural Orientation and Mexican Cultural Orientation. Standard blood analyses were used to measure metabolic health outcomes, which included glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin, and glucose. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL-12) was used to measure social support, the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) was used to measure job-related stress, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to measure depression. No change was identified in Anglo Cultural Orientation or Mexican Cultural Orientation over time in the majority of subjects. A positive relationship between Anglo Cultural Orientation and HbA1c was found, as was a negative relationship between Mexican Cultural Orientation and HbA1c. Mediation analyses showed a mediation effect of depression on the relationship between Anglo Cultural Orientation and glucose. Implications of findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.