Acculturation, psychological adjustment (stress, depression, self-esteem), and the academic achievement of Jamaican immigrant college students
Description
This study examined the relationships among acculturation, psychological adjustment (defined as stress, depression, and self-esteem), and academic achievement of Jamaican immigrant undergraduate college students. The study selectively analyzed literature on acculturation in a chronological context from the early conceptualists of acculturation, such as, Gordon (1958, 1964, & 1978), Park (1921 & 1950), and Burgess (1921) to the more contemporary theoretical perspectives of Berry (1980); integration, deculturation, separation, and assimilation: the hierarchical perspective of acculturation; Padilla (1980); the two dimensional acculturation construct: cultural awareness and ethnic loyalty; Keefe (1980); the extended family predominance approach; and Szapocznik, Scopetta, Kurtines, & Arnalde (1978); time exposed (temporal) modifier concept of acculturation Additionally, literature (e.g., Snowden & Hines, 1999; Allen-Meares & Burman, 1995; and Hines & Boyd-Franklin, 1996) that examines the acculturation, psychological adjustment, and academic achievement of African Americans, was explored and analyzed and compared with the findings of this study The purposive sample was comprised of at least 150 Jamaican immigrant college students, drawn from Howard University in Washington, D.C. who have resided in the U.S. for at least a year The researcher was on-site to facilitate the data collection procedure. Acculturation was measured by Szapocznik's et. al. Behavioral Acculturation Scale, depression by Zung's Depression Inventory, self-esteem by Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Inventory, stress by Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein's Perceived Stress Scale, and academic achievement by student's current Grade Point Average Pearson's product-moment correlation, coefficient chi-square, and regression analysis were used to examine the relationships among the study variables (acculturation, psychological adjustment (depression, self-esteem, stress) and both academic achievement, and the socio-demographic variables Students' gender and immigration statuses were found to be related to levels of acculturation. Marital status of male students appears to relate to how they acculturate, on the contrary, it does not appear to relate to how female students acculturate. Students experiencing less stress tend to achieve high academic standard, indicated by their grade point average. Students' academic performance is not related or impacted by their acculturation, self-esteem, and depression. Students' acculturation is not related to their self-esteem, stress level or state of depression. Students who return home to see their family/relatives and who communicate with their relatives/family tend to have exemplary academic record. How often student returns home was found to be inversely related to acculturation and those that were also late arrivals were found to be not highly acculturated Finally, the tenuous relationships among the study variables such as acculturation, self-esteem, stress, and grade point average along with the relationship with the socio-demographic variables revealed that discrimination towards immigrant people of color impacted their psychological well-being and their academic achievement