Acculturation and depressive symptoms in Muslim university students: personal-family acculturation match.
The relationships of personal acculturation and of personal-family acculturation match to depressive symptoms were investigated in a sample of 68 Muslim university students. Two dimensions of personal and family acculturation were assessed: heritage and mainstream culture identification. Participants completed the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (Ryder, Alden, & Paulhus, 2000 ) and the depressive disorder subscale of the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (Zimmerman & Mattia, 1999 ). For personal acculturation, individuals with high personal heritage culture identification reported fewer lifetime (but not past-year) depressive symptoms. In contrast, individuals with high personal mainstream culture identification reported more past-year (but not lifetime) depressive symptoms. The hypothesis that a match between personal and family acculturation orientation would be associated with fewer depressive symptoms was supported for heritage culture identification only. For past-year depression, the two match conditions (low or high personal and family heritage culture identification) were associated with significantly fewer depressive symptoms than a low personal/high family mismatch but did not differ from a high personal/low family mismatch. For lifetime depression, a high personal/high family match was associated with significantly fewer depressive symptoms than all other conditions. Findings suggests that, for Muslims, a match of high personal and high family heritage culture identification may act as a protective factor for the experience of depressive symptoms both in the short term (past year) and in the long term (lifetime).
San Diego State University, CA 92120-4913, USA.
Yasmin
Y
Asvat
Vanessa L
VL
Malcarne
D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D016487:Parenting; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012933:Social Identification; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult