title: An integrative theoretical framework of acculturation and salutogenesis.
abstract: During the last two decades, the number of international migrants worldwide has constantly risen. In this context, cross-cultural dimensions of psychological disorders receive increased attention, especially depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders among the migrant population. In this paper we propose a theoretical framework for the understanding of migrant mental health. This framework combines elements from Berry's acculturation model and Antonovsky's salutogenic theory. The former illustrates the main factors that affect an individual's adaptation in a new cultural context. The term acculturative stress denotes unresolved problems resulting from intercultural contact that cannot be overcome easily by simply adjusting or assimilating. The latter specifies the relationship between culturally associated stress and mental health more distinctive, introducing the concepts of generalized resistance resources and sense of coherence that determine mental health outcomes of migrants during acculturative stress periods. Specifically, we provide an integrative framework of acculturation and salutogenesis that helps to integrate inconsistent findings in the migrant mental health literature. The current paper focuses on the effect of resource factors for positive mental health outcomes in the migrant population and summarises some implications for future research activities.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Psychology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. jriedel@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Riedel
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wiesmann
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hannich
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005008:Ethnopsychology / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006295:Health Resources / Q000458:organization & administration*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health; D008960:Models, Psychological; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000523:psychology*