title: Psychological distress among low-income U.S.- and foreign-born women of Mexican descent: impact of acculturation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  After testing the capacity of Kessler's psychological distress (K6) scale to measure equally across low-income Mexican-born women (n=881) and U.S.-born women of Mexican descent (n=317), this study assesses the impact of acculturation on this group's psychological distress.
  
  
  METHODS
  We employ descriptive and confirmatory factor analyses to test the cross-cultural equivalence of K6. Multivariate and logistic regression is used to test the association between acculturation and psychological distress among low-income, Mexican-American women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cross-cultural equivalence analysis shows that some of the scale's items have the capacity to measure psychological distress equally among participants. Regression results indicate that the more acculturated these women become, the greater their psychological distress is.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study recommends that researchers emphasize the cross-cultural equivalence of their measures and suggests a heightened awareness among practitioners of the multidimensional impact of acculturation on clients of Mexican descent.
authors: School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois. Electronic address: venerab@illinois.edu.
authors: Venera
authors: V
authors: Bekteshi
authors: School of Social Work, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors: Qingwen
authors: Q
authors: Xu
authors: Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
authors: Thanh
authors: T
authors: Van Tran
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011203:Poverty; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult