The Associations Between Multiple Dimensions of Acculturation and Adjustment Among Latino Youth from Immigrant Families

Acculturation includes cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, but few studies have included all three, and little is known about the ways in which these dimensions interact with contextual factors to predict psychological and behavioral adjustment among Latino adolescents. The current study explored the strength of the associations between the three dimensions of acculturation and psychological and behavioral adjustment among Latino adolescents from immigrant families (N = 129). The study also investigated whether acculturative stress and time in the U.S. moderated these associations. Results indicated that higher levels of acculturative stress and lower levels of familism (a measure of the cognitive dimension of acculturation) predicted higher psychological distress. Bicultural identity (affective dimension) predicted higher behavioral competence. Age of arrival moderated the association between Language preference (behavioral dimension) and distress for English-dominant participants such that adolescent arrival was associated with less distress compared with arrival in early childhood