The impact of acculturation on deviant behavior among immigrant adolescents

The current study explored the impact of acculturation on deviant behavior among immigrant adolescents. Secondary analysis from ADD Health, Wave I was used in this study. ADD Health is a national longitudinal study with a multistage probability design. A total of 175 subjects were used this thesis study. The dependent variable, deviant behavior, was defined as physical aggressive behavior, and the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. The independent variables were defined as adolescent acculturation and the acculturation gap between adolescents and their parents. ANOVA, t-test, and correlations were conducted to test 5 hypotheses. The results showed that low acculturated adolescents were more likely to commit some types of aggressive behavior compared than high and moderate acculturated adolescents. Also, an acculturation gap between adolescents and their parents contributed to engagement with some types of deviant behavior