Stress and cultural readjustment : a study of Cuban exiles

It is widely recognized that environmental changes alter ongoing life patterns and require varying degrees of adjustment by the individuals affected. The object of this study was to investigate several aspects of this process, namely cultural readjustment problems in a group of Cuban exiles who were transplanted from their Spanish home culture to the U. S. Sources of stress and signs of emotional disorders related to the environmental change were identified by means of a standardized questionnaire based on the method developed by Holmes and Rahe in 1967, and by cross-cultural comparisons with Americans. In the main, areas of stress emphasized were associated with separation from homeland and family and with cultural differences in family patterns. Signs of emotional disorder, evidenced indirectly by reported need for consultation with mental health professionals, were more frequently associated with high environmental stress. Knowledge of the forms of situational stress experienced as an aid to therapeutic work, particularly in the case of counseling relocated persons, was discussed.Psychology, Department o