An Examination of Social Adaptation Processes of Vietnamese Adolescents

The purpose of the study was to examine the factors that affect the ways in which Vietnamese youth feel about themselves and their place in society. More specifically, the purpose was to determine the relationship between sociocultural factors (L e. language proficiency, length of residence, socioeconomic class, ethnic identity, and cultural continuity) and such person-oriented variables as depression and alienation. Thrity-one college and fifteen high school students responded to a series of questions about themselves, family, relationships, personality, and achievement motivation. It was found that perceived problems with one\u27s ethnic group, cultural continuity, and parental attitudes toward schooling significantly predicted depression. Degree of attachment to one\u27s ethnic community, English speaking and writing abilities, and outlets for derpession tended to predict future outlook or feelings of hope versus alienation. Several variables were highly predictive of acculturation. Some of those variables are native language ability, English speaking and writing ability, outlets for depression, and perceived problems with one\u27s ethnic group. Implications of the findings for Vietnamese youth and future directions are discussed