Perceived stress and cortisol reactivity among immigrants to the United States: The importance of bicultural identity integration

Psychosocial and neurobiological aspects of the worldwide refugee crisis: From vulnerability to resilience

Anisman, H., Doubad, D., Asokumar, A. & Matheson, K. Psychosocial and neurobiological aspects of the worldwide refugee crisis: From vulnerability to resilience. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV, XXXX. Immigration occurs between countries either to obtain employment, for family reunification or to escape violence and other life-threatening conditions. Refugees and asylum seekers are often obligated to overcome a uniquely challenging set of circumstances prior to and during migration. Settlement following immigration may pose yet another set of stressors related to acculturation to the host country, as well as financial insecurity, discrimination, language barriers, and social isolation. Here we discuss the multiple consequences of immigration experiences, focusing on the health disturbances that frequently develop in adults and children. Aside from the psychosocial influences, immigration-related challenges may cause hormonal, inflammatory immune, and microbiota changes that favor psychological and physical illnesses. Some biological alterations are subject to modification by epigenetic changes, which have implications for intergenerational trauma transmission, as might disruptions in parenting behaviors and family dysfunction. Despite the hardships experienced, many immigrants and their families exhibit positive psychological adjustment after resettlement. We provide information to diminish the impacts associated with immigration and offer strength-based approaches that may foster resilience.

Diurnal cortisol measures are distinctively associated with evaluation of neuroticism by self and others

The link between neuroticism and the various indicators of daily cortisol fluctuations is frequently noted to be inconsistent or lacking in strength. The current study aimed to investigate the predictive capacity of both self-assessment and external evaluations of neuroticism, along with their interaction, on multiple indices of diurnal cortisol variations. This research involved the assessment of neuroticism using self-report and external evaluations among 166 working individuals, coupled with the collection of saliva samples over two consecutive workdays. Employing multilevel response surface analysis, our findings indicated that self-reported neuroticism exhibited a stronger association with cortisol indices compared to external evaluations. Additionally, the level of alignment between self-assessment and external ratings of neuroticism specifically impacted the prediction of estimates of daily cortisol production. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results.

Examining the Role of Cultural and Family Factors in Substance Use Risk Among Indian American Youth

INTRODUCTION

Although Indian Americans constitute the second-largest immigrant group in the United States, there is a paucity of information about Indian American youth, particularly with respect to substance use risk. We examined the relationship of social factors to permissive substance use beliefs (a proxy for substance use risk since they can lead to adulthood substance use and misuse) and family functioning.

METHODS

The study used structural equation modeling to examine the prevalence of permissive substance use beliefs in a sample of Indian American youth ages 12-17 (N = 223) and examined the degree to which discrimination, bicultural identity integration, and endorsement of the model minority stereotype were associated with permissive substance use beliefs.

RESULTS

Findings suggest that bicultural identity integration (B = 0.267 [SE = 0.112], p = 0.01) and discrimination (B = 0.294 [SE = 0.087], p = 0.001) are positively associated with permissive substance use beliefs. Bicultural identity integration (B = 0.415 [SE = 0.090], p = 0.0001) was positively associated with family support (B= -0.329 [SE = 0.108], p = 0.002) which, in turn, was associated with less permissive substance use beliefs. In contrast, endorsement of the model minority stereotype (B = 0.351 [SE = 0.090], p = 0.001) was positively associated with family closeness (B = 0.232 [SE = 0.927], p = 0.01) which, in turn, was associated with family support and then with less permissive substance use beliefs.

CONCLUSIONS

Discrimination and bicultural identity integration emerged as key constructs related to substance use risk among Indian American youth. These youth could benefit from culturally appropriate prevention programming that addresses the negative impact of discrimination and its effect on permissive substance use beliefs and highlights protective factors.

Attachment insecurity, heart rate variability, and perceived social support in a diverse sample of young adults

Psychological and physical factors are robustly associated with perceived social support. Drawing from the literature on attachment style in adults and psychophysiology, we examined the possibility that the interaction of attachment insecurity and resting heart rate variability (HRV) was associated with perceived social support in a diverse sample of young adults living in the U.S (N = 145, Mage = 20.45) that was majority Latino (n = 77). Analyses revealed three key findings. First, in the overall sample, attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety were negatively associated with perceived social support, but in the Latino sample, only attachment avoidance was negatively associated with perceived social support. Second, HRV was not associated with perceived social support in the overall sample nor in the Latino sample. Third, attachment insecurity and HRV interacted to predict perceived social support only in the Latino sample such that, for those with lower levels of HRV, attachment anxiety was positively associated with perceived social support. This study underscores the importance of examining both psychological and physiological processes with careful consideration of ethnicity/culture in order to better understand perceived social support.

Acculturation strategies and blood cortisol in colombian Migrants in Chile

BACKGROUND

migration is a worldwide phenomenon that is growing at an accelerated pace. When people who migrate come into contact with a new culture, they are immersed in a process called acculturation. In this process, people oscillate between maintaining their own culture or acquiring the culture and customs of the host country, resulting in the so-called acculturation strategies. According to Berry's proposal, there are four main acculturation strategies: assimilation, integration, marginalization and separation. The few existing studies of Latinos in an Anglo-Saxon country relate the use of the integration strategy (biculturalism) with lower cortisol levels. No studies have been found on the subject in Latino migrants in a Latino country.

METHOD

a cross-sectional design was used to analyze the relationship between acculturation strategies and blood cortisol levels, based on the hypothesis that an integration strategy or biculturalism would be linked to lower cortisol levels. The study involved 314 Colombian migrants in Chile, who were evaluated with a scale of acculturation strategies according to the model proposed by Berry, in addition to providing blood samples to analyze cortisol levels.

RESULTS

migrants who show a preference for leave behind the culture of the country of origin have higher levels of cortisol ng/ml in blood. According to multiple comparisons the mean cortisol value was significantly different between integrated and assimilated subjects, with the mean cortisol of the integrated being significantly lower than that of the subjects typed as marginalized.

CONCLUSION

The patterns of the relationship between biculturalism and cortisol found in Latino migrants in Anglo-Saxon countries are repeated in Latino migrants in a Latino country. It is necessary to explore the influence of other variables in this relationship, since it seems that the best adaptive strategy, and therefore the cortisol response, will vary according to the socio-cultural context of the host country.

Chinese American Adolescents' Experiences of COVID-19-Related Racial Discrimination and Anxiety: Person-Centered and Intersectional Approaches

The present study examined the impact of COVID-19-related racial discrimination on Chinese American adolescents (N = 213; M_age  = 13.95 years, SD = 2.35; 49% girls) at the intersection of race and gender. We explored (1) subgroups of adolescents based on ethnic identity, bicultural identity integration, and behavioral acculturation; (2) their demographic correlates; and (3) whether the association between racial discrimination and anxiety varied across subgroups and gender. Latent profile analysis identified three profiles: bicultural, marginalized, and separated. Bicultural and marginalized adolescents were vulnerable to direct and vicarious racial discrimination, respectively. Moreover, bicultural and marginalized boys and separated girls were more negatively affected by COVID-19-related racial discrimination. The findings highlight the utility of person-centered and intersectional approaches in understanding Chinese American adolescents' experiences of racial discrimination.

Acculturation and biological stress markers: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

The association of acculturation with health among immigrant populations is believed to be mediated, in part, by acculturation-related stress and stress biology.

OBJECTIVES

To review and qualitatively synthesize empirical findings on the relationship of acculturation with stress-related inflammatory and endocrine biomarkers and composite allostatic load (AL) scores.

METHODS

A literature search was performed in the PubMed and PsycInfo databases. Article titles, abstracts or full-texts were screened and checked for match with the search criteria. Studies were eligible if they empirically tested the relationship between acculturation and inflammatory/endocrine stress biomarkers or composite AL scores, and were published in the English language.

RESULTS

Among the 41 articles identified as relevant and included in this review, the majority were published after 2010, included adult Hispanic U.S.-based populations, used cross-sectional study designs, operationalized acculturation as a unidimensional construct, and varied considerably in the selection of covariates in the analyses. Acculturation was significantly associated with stress biomarkers in 29 studies, but the direction of effects varied across studies. Specifically, acculturation, operationalized as a higher orientation towards the host culture, was associated with inflammatory biomarkers in 10 of 14 studies, with endocrine stress biomarkers in 12 of 20 studies, and with composite AL scores in 7 of 8 studies. Overall, language-based proxy measures of acculturation were related to higher levels of stress-related inflammatory and endocrine biomarkers and to lower levels of AL scores, whereas nativity-, generation status- and length of stay-based proxy measures of acculturation were related to higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers and AL score.

DISCUSSION

The majority of studies reported associations between measures of acculturation and stress biomarkers, however the directions of effects varied across studies. We suggest this heterogeneity may, in part, be a function of limitations imposed by cross-sectional research designs and unidimensional measures of acculturation measures, and we highlight the need for longitudinal studies and use of multidimensional measures of acculturation to better uncover the biobehavioral mechanisms and pathways linking acculturation with health outcomes.

Biculturalism and adjustment among U.S. Latinos: A review of four decades of empirical findings

Incorporating both heritage (e.g., Latino) and national (e.g., American) cultural systems into our sense of self (i.e., bicultural identity) and developing the ability to successfully respond to demands associated with each of these systems (i.e., bicultural competence) have been theorized to be central to the development and positive adjustment of U.S. Latinos, a group that represents a large segment of the country's population. In this comprehensive review, we examined empirical research on biculturalism among U.S. Latinos spanning four decades (1980-2020), with a focus on synthesizing the field's understanding of antecedents and consequents associated with biculturalism and identifying directions for future research. Our review of 152 empirical articles revealed that this literature was characterized by multiple approaches to the conceptualization (i.e., dual-cultural adaptation, dual-cultural identity, bicultural identity integration, and bicultural competence) and subsequent operationalization of biculturalism. Although each conceptualization has different implications for the conclusions that can be drawn regarding an aspect or facet of biculturalism and potential influence on adjustment, a significant majority (78%) of studies, across conceptualizations, provided evidence supporting a positive association between biculturalism and Latinos' adjustment. In addition, a relatively small body of qualitative work was identified, and findings largely informed potential antecedents of biculturalism. We review this literature with attention to: the aspects of biculturalism that are associated with Latinos' adjustment (i.e., psychosocial and physical health), how sample characteristics may limit the generalizability of this work, and important directions for future research both in terms of conceptualization and study design.