新作坊

Acculturation, psychological distress, and alcohol use: Investigating the effects of ethnic identity and religiosity.

摘要：

Examined how acculturation (including age during immigration, length of residence in the US, and language abilities), ethnic identity, and religiosity are linked, as well as their influence on psychological distress (PD) and alcohol dependence (AD) among Filipino American immigrants. Data were collected from the Filipino American Epidemiological Study. Analyses were based on interview data from 1,796 respondents (aged 18-65 yrs). Results show that the developmental context of immigration and the time spent in the US have strong implications for lowering indicators of ethnic identity. Strong English proficiency enhances the sense of ethnic identity. Only English language proficiency was a significant predictor of religious behavior. AD was inversely affected by age during immigration. When controlling for other demographic and acculturation variables, analyses show that ethnic identity was an especially significant variable in predicting PD. Findings indicate that ethnic identity and religiosity partially mediate the effect of age during immigration on AD. Results suggest that age during immigration has direct and indirect effects on AD. It is concluded that ethnic identity and religiosity are significant factors in reducing the risk of AD.