Professional psychologists who serve Hispanic populations do not routinely use acculturation instruments. Recommendations for use of five adequately conceptualized and validated acculturation measures are presented. Cultural identity information facilitates selection of standard psychological tests or culture-specific instruments. Such information also informs clinical diagnosis, personality description, therapeutic assessment, and psychotherapy. Some issues germane to underutilization of acculturation measures in assessment practice and ethical considerations are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association
. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
American Psychological Association
. (1992). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 47, 1597-1611.
3.
Berry, J. W.
(1989). Psychology of acculturation. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 39, 201-234.
4.
Betancourt, H.
, & L6pez, S. R. (1993). The study of culture, ethnicity, and race in American psychology. American Psychologist, 48, 629-637.
5.
Cervantes, R. C.
, & Arroyo, W. (1994). DSM-IV. Implications for Hispanic children and adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 16, 8-27.
6.
Cudllar, I.
, Arnold, B., & Gonzalez, G. (1995). Cognitive referents of acculturation: Assessment of cultural constructs in Mexican Americans. Journal of Community Psychology, 23, 339-356.
7.
Cudllar, I.
, Arnold, B., & Maldonado, R. (1995). Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II: A revision of the original ARSMA scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 17, 275-304.
8.
Cuellar, I., Dana, R. H., & GonzAlez, G. (1995). Competent psychological assessment with Hispanics: A DSM-IV culturalformulation approach using DSM-IV. Unpublished manuscript.
9.
Cudllar, I.
, Harris, L. C., & Jasso, R. (1980). An acculturation scale forMexican American normal and clinical populations. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2, 197-217.
10.
Cudllar, I.
, & Roberts, R. E. (1984). Psychological disorders among Chicanos. In J. L. Martinez, Jr., & R. H. Mendoza (Eds.), Chicano psychology (2nd ed.; pp. 133-161). New York: Academic Press.
11.
Dana, R. H.
(1992). Assessment of cultural orientation. SPA Exchange, 2(2), 14-15.
12.
Dana, R. H.
(1993). Multicultural assessment perspectives for professional psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
13.
Dana, R. H.
(1994). Testing and assessment ethics for all persons: Beginning and agenda. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 25, 349-354.
14.
Dana, R. H.
(1995). Culturally competent MMPI assessment of Hispanic populations. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 17, 305-319.
15.
Geisinger, K. F.
(Ed.). (1992). Psychological testing of Hispanics. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
16.
Marin, G.
, & Marin, B. V. (1991). Applied social science research methods series: Vol. 23. Research with Hispanic populations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
17.
Marin, G.
, Sabogal, F., VannOss Marin, B., Otero-Sabogal, R., & Perez-Stable, E. J. (1987). Development of a short acculturation scale for Hispanics. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 9, 183-205.
18.
Mendoza, R. H.
(1989). An empirical scale to measure type and degree of acculturation in Mexican-American adolescents and adults. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 20, 372-385.
19.
Moyerman, D. R.
, &Forman, B. D. (1992). Acculturation and adjustment: Ameta-analytic study. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 14, 163-200.
20.
Neff, J. A.
, & Hoppe, S. K. (1991). Race/ethnicity, acculturation, and psychological distress. Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 3-20.
21.
Negy, C.
, & Woods, D. J. (1992). The importance of acculturation in understanding research with Hispanic-Americans. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 14, 224-247.
22.
NIMH-Sponsored Group on Culture and Diagnosis
. (1993, January). Cultural proposals and supporting papers for DSM-IV. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
23.
Olmedo, E. L.
(1979). Acculturation: A psychometric perspective. American Psychologist, 34, 1061-1070.
24.
Olmedo, E. L.
, Martinez, J. L., & Martinez, S. R. (1978). Measure of acculturation for Chicano adolescents. Psychological Reports, 42, 159-170.
25.
Olmedo, E. L.
, & Padilla, A. M. (1978). Empirical and construct validation of a measure of acculturation for Mexican Americans. Journal of Social Psychology, 105, 179-187.
26.
Padilla, A. M.
(1980). The role of cultural awareness and ethnic loyalty in acculturation. In A. M. Padilla (Ed.), Acculturation: Theory, models and some newfindings (AAAS Selected Symposium; pp. 47-84). Boulder, CO: Westview.
27.
Pierce, R. C.
, Clark, M., & Kiefer, C. W. (1972). A "bootstrap" scaling technique. Human Organization, 31, 403-410.
28.
Ponterotto, J. G.
, & Casas, J. M. (1991). Handbook of racial/ethnic minority counseling research. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
29.
Ramirez, M., III
. (1983). Psychology of the Americas: Mestizo perspectives on personality and mental health. New York: Pergamon.
30.
Ramirez, M., III
. (1984). Assessing and understanding biculturalism-multiculturalism in Mexican-American adults. In J. L. Martinez, Jr., & R. H. Mendoza (Eds.), Chicano psychology (2nd ed., pp. 77-94). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
31.
Rogler, L. H.
, Cortes, D. E., & Malgady, R. G. (1991). Acculturation and mental health among Hispanics. American Psychologist, 46, 585-597.
32.
Rogler, L. H.
, Malgady, R. G., & Rodriguez, O. (1989). Hispanics and mental health: A framework. Malabar, FL: Krieger.
33.
Szapocznik, J.
, & Kurtines, W. M. (1993). Family psychology and cultural diversity: Opportunities for theory, research, and application. American Psychologist, 48, 400-407.
34.
Szapocznik, J.
, Kurtines, W. M., & Fernandez, T. (1980). Bicultural involvementand adjustment in Hispanic-American youths. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 4, 353-365.
