Unpacking the Benefits of Bicultural Competence: Latina/x/o College Students’ Academic and Psychosocial Adjustment

Abstract

Theories posit that bicultural competence, the ability to negotiate between U.S. mainstream culture and one’s own heritage culture, is an important cultural adaptation skill for Latina/x/o populations’ academic and psychosocial outcomes, in part, because of the ability to hold and resolve competing perspectives within and across contexts. However, more research is needed to identify the associations of distinct dimensions of bicultural competence to academic and psychosocial adjustment. The current study examined the concurrent and short-term, longitudinal association between bicultural competence (i.e., comfort, facility, and advantages) and Latina/x/o college students’ (N = 54; Mage = 19.94 years, SD = 1.43) academic and psychosocial adjustment. Bicultural comfort and facility, but not bicultural advantages, were concurrently associated with better academic and psychosocial adjustment. The findings highlight the need to help Latina/x/o college students feel positive and able about adapting to both cultures to improve their academic and psychosocial adjustment.