The Assessment of Acculturation, Enculturation, and Culture in Asian-American Samples

Abstract

Based on the 2012 census, Asian-Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the USA- comprising 4.8 % of the US population, or 18.9 million individuals (US Census, 2013). Within this "Asian-American" group, however, exists tremendous variation. "Asian-Americans" not only vary in the specific countries they come from (e.g., China, Korea, Japan), but also in the length of time they have spent in the USA (e.g., 1 year vs. their entire lives), their generational status (e.g., first generation vs. third generation), their reasons for migrating to the USA (e.g., in search of occupational or educational opportuni- ties vs. to flee persecution in their homelands), and in their views of the USA (e.g., as a tempo- rary workplace vs. as a new home). In addition, there is tremendous variation in Asian- Americans' levels of engagement in American culture ("acculturation"), as well as their endorse- ment of specific Asian cultural ideas and prac- tices ("enculturation"). Scientists and clinicians alike have long acknowledged the importance of measuring this variation, whether to answer scientific questions regarding how cultural ideas and practices shape psychological processes, or Y.L. Zhang, M.A. (181) • J.L. Tsai, Ph.D. (181) Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall Bldg 420, Jordan Hall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA e-mail: ylzhang@stanford.edu; jltsai@stanford.edu to assess the mental health needs of specific Asian-American communities. In this chapter, we review the different instruments that have been used to assess acculturation, enculturation, and culture in Asian-American populations.