Acculturation, acculturative stress, religiosity and psychological adjustment among Muslim Arab American adolescents

Abstract

Whether born in the United States or being immigrants, Arab American youth may experience challenges related to maintaining their heritage culture's traditions and values and the degree to which they participate in mainstream American tra ditions. The goals of this research study were to see how acculturation, acculturative stress, and religiosity were associated with psychological adjustment among Muslim Arab American adolescents. One hundred twenty-eight Arab American adolescents (ages 11-21) completed measures of demographic characteristics, acculturation, acculturative stress, religiosity, and social desirability. Age, gender, religiosity, and length of time in the U.S. were found to significantly predict heritage cultural orientation but not mainstream cultural orientation. Moreover, acculturation and acculturative stress significantly predicted psychological problems but not overall competence. The implications of the study address how practitioners may consider religion, acculturation, and related stressors when working with Muslim Arab American adolescents.