Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Nina Nabors

Abstract

Hispanic immigrant parents are a growing yet understudied population. Few studies have addressed the relationship between Hispanic immigrant parents and the acculturation process. The purpose of this study was to determine how acculturative stress, racism, language proficiency, poor coping style, and low levels of social support affect the psychological adjustment of Hispanic immigrant parents. Using the framework of acculturation theory, this quantitative study examined 92 immigrant Hispanic parents from an urban northeast school in the United States. Several established instruments that measured racism, coping style, language proficiency, social support, and psychological distress were used. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that as Spanish competencies pressure increased, depressive symptoms increased. In addition, as interpersonal support increased, depressive symptoms decreased. Contrary to recent literature, racism, coping style, and language proficiency were not predictive of psychological distress. This study contributes to positive social change by understanding how Spanish competencies pressure can cause psychological distress, thereby giving therapists the sapience to better treat this population with effective therapies such as social support, and thus improving the quality of life of this population.

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