THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACCULTURATION, ACCULTURATIVE STRESS, AND NON-SUICIDAL SELF-INJURY IN FIRST- AND SECOND-GENERATION EMERGING ADULT IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Back to Page Authors: Aiyana Rice

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Keywords: immigration, acculturation, acculturative stress, non-suicidal self-injury

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Abstract: Despite first- and second-generation immigrants comprising nearly a quarter of the U.S. population, these groups reflect consistent exclusion in social science research. One such area of exclusion is non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). For immigrants, engagement in NSSI reflects a number of different variables: two notable contributions include the amount that they adopt American culture (acculturation) and stresses related to this adoption process (acculturative stress). This stress can lead to feelings of a lack of belonging to either American culture or their own culture. As these individuals are developing both their personal and ethnic identities, a strategy for belonging is important for healthy development. This study aimed to (1) contribute to the lacking body of research on the prevalence rates of NSSI for U.S. immigrants, and (2) examine the differences in and the relationship between NSSI engagement, degree of acculturation, and level of acculturative stress for a sample of first- and second-generation emerging adult U.S. immigrants. Participants included 80 individuals recruited from MTurk and the Lancaster, PA area who completed an online survey. 21% of the sample endorsed NSSI. A weak negative association between acculturation and acculturative stress was found, rs(80) = -.319, p = .002. No significant differences were found between generations, and no correlations were found between NSSI and (a) acculturation or (b) acculturative stress. A thematic analysis revealed that the acculturative stress of participants originated from a lack of belonging as a consequence of intolerance and cultural norms. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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