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Acculturative Stress and Depressive Symptomatology Among Mexican and Mexican American Students in the U.S.: Examining Associations with Cultural Incongruity and Intragroup Marginalization

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Abstract

This study examined associations of intragroup marginalization and cultural incongruity with acculturative stress and depressive symptoms among 155 undergraduate U.S. college students of Mexican heritage. Findings indicate that perceived interpersonal distancing by the family (intragroup marginalization) and perceived lack of cultural fit between the respondent and academic institution (cultural incongruity) had statistically significant direct and indirect effects on depressive symptoms via acculturative stress. Results also show that 39.7 % of the variance corresponding with depressive symptoms was accounted for by intragroup marginalization, cultural incongruity, acculturative stress, and other exogenous variables.

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Funding Statement

This research was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute U54CA153505, R25T CA57730, K01 CA157689, K01 CA16067; the National Institute on Drug Abuse R25DA026401; and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality T32 HS017586-05.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1400 Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Miguel Ángel Cano & Marcel A. de Dios

  2. Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, 704 Harrington Tower, College Station, TX, 77843-4225, USA

    Linda G. Castillo

  3. School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Yessenia Castro

  4. Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, The University of Texas School of Public Health, 7000 Fannin Street, Suite 2558, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Angelica M. Roncancio

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  1. Miguel Ángel Cano
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  2. Linda G. Castillo
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Correspondence to Miguel Ángel Cano.

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Cano, M.Á., Castillo, L.G., Castro, Y. et al. Acculturative Stress and Depressive Symptomatology Among Mexican and Mexican American Students in the U.S.: Examining Associations with Cultural Incongruity and Intragroup Marginalization. Int J Adv Counselling 36, 136–149 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9196-6

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