Acculturation and Post-migration Stress in Middle-aged Chinese Immigrant Women in Philadelphia: Variation between the Fujianese and the non-Fujianese Women

Abstract

This study examines acculturation and post-migration stress in 204 Fujianese immigrant women and 162 female immigrants from other parts of China currently residing in Philadelphia. Bivariate analyses showed variation in demographic characteristics between the Fujianese and non-Fujianese women was marginal, and both reported a unidimensional process of acculturation. However, the Fujianese women showed a higher level of post-migration stress. After controlling for demographic characteristics, more acculturated women reported greater post-migration stress. Further, separate multiple regression analyses for the Fujianese and the non-Fujianese women revealed different post-migration stress models.

KEYWORDS:

• Acculturation
• post-migration stress
• Chinese immigrant women
• Fujianese women

Notes

This study was partially supported by Grants 1R01CA106606 and P30 CA006929 to Dr. Marilyn Tseng from the National Institutes of Health, and a faculty research grant from the University of California, Berkeley. Rufina Wu at the University of California, Berkeley assisted with the literature search.

*p = .08, two-tailed tests.

*Significant difference between being Chinese and being American for all, Fujianese, and non-Fujianese, p < .005, two-tailed tests.

***p < .001;

**p < .005, two-tailed tests.

***p < .001;

**p < .005;

*p < .05, two-tailed test.