Encephale
Volume 41, Issue 4, 2015, Pages 309-313

Acculturation orientations and psychosocial adaptation among adolescents with immigrant background [Orientations d'acculturation et adaptation psychosociale des adolescents issus de l'immigration] (Article)

Goutaudier N. , Chauchard E. , Melioli T. , Valls M. , Van Leeuwen N. , Chabrol H.*
  • a Laboratoire CERPP-OCTOGONE, UFR de Psychologie, Université de Toulouse, 5, allées Antonio-Machado, Toulouse Cedex 9, 31058, France
  • b Laboratoire CERPP-OCTOGONE, UFR de Psychologie, Université de Toulouse, 5, allées Antonio-Machado, Toulouse Cedex 9, 31058, France
  • c Laboratoire CERPP-OCTOGONE, UFR de Psychologie, Université de Toulouse, 5, allées Antonio-Machado, Toulouse Cedex 9, 31058, France
  • d Laboratoire CERPP-OCTOGONE, UFR de Psychologie, Université de Toulouse, 5, allées Antonio-Machado, Toulouse Cedex 9, 31058, France, UER Développement de L'enfant À L'adulte, HEP Lausanne, avenue de Cour 33, Lausanne, Suisse, 1007, Switzerland
  • e Laboratoire CERPP-OCTOGONE, UFR de Psychologie, Université de Toulouse, 5, allées Antonio-Machado, Toulouse Cedex 9, 31058, France
  • f Laboratoire CERPP-OCTOGONE, UFR de Psychologie, Université de Toulouse, 5, allées Antonio-Machado, Toulouse Cedex 9, 31058, France

Abstract

Objective. - The aim of the study was to explore the typology of adolescents with immigrant background based on the orientations of acculturation and to estimate the psychosocial adaptation of the various subtypes. Method. - A sample of 228 French high school students with an immigrant background completed a questionnaire assessing acculturation orientations (Immigrant Acculturation Scale; Barrette et al., 2004), antisocial behaviors, depressive symptoms and self-esteem. Cluster analysis based on acculturation orientations was performed using the k-means method. Results. - Cluster analysis produced four distinct acculturation profiles: bicultural (31%), sepa-rated (28%), marginalized (21%), and assimilated-individualistic (20%). Adolescents in the separated and marginalized clusters, both characterized by rejection of the host culture, reported higher levels of antisocial behavior. Depressive symptoms and self-esteem did not differ between clusters. Discussion. - Several hypotheses may explain the association between separation and delin-quency. First, separation and rejection of the host culture may lead to rebellious behavior such as delinquency. Conversely, delinquent behavior may provoke rejection or discrimination by peers or school, or legal sanctions that induce a reciprocal process of rejection ofthe host culture and separation. The relationship between separation and antisocial behavior may be bidirectional, each one reinforcing the other, resulting in a negative spiral. This study confirms the interest of the study of the orientations of acculturation in the understanding of the antisocial behavior of adolescents with immigrant background. © 2014 L'Encéphale, Paris.

Author Keywords

Antisocial behavior Cluster analysis Adolescence Acculturation

Index Keywords

cultural anthropology antisocial personality disorder depression immigrant social psychology orientation human Adaptation, Psychological self esteem antisocial behavior Surveys and Questionnaires cluster analysis Humans migrant psychology Adolescent Psychology, Adolescent Emigrants and Immigrants child psychology Acculturation adaptive behavior questionnaire self concept cultural factor Article social adaptation major clinical study high school student
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84952652011&doi=10.1016%2fj.encep.2014.10.020&partnerID=40&md5=d2b2b0c13defe9a1290960f5091e7194
DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2014.10.020
ISSN: 00137006
Cited by: 1
Original Language: French