Clarifying the relation of acculturative stress and anxiety/depressive symptoms: The role of anxiety sensitivity among Hispanic college students. uri icon

abstract

  • OBJECTIVES: Recent work has highlighted the link between acculturative stress and depression/anxiety symptoms among Hispanic young adults, but the nature of these relations is not well understood. The present study aimed to clarify the relation between acculturative stress and depression/anxiety symptoms by examining anxiety sensitivity, globally and via subfactors, as an explanatory variable. METHOD: A cross-sectional sample of 788 Hispanic college students (80.8% female; Mage = 20.83 years, SD = 1.93) was recruited from a southwestern public university and completed an online self-report assessment battery. RESULTS: Acculturative stress exerted an indirect effect, via the global construct of anxiety sensitivity, on depression symptoms, suicidality, anxious arousal, and social anxiety symptoms. Follow-up simultaneous analytic models demonstrated indirect effects via the anxiety sensitivity subfactors that were pathognomonic with each of the specific affective outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the utility of assessing and targeting anxiety sensitivity in the treatment of acculturative stress-related depression/anxiety problems among Hispanic college students. (PsycINFO Database Record

published proceedings

  • Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol

author list (cited authors)

  • Jardin, C., Mayorga, N. A., Bakhshaie, J., Garey, L., Viana, A. G., Sharp, C., Cardoso, J. B., & Zvolensky, M. J.

complete list of authors

  • Jardin, Charles||Mayorga, Nubia A||Bakhshaie, Jafar||Garey, Lorra||Viana, Andres G||Sharp, Carla||Cardoso, Jodi Berger||Zvolensky, Michael J