| A dramatic increase in the number of Hispanics living in the United States over the last few decades calls for counselors and other education researchers to examine those factors that both encourage and inhibit positive adjustment and acculturation patterns. Moreover, counselors can provide more comprehensive services by fully understanding the overall development and adjustment of Hispanic-American youth. Previous research has shown the following three factors to be, paramount in the overall adjustment and development of this population: acculturation patterns, acculturative stress, and problematic behavior tendencies. Although research that focuses on minority adolescents and problematic behavior is increasing, many research deficiencies still exist. This study attempts to address some of those deficiencies.; Hispanic-American adolescents from the Northern Virginia region were asked to complete a packet of questionnaires related to demographic information, acculturation, acculturative stress, and problematic behaviors. These questionnaires were analyzed to examine the relationships between acculturation level and acculturative stress, acculturative stress and overall problematic behavior, and acculturative stress and specific problematic behaviors. Significant relationships existed between acculturation levels and acculturative stress, between acculturative stress and overall problematic behavior, and between acculturative stress and specific problematic behaviors. The results of this study illustrate that the manner in which an individual adjusts to American culture is sometimes related to his or her acculturative stress level. Furthermore, his study demonstrates that acculturative stress is significantly related to maladaptative behaviors in Hispanic-American youth and emphasizes the importance of addressing both the stress and the problematic behavior when working with issues of maladaptation. |
