Central American Immigrants in California NATURE OF THE STUDY Background of t

The Central American immigrant population is one that suffers from a wide variety of social problems and represents the poorest population of all minority populations in California (Davis, 1993). The poverty rates for this group are twice as high as those for other minority groups such as blacks.

The rates of both medical symptoms and mental disorders are much higher than those of the general population (Williams & Berry, 1991) and the services provided to them are said to generally be inadequate. Moreover, because of their often illegal status, there is a reluctance on the part of many Central American immigrants to seek out and utilize provided services (Gong-Guy, Cravens & Patterson, 1991).

Within Central American immigrant groups, women are said to have an especially difficult time, often because they are single mothers responsible for both earning a living and raising young children.

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nditions and circumstances under which many Central American immigrants live provide context to the conducted research. Further, this description highlights the importance of understanding the psychoemotional status of Central American immigrants. They too often exist in a context in which having fled from countries of chaos and strife, fearing for their lives and lacking essential freedoms, they now arrive in a city where they are subject to numerous dangers and are likely to be embroiled in various forms of ethnic strife. And it is within this context, that depression and acculturation level must be understood. Acculturation Level Among Central American Immigrants According to Williams and Berry (1991), difficulties with acculturation can lead to stress as a result of the changes that must be made as one moves residence from a native culture into a different culture. Signs of acculturation stress include feelings of marginality and alienation, heightened psychosomatic symptoms, and identity confusion. In their study of acculturation, Rogler, Cortes and Malgady (1991) noted that determining the contribution of this variable to the mental health status of Central American immigrant groups is difficult. First, the determ
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Approximate Pages = 37 (250 words per page)