Contributions of Documentation Status, Spiritual Coping, and Acculturation on the Stress Level of Adult Hispanic Immigrants

1 online resource (106 pages) : PDF

2018

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

ABSTRACTELBA CAROLINA BENITEZ. Contributions of Documentation Status, Spiritual Coping, and Acculturation on the Stress Level of Adult Hispanic Immigrants(Under the direction of DR. PHYLLIS POST)Nearly 35% of the more than 55 million Hispanics who live in the United States are foreign-born (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016). The Pew Research Center (2017b) reported that in 2015, approximately 11 million of these were undocumented immigrants. Research has suggested that the mental health of Hispanics is indisputably connected to the immigration experience. Counselors predict that the impact of current political and societal disputes surrounding this population is having a detrimental effect on their mental health and, more specifically, their stress level. Clinicians and, therefore, counselor educators are called upon to the psychological needs of ethnic populations such as Hispanics from a framework that addresses cultural values, communication styles, and socioeconomic factors. Therefore, it is imperative that researchers work to provide counselor educators and clinicians with the tools necessary to assess, diagnose, treat, and support Hispanic clients. This study sought to examine how relevant stressors such as documentation status, spiritual coping, and acculturation precede stress and contribute to that literature.The sample in this study included 139 foreign-born adult Hispanics. The sample was recruited from the researchers established network with two local churches and a local health clinic, all with a predominantly Hispanic representation. Participants responded to the survey in person, anonymously. The complete survey included the Abbreviated Version of the Hispanic Stress Inventory for Immigrants, Spiritual Coping Strategies Scale, and the Psychological Acculturation Scale, and a demographic questionnaire, totaling 58 questions.A standard regression analysis was used to analyze the data, which indicated that documentation status, spiritual coping, and acculturation did not contribute to stress levels in the sample. Findings indicated a small correlation between documentation status and stress and no correlation with the other two variables. Implications for counselors and counselor educators and recommendations for future research are discussed in light of the observations made by the researcher.

doctoral dissertations

Counseling psychology
Mental health

Ph.D.

Acculturation
Documentation Status
Hispanic Immigrants
Spiritual Coping
Stress

Counseling

Post, Phyllis

Abrams, Lyndon
Coria-Sanchez, Carlos
Flowers, Claudia
Foxx, Sejal

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2018.

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Benitez_uncc_0694D_11639

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:933