Coping with Acculturation Stress: Latino Immigrants in Chile

Acculturative stress includes discrimination, socio-cultural differences, nostalgia for the place of origin and family separation, and immigrant minorities face it with behavioral and cognitive responses. 853 Peruvians and Colombians living in Chile were interviewed (51% woman, age M = 33.19, SD = 9.54) using acculturative stress and coping scales. Distance from home and family separation were the main source of stress among Colombians, who used more individual mobility, distraction and social comparisons as coping strategies, while Peruvians internalized more the immigrant stigma. Inter-group and temporary comparisons were more related to less acculturative stress. Stress coping strategies among immigrant minorities are discussed. Keyword: immigration; ethnicity; acculturative stress; coping Introduccion