Mexican American Mental Health - Article Example

Mexican American Ethnic Identity Mexican Americans have come to the United s seeking a better life. In many cases they have done so at the riskof putting aside their ethnic identity. For many this has created a gap in their development as American citizens and it has created stressful situations as they attempt to relate to a new culture. Ethnic identity has an important role in the lives of most people but for people of color it is not only a role but a way of life. When ethnic identity is threatened or ignored by people outside the culture, it is difficult for Mexican Americans to understand the reasons. There are many challenges with acculturation for Mexican Americans and some of it happens because of the stress that they are put under by Americans who do not understand different cultures. Some people automatically have a problem with "foreigners" who do not speak English well and they are sometimes angry because there is a push for the United States to become more bilingual. For the individual who is moving towards acculturation it is difficult to fit in when people have not created a welcoming environment. Current generations of Mexican Americans can have differences in how they were raised. Some may be raised in total Mexican homes that continue their culture and their language while others may be raised in multi-ethnic homes without a strong ethnic identity. According to Jimenez (2004) Mexican Americans are the "second largest minority group in the United States" (p. 75) which was 7.3% of the population in 2003. The research that he conducted described how offspring of one Mexican-descent parent and one Mexican non-descent parent were affected by ethnic identity. Jimenez studied 20 families to see how the children identified themselves and the ramifications of their choices. One of the challenges he found was that Mexican American children who tried to adopt a totally Mexican American ethnic identity were not seen as having a "real" Mexican identity. Although it is natural for them to want to identify as Mexican Americans because the environment in which they live supports this, they can still have problems with ethnic barriers when there are "sharp division between ethnic categories" making it difficult for them to feel comfortable in any one environment (Jimenez, p. 76). When an individual lives within an area where multiethnic groups are accepted, there tends to be a vocabulary that people develop within the culture to help the dominant culture understand the multiethnic group. This makes it more comfortable for a multiethnic person to express themselves easily. Jimenez gave the example of people living in Hawaii and the fact that they are used to seeing multiethnic identities and this makes it an available aspect for them to celebrate. For them this shapes the way that they see their identity because they do not have to only use one. They understand that there are contributions from many different cultures that make up their families. Jimenez suggested that although there is a high rate of Mexican American intermarriage, Mexican ethnic identity is still prominent in the United States because of the "continued large waves of immigration from Mexico refresh it" (p. 78). In this case Mexican Americans are able to survive acculturation because they have people who understand the fact that there are many different people who can be called "Mexican American". When Mexican Americans come to the United States they are exposed to certain cultural values that all ethnic groups must experience. Mexican women as an example, are particularly vulnerable because they are exposed to the Anglo Americans idea of "beauty." For some women this means they will have challenges with their body image and may develop eating disorders. Kiang et al. (2006) researched the psychological well-being of Mexican American adolescents regarding this issue of eating disorders. They found that the closer to their ethnic identity these adolescents felt, the better their mental health. Specifically they found that when an individual had positive perceptions of their ethnic identity, they were able to get through stressful situations by falling back on their ethnic identity. (p. 1347). Another challenge that some Mexican American women have when they are inundated by the Anglo idea of beauty and thinness is that they may begin to have challenges with their own body identity; this can result in problems with the identification of their ethnicity. Bettendorf and Fisher (2009) found that there was a link between acculturation, eating disorders and body image challenges (p. 340). In their study they explored the sociocultural model as it applied to Mexican American women. Those people who have been exposed to "Western societies’ emphasis on thinness may be more prone to exhibiting eating disorders than are those who have not" (p. 431). The study also found that women who had "stronger ethnic identities may be more focused on the interests of their cultural group than on their individual bodily attributes…" (Bettendorf and Fisher, p. 431). Ethnic identity is not something that just appears because an individual is born into a certain ethnic group; it is something that has to be nurtured over time. When an individual comes from a nurturing environment they have a tendency to be stronger within themselves if they have been allowed to express themselves easily. Guzman, Santiago-Rivera and Haase (2005) studied Mexican American college students to examine how their ethnic identity influenced the way they thought about achievement. They first outlined three stages of ethnic development: 1. In the unexamined stage, the individual has not developed a self-concept of their own yet and they accept the attitudes that are apparent in their environment. 2. In the exploration stage an individual begins to develop a relationship with their ethnic identity and they are able to see that it sometimes means discrimination. 3. In the achieved stage an individual realizes they are a member of an ethnic group and they develop a strong sense of self-esteem and ethnic identity. (Guzman, Santiago-Rivera and Haase, p. 4). These stages are important because, although ethnic identity is a process that continues throughout an individuals life, basic development happens when they are younger. When this identity is strong the individual can depend on it when they are in daily stressful situations. Without a strong ethnic identity they may need to seek professional help in order to resolve problems that can occur. Ramos-Sánchez, and Atkinson (2009) studied the relationship between acculturation and cultural values, gender and help seeking intentions. They were particularly interested in college students and how they used or did not use counseling services. They created this research because statistics showed that by the year 20/20 Latinos and Latinas will make up about 15% of the population in the United States; in some states Mexican Americans are already passing other minority groups in numbers (p. 62). As more Mexican Americans come into the United States there will be more demand for mental health services. The goal of the researchers was to understand why counseling services are not utilized as much by Mexican Americans as they are by other groups. Their research was extensive in this area. In some of the literature cited, it was noted that "psychological stress from immigration, poverty and acculturation" (p. 62) was some of the reason why Mexican Americans needed counseling. Although this stress exists, most Mexican Americans will not go to counseling or if they go, many do not return after the first visit. Their research showed that there were several reasons why counseling did not seem important to Mexican Americans. One of these reasons was the lack of acculturation. They found that families that were "more highly acculturated" tended to have a more positive attitude towards using mental health services (Ramos-Sánchez, and Atkinson, p. 64) and they had a tendency to be more involved with the American ideals instead of their own culture; this is what made them move forward with mental health services. For those who were not very acculturated mental health services went against their beliefs and values. In another study of traditional Mexican values researchers found that counseling often conflicts with the beliefs or values of Mexican Americans. The researchers gave the example of the belief by some of this group that if they go outside the family for advice or counseling it means that they do not trust "familism"; problems are supposed to be kept within the family. For men it is not macho to seek help because of the machismo image and if someone seeks help they may be seen as "weak". These factors alone can stop someone from seeking counseling services (p. 63). Another example showed that when "lower generation" Mexican Americans were strongly attached to their culture, they were more likely to seek help than those who had been in the country for a period of time. As they move away from culture they are more likely to have less favorable attitudes towards using counseling services (Ramos-Sánchez, and Atkinson, p. 68). A contributing factor to whether Mexican Americans use counseling services is whether the counselor is bilingual. This issue was researched by Ramos-Sánchez (2009) because research showed that " bilingual counselors serve the linguistic needs of bilingual clients better than do monolingual (English) counselors" (311). Santiago-Rivera found that having a bilingual counselor allowed Mexican Americans greater freedom of expression and they could use whatever language that was most comfortable for them to use in a session; without it they were not able to express as freely (As quoted in Ramos-Sànchez, p. 312). The research that Ramos-Sànchez conducted did not show that a counselors credibility was determined by whether they were bilingual or not and it was not able to show that Mexican Americans would use counseling more often with a bilingual counselor. Gamst et al. (2002) studied the effects of acculturation and ethnic identity on Mexican American mental health. Their research was geared towards utilizing another research study and expanding on it. Their study observed 204 Latino American clients and caregivers of clients who took part in a Tri-County Mental Health facility. Within the sample that they observed the people who used the mental health facility were usually referred by someone else. They also were first generation immigrants. Their study also showed that there was a very strong need for bilingual counselors to assist this population in order for them to receive the care they needed. Acculturation was also a factor also because those who were first generation immigrants preferred someone of the same ethnicity while those who were more acculturated said it did not matter or they would accept an Anglo counselor (p. 496). The research is clear that there are challenges for Mexican Americans when they come to the United States and immigration is a very stressful situation. Part of the challenge is that people who are constantly subjected to poverty, discrimination and unequal healthcare treatment have more difficulties in general (Flores, Tschann, Bachen, Pasch, and de Groat, 2008, p. 402). Add to these factors challenges with crowded housing and unsafe neighborhoods, many Mexican Americans have poorer physical and mental health. Flores et al. studied the effects of these factors on Mexican American origin adult immigrants and specifically sought to answer several questions. They wanted to understand whether perceived discrimination would create depression, general ill health or mental health symptoms in this population even when the stressors were taken into account. Their findings showed that stress from perceived discrimination in addition to stress from the daily riggers of life in a new cultural environment "places them [Mexican-origin adults] at increased risk for health and mental health problems" (p.414). Some researchers believe that as more Mexican Americans come into the country there will be more of a need for mental health services. If this is the case, it will mean that more counselors will need to become bilingual in order to create a space where Mexican Americans can be comfortable talking about the situations that bring them to counseling. It is also clear that acculturation and a strong ethnic identity have an impact on how Mexican Americans are able to develop positive self-esteem under these stressful situations. References Bettendorf, S. K. and Fischer, A.R. Cultural strengths as moderators of the relationship between acculturation to the mainstream U.S. society and eating- and body-related concerns among Mexican American women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56 (3), July 2009. pp. 430-440. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from psyINFO EBSCOhost database [AN: 2009-10122-008]. Flores, E., Tschann, J.M., Bachen, E.A., Pasch, L.A., and de Groat, C.L. (2008). Perceived discrimination, perceived stress, and mental and physical health among Mexican-Origin Adults. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 30: pp. 401 - 424. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from Sage Publications. [DOI: 10.1177/0739986308323056]. Gamst, G., Dana, R. H., Der-Karabetian, A., Aragón, M., Arellano, L. M. and Kramer, Terry (2002). Effects of latino acculturation and ethnic identity on mental health outcomes. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 24; 479. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from Sage Publications. [DOI: 10.1177/0739986302238216]. Guzmán .R., Santiago-Rivera, A.L. (2005). Understanding academic attitudes and achievement in Mexican-origin youths: ethnic identity, other-group orientation, and fatalism. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology 11 (1), pp. 3-15. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from psyARTICLES MEDLINE Database [PMID: 15727491]. Jimenez, T.R. (2004). Negotiating ethnic boundaries: Multiethnic Mexican Americans and ethnic identity in the United States. Ethnicities. 4 (1). Pgs. 75-97. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from Sage Publications. [DOI: 10.1177/1468796804040329]. Kiang, L., Yip, T., Gonzales-Backen, M., Witkow, M., and Fuligni, A. J. (2006). .Ethnic identity and the daily psychological well-being of adolescents from Mexican and Chinese Backgrounds. Child Development, 77 (5) pp. 1338-1350. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from psyINFO [AN: 2006-13159-016]. Ramos-Sánchez, L. (2009). Counselor bilingual ability, counselor ethnicity, acculturation, and Mexican Americans perceived counselor credibility. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87 (3), p311-318. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from Academic Search Premier EBSCOhost. [AN: 42842834] Ramos-Sánchez, L., Atkinson, D. R., (2009). The relationships between Mexican American acculturation, cultural values, gender, and help-seeking intentions. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(1), pp. 62-71. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from psyINFO database. [AN: 2008-19113-009]. Read More