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- Title
Acculturation and Risk Behavior among Pregnant Mexican American Females: A Structural Equation Model.
- Authors
Peterson, Gary W.; Cobas, José A.; Balcazar, Hector; Amling, Jeffrey W.
- Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model designed to predict risk behavior (i.e., cigarette and/or alcohol use in a sample of Mexican American females who were pregnant and ranged in age from adolescence to early adulthood. The model consisted of six hypothesized predictors-acculturation status, intergenerational family conflict, acculturative stress. educational attainment, household income, and age of respondent, which were proposed as antecedents of risk behavior Structural equation modeling was used to test both the direct and indirect effects for a set of proposed antecedents to the tendency for Mexican American females to engage in risk behaviors. Several of the hypothesized relationships were supported. with the strongest predictors of risk behavior being acculturation status, intergenerational family conflict, and acculturative stress. An important conclusion was that risk behavior by Mexican American females increased as they became more acculturated to the social circumstances of the U.S. Another notable result was that risk behavior increased among Mexican American females as they experienced higher levels of intergenerational conflict within their families.
- Subjects
ATTITUDE (Psychology); RISK-taking behavior; ALCOHOL &; Hispanic Americans; MEXICAN Americans; CIGARETTE smokers; ACCULTURATION
- Publication
Sociological Inquiry, 1998, Vol 68, Issue 4, p536
- ISSN
0038-0245
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1475-682X.1998.tb00484.x