Walking Out of One Culture Into Another: Health Concerns of Early Adolescent Latinos

摘要

Adolescence is considered a critical life transition that can lead to heightened vulnerability.nAcculturation takes on increased importance during this period. The purpose of thisnstudy was to explore the relationship between acculturation and perceived health concerns ofnearly adolescent Latinos in rural North Carolina. A qualitative descriptive design using genderspecificnfocus groups was conducted in the summer of 2001. Twenty-six Latino adolescents, predominantlynfrom Mexico, participated in one of four focus groups. Acculturation was assessednusing the Short Acculturation Scale (Marin & Marin, 1991). The most prevalent health concernnof the girls was unsolicited physical contact and aggressive male behavior. Boys expressed concernsnabout stress related to financial worries and drinking alcohol. A better understanding of wherenLatino adolescents are located in the acculturation process can assist school nurses in developingntargeted school-based prevention programs that focus on building specific skills for Latino girlsnand boys.