Biculturalism as a Protective Factor Against Antisocial Behavior

The current study examined the relation between antisocial behaviors and cultural status in a sample of Mexican American youth. Because rates of externalizing problems are high and because Mexican American children and adolescents represent the largest and fastest growing segments of the population, the present study sought to examine how attachment to cultural group might serve as a protective mechanism. Research shows that acculturation style can impact the prevalence of antisocial behavior and adaptive behavior. Because there have been methodological problems with measurements of acculturation, as it relates to both maladaptive and adaptive behavior, the current study examined the responses of 73 Mexican American students (ages 12-18) and their parents from two sites (an urban Midwest area and an urban and rural West Texas area). Using a series of ANOVA’s and t-tests, both antisocial and adaptive behavior was compared among three different types of acculturation style: acculturation, enculturation, and biculturation. The prediction that biculturated individuals will score lower on measures of antisocial behavior and higher on measures of adaptive behavior than their acculturated and enculturated cohorts was not supported. Implications of the findings and the relevance for grouping by acculturation status are discussed.