Date of Award
6-1993
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. M. Michele Burnette
Abstract
High levels of stress in the general population have been found to correlate both with psychological and physical illness. The fast growing Hispanic population in the U.S. is exposed to increased levels of stress associated with a number of situations (e.g., language barriers, and socioeconomic status). There are, however, no validated stress measures applicable to the Hispanic community as a whole.
The purpose of this study was twofold: First, to translate into Spanish the Daily Stress Inventory (DSI) (Brantley & Jones, 1989) and to validate the translation by conducting a correlation study between the the Spanish and the English versions. Input was received from representatives of thirteen different Hispanic subgroups. A Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient of .93 was found between the two versions responded to by 62 bilingual participants residing in a large metropolitan area of Western Michigan.
The second purpose was to compare the levels of stress experienced by three culturally distinct Hispanic groups (very Hispanic/Hispanic-oriented bicultural, “true” bicultural, and Anglo-oriented bicultural/very Anglicized) as determined by an adapted version of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA) (Cuellar et al., 1980). A significant difference in the level of stress was found as a function of gender, but not as a function of level of acculturation. Limitations and benefits of the study and recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Rodriguez-Charbonier, Senez, "Spanish Translation and Validation of the Daily Stress Inventory, and a Comparison of the Level of Stress Experienced by Three Culturally Distinct Hispanic Groups" (1993). Dissertations. 1873.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1873