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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
[Relationship between mental distress and acculturation among migrants]
Christian Haasen1, Olga Levit, Anna Gelbert
1Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg. haasen@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Objective:
Several studies have described a correlation between acculturation difficulties and mental distress, even mental disorders. The stress related to the process of acculturation can lead to mental disorders such as depression by way of a change in the activity of the HPA-axis.
Methods:
This correlation was examined in different samples of a total of 402 migrants.
Results:
A significant correlation between mental distress and acculturation stress was found in all samples, yet no significant relationship between acculturation stress and length of residency in Germany.
Conclusions:
This non-representative, hypothesis generating study has to be replicated for samples of patients as well as other migrant groups not in treatment. A neurobiologically based specification of the definition of acculturation stress could be of relevant importance for prevention and clinical work.
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