Perceived self-other differences in life events and mental health among Mexicans and Americans

The social context of reported stressful life events was examined as a determinant of psychiatric symptoms in four cultural groups: Anglo-Americans (n = 132), Mexican-Americans (n = 108), Mexicans in El Paso (n = 90), and Mexican nationals (n = 133). The perceived difference between life events experienced by the self and spouse or by the self and significant others constituted preliminary operational definitions of the social context of life events. Ten Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview (PERI) psychiatric symptom scales as well as a suicidal tendency scale and a hopelessness index constituted the measures of the dependent variables. The potential predictive value of the social contextual measures of life-event stress for mental health variables was generally supported by the findings. Results indicated a rank ordering of predicted effects, with Mexican nationals most susceptible to the psychological effects of the social context of life events and Anglo-Americans least susceptible.