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. 2021 Jul;23(3):362-374.
doi: 10.1177/1099800420968889. Epub 2020 Nov 3.

A Systematic Review of Physical Health Consequences and Acculturation Stress Among Latinx Individuals in the United States

Rosa M Gonzalez-Guarda  1 , Allison M Stafford  1 , Gabriela A Nagy  2 , Deanna R Befus  3 , Jamie L Conklin  4
Affiliations

A Systematic Review of Physical Health Consequences and Acculturation Stress Among Latinx Individuals in the United States

Rosa M Gonzalez-Guarda et al. Biol Res Nurs. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

The health of Latinx immigrants decays over time and across generations. Acculturation stress influences decays in behavioral and mental health in this population, but the effect on physical health outcomes is less understood. This systematic review synthesizes findings from 22 studies that examined the influence of acculturation stress on physical health outcomes among Latinx populations in the United States. The Society-to-Cell Resilience Framework was used to synthesize findings according to individual, physiological, and cellular levels. There is mounting evidence identifying acculturation stress as an important social contributor to negative physical health outcomes, especially at the individual level. More research is needed to identify the physiological and cellular mechanisms involved. Interventions are also needed to address the damaging effects of acculturation stress on a variety of physical health conditions in this population.

Keywords: Hispanic Americans; acculturation; health; psychological stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Framework guiding systematic review. Source: Adapted from the Society-to-Cell Resilience Framework (Szanton & Gill, 2010).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
PRISM flow diagram acculturation stress and physical health outcomes literature among Latinx.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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