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Behavioral Sciences
Special Issues
Social and Psychological Determinants of Acculturation
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Social and Psychological Determinants of Acculturation

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 19 December 2025 | Viewed by 2630

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Adrian J. Archuleta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Kent School of Social Work & Family Science, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
Interests: acculturation; acculturative stress; social networks; negative social exchange; social capital

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research has increasingly examined acculturation as a psychological and cultural determinant of health, health behaviors, and other adaptive outcomes. However, many inconsistencies remain regarding the most adaptive strategies, eliciting questions about what factors drive acculturative changes and whether these varied mechanisms play a role in determining such outcomes. The social and psychological determinants of acculturation remain underdeveloped and underexplored. Identifying such determinants is critical in illuminating the pathways between cultural change and the physical and mental health outcomes of interest. This Special Issue seeks to advance our knowledge on acculturation’s social and psychological determinants and their associated influence on the lives of acculturating populations.

Topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • The role of social networks as determinants of acculturation.
  • Social, community, and economic contexts (e.g., adverse conditions and inequities) influencing cultural change.
  • Racism, discrimination, social exclusion, and acculturative processes.
  • Cognitive factors associated with acculturative differences within and between groups.
  • Premigration and post-migration factors associated with acculturation strategies.
  • Psychological resilience and acculturation.
  • Exploring positive and negative social exchange in relation to acculturation strategies and adaptive outcomes.

Submissions using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches are welcomed.

Dr. Adrian J. Archuleta
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • determinants of acculturation
  • predictors of cultural change
  • social and psychological processes associated with acculturative strategies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 925 KiB  
Article
Socioecological Models of Acculturation: The Relative Roles of Social and Contextual Factors on Acculturation Across Life Domains
by Sara L. Buckingham
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 715; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15060715 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 346
Abstract
Although acculturation research recognizes that a community’s context of reception shapes acculturation, relatively limited research has explored how social and contextual variables shape the divergence of ‘real’ acculturation from ‘ideal’ (or individually desired) acculturation across life domains. Building on the Relative Acculturation Extended [...] Read more.
Although acculturation research recognizes that a community’s context of reception shapes acculturation, relatively limited research has explored how social and contextual variables shape the divergence of ‘real’ acculturation from ‘ideal’ (or individually desired) acculturation across life domains. Building on the Relative Acculturation Extended Model, this study examines how one’s local context and interactions within it shape acculturation in peripheral (public), intermediate (social), and central (private) life domains. In this cross-sectional study, 408 first-generation immigrant adults born in Latin America (M = 37.91, SD = 12.93) who had lived in the United States for 1–55 years (M = 16.56; SD = 9.50) completed self-report measures across four communities with distinct contexts of reception. Results revealed that perception of the receiving community’s acculturation preferences, prejudice, community contact, and symbolic threat all shaped immigrants’ ‘real’ acculturation beyond ‘ideal’, both directly and indirectly via their sense of community and intergroup anxiety. These socioecological factors had a stronger impact on peripheral domain acculturation overall, though pathways generally remained consistent across life domains. Results have numerous implications for policy, practice, and the future of acculturation research as they suggest that social context more readily shapes public expressions of acculturation than more private expressions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Psychological Determinants of Acculturation)
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20 pages, 1746 KiB  
Article
“Meme-ing” Across Cultures: Understanding How Non-EU International Students in the UK Use Internet Memes for Cultural Adaptation and Identity
by Yurou Zhang, Shichao Zhao and Kamarin Merritt
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(5), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050693 - 17 May 2025
Viewed by 626
Abstract
Non-EU international students encounter considerable challenges in social integration, cultural adaptation, and emotional well-being within UK higher education. Despite this, the role of internet memes as a form of participatory digital media in mediating these experiences has not been extensively studied. This paper [...] Read more.
Non-EU international students encounter considerable challenges in social integration, cultural adaptation, and emotional well-being within UK higher education. Despite this, the role of internet memes as a form of participatory digital media in mediating these experiences has not been extensively studied. This paper examines how non-EU students at a British university utilise memes to manage cross-cultural identity and daily stressors. Employing an Experience-Centred Design (ECD) approach, our qualitative research involved 20 participants through digital cultural probes, semi-structured interviews, and co-design workshop. We discovered that memes serve a dual role: they provide emotional bridges that foster a sense of belonging through shared humour, yet they also risk exclusion due to cultural opacity. We introduce the concept of “negotiated humour”, which requires cross-cultural explanation and reduces comedic spontaneity but enhances intercultural understanding. Furthermore, we identify a continuum of meme usage that reflects different phases of acculturation, ranging from expressing frustrations to creating hybrid cultural expressions. This study contributes to cross-cultural adaptation theory by highlighting memes as boundary objects in identity negotiation. We suggest design implications for culturally sensitive platforms, such as contextual footnotes, and institutional interventions like meme-based orientation activities to exploit humour’s potential for fostering inclusive dialogue. Our research highlights how transient digital humour can provide deep insights into identity, community, and the complex dynamics of cross-cultural adaptation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Psychological Determinants of Acculturation)
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20 pages, 741 KiB  
Article
Thinking Outside the Nation: Cognitive Flexibility’s Role in National Identity Inclusiveness as a Marker of Majority Group Acculturation
by Anna Medvetskaya, Andrew G. Ryder and Marina M. Doucerain
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040498 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 580
Abstract
In superdiverse societies like Canada, characterized by high levels of cultural and ethnic plurality, national identity boundaries are often blurry. While policies may officially promote inclusiveness, public discourse on national identity is frequently dominated by mainstream groups, whose willingness to expand these boundaries [...] Read more.
In superdiverse societies like Canada, characterized by high levels of cultural and ethnic plurality, national identity boundaries are often blurry. While policies may officially promote inclusiveness, public discourse on national identity is frequently dominated by mainstream groups, whose willingness to expand these boundaries plays a crucial role in fostering minority inclusion. Despite the importance of inclusivity for social cohesion, little is known about what enables majority group members to adopt a more inclusive national identity. This study addresses this gap by exploring the role of cognitive flexibility in facilitating an acculturative shift toward inclusiveness. Using latent class regression analysis (N = 202), we identified two distinct national identity profiles: one more inclusive and the other more exclusive. We also examined how factors such as ethnic vs. civic views on national identity, acculturation orientations toward integration, and personal identification with traditional English Canadian vs. multicultural identity representation shape these profiles. Our findings revealed that higher cognitive flexibility was positively associated with the likelihood of belonging to the more inclusive profile. This study contributes to a limited body of work on majority group acculturation, offering insights into how cognitive flexibility may encourage a broader and more inclusive national identity. Implications for policy and social cohesion are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Psychological Determinants of Acculturation)
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21 pages, 1121 KiB  
Article
Quality of Life Among Latino/a Adults: Examining the Serial Mediation of Network Acculturation, Psychological Acculturation, Social Capital, and Helping-Seeking
by Adrian J. Archuleta, Stephanie Grace Prost and Mona A. Dajani
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030388 - 19 Mar 2025
Viewed by 333
Abstract
Latinos/as are the largest ethnic group in the U.S. and are a continuous source of population growth. Therefore, their health and quality of life are important public health concerns. Acculturation is an important determinant of health for Latinos/as. However, few studies examine models [...] Read more.
Latinos/as are the largest ethnic group in the U.S. and are a continuous source of population growth. Therefore, their health and quality of life are important public health concerns. Acculturation is an important determinant of health for Latinos/as. However, few studies examine models identifying determinants of acculturation along with its relationship to other social and health behaviors. The current study uses social network data from a sample of crowdsourced recruited Latinos/as (N = 300) to examine a structural model between network acculturation, psychological acculturation, social capital, help-seeking, and quality of life (QoL). The model posits several paths through which social networks (i.e., network acculturation) relate to acculturation and other model variables. Directly, network acculturation was found to be significantly related to Latino/a enculturation (−0.83, p = 0.002) and White American Acculturation (0.47, p = 0.003). Latino/a enculturation was related to help-seeking (0.21, p = 0.029) and social capital (0.36, p < 0.001), while White American acculturation was only related to social capital (0.35, p = 0.003). Social capital demonstrated a robust relationship with help-seeking (0.48, p = 0.004) and QoL (0.96, p = 0.003). The findings suggest that determinants of acculturation (i.e., network acculturation) are meaningful contributors to psychological acculturation and other variables relating to Latino/as’ QoL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Psychological Determinants of Acculturation)
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