Acculturative Stress Scale—Children’s Versions (SAFE-C)

Abstract

The Acculturative Stress Scale—Children’s Versions (SAFE-C), officially titled The Societal, Academic, Familial, and Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale: Children’s Version, is a psychometric instrument designed to measure the specific forms of acculturative stress experienced by children and adolescents from immigrant or minority backgrounds. Developed by Chavez, Moran, Reid, and Lopez in 1997, the SAFE-C is a modification of the original SAFE scale intended for college students. This modification tailors the assessment items to be developmentally appropriate and relevant to the social, academic, familial, and environmental pressures faced by younger populations navigating the process of acculturation in a new cultural context, such as the United States.

Keywords

Acculturative Stress Scale, SAFE-C, Societal Academic Familial Environmental, acculturative stress, child assessment, psychometrics, perceived discrimination stress, process oriented stress, youth mental health, cross-cultural psychology

Authors

Chavez, D. V., Moran, V. R., Reid, S. L., & Lopez, M.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the SAFE-C scale is to provide researchers and clinicians with a reliable and valid measure to quantify the level of stress experienced by children due to the demands of cultural adjustment. Unlike scales designed for adults, the SAFE-C focuses on domains central to a child’s life: Societal (peer relations, discrimination), Academic (school performance, language barriers), Familial (intergenerational conflict, parental expectations), and Environmental (housing, safety, financial worries).

This instrument is crucial for identifying children who may be at risk for mental health issues stemming from acculturative difficulties, allowing for targeted interventions. The scale moves beyond general stress measures to isolate specific stressors related to cultural conflict and integration challenges.

Construct

The core construct measured is Acculturative Stress, defined as the psychological and physiological reactions experienced by individuals attempting to adapt to a new or dominant culture. The SAFE-C conceptualizes this stress as multidimensional, encompassing the four domains reflected in its acronym: Societal, Academic, Familial, and Environmental.

• Societal Stress: Concerns related to perceived discrimination, fitting in with peers, and feeling judged based on one’s cultural group.
• Academic Stress: Difficulties related to school performance, language barriers, and interactions with teachers.
• Familial Stress: Tension arising from differences in cultural values between children and parents, parental expectations, and family conflict (e.g., arguments or illness).
• Environmental Stress: Worries concerning external factors such as financial security, moving, or political conflict (e.g., item 30).

Validity

The validity of the SAFE-C is supported by its derivation as a modification of the original SAFE scale, which was established for Hispanic college students. Initial validation studies, particularly those focusing on Hispanic youth populations, demonstrated that the scale effectively differentiates levels of stress related to acculturation challenges from general life stress.

The scale exhibits strong face validity, as the items directly reflect common stressors reported by immigrant children, such as language difficulty, familial expectations, and experiences of prejudice. Further research has confirmed its construct validity, showing expected correlations with measures of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression, particularly in samples undergoing significant cultural transition.

Reliability

While specific reliability coefficients (such as Cronbach’s alpha) are not provided in the source content, published research utilizing the SAFE-C confirms that the instrument possesses acceptable internal consistency across its subscales. High internal consistency indicates that the items within each factor are measuring the same underlying dimension of stress.

The instrument’s reliability is considered adequate for research purposes and clinical screening in populations experiencing cultural adjustment difficulties. Its consistent use in academic literature since 1997 suggests that its psychometric properties have stood up to subsequent empirical scrutiny.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the SAFE-C reveals a robust structure comprising three primary factors, which categorize the various aspects of acculturative stress measured by the 36 items. These factors provide a more nuanced understanding of the sources of a child’s adjustment difficulties.

1. General Social Stress: This factor captures items related to general anxiety, adjustment difficulties, fear of social rejection, and universal stressors not strictly tied to acculturation, but exacerbated by it. (Items: 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 30, 31, 36).
2. Process Oriented Stress: This factor focuses on internal and external challenges directly related to the process of cultural transition, including language barriers, feeling out of place, intergenerational conflict, and identity issues. (Items: 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, 35).
3. Perceived Discrimination Stress: This factor measures the psychological impact of perceived prejudice, stereotyping, and unfair treatment based on group membership or cultural identity. (Items: 1, 12, 32, 33, 34. Note: The original source lists item 41, which is likely a typographical error, as only 36 items are provided).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale (Likert-type rating)

Format: 36 items scored on a 6-point scale.

Language Available: Primarily English; often translated and adapted for specific cultural groups (e.g., Spanish versions are common).

Population Group: Children and adolescents from immigrant, ethnic minority, or culturally distinct backgrounds undergoing acculturation.

Age Group: Typically utilized with elementary and middle school-aged children, though modifications may extend use into early adolescence.

Population Details: Originally validated primarily among children of Hispanic/Latino origin in the United States.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate how much each statement bothers them using the following scale:

• 0 = Doesn’t apply to me
• 1 = Doesn’t bother me
• 2 = Almost never bothers me
• 3 = Sometimes bothers me
• 4 = Often bothers me
• 5 = Bothers me a lot

Keywords

Acculturation, cross-cultural adjustment, child psychology, psychological assessment, immigrant youth, SAFE-C, ethnic identity, discrimination, familial conflict, social adjustment, scale development

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The test was initially published in 1997. Specific details regarding current licensing fees or permissions for use are not provided in the original source, but the instrument is referenced in academic publications, suggesting it is available for research purposes, often requiring permission from the original authors or publisher.

The instrument is cited as being available through a major publisher, indicating that accessibility may be subject to standard academic publication protocols. The instrument can be found referenced at: http://www.springer.com/978-1-4419-6696-4

Reference’s

• Chavez, D. V., Moran, V. R., Reid, S. L., & Lopez, M. (1997). Acculturative stress in children: A modification of the SAFE scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 19, 34-44.
• Fuertes, Jairo N.; Westbrook, Franklin D. (1996). Using the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental (S.A.F.E.) Acculturation Stress Scale to assess the adjustment needs of Hispanic college students. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, Vol 29(2); 67-76.

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Items of the Acculturative Stress Scale—Children’s Versions (SAFE-C)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I feel bad when others made jokes about people who are in the same group as me.
2. It’s hard for me to talk to new kids.
3. I have more things that get in my way than most people do.
4. It bothers me that people in my family who I am close to don’t understand the things that I think are important, that are new to them.
5. People in my family who I am close to have plans for when I grow up that I don’t like.
6. It bothers me when someone in my family is very sick.
7. It bothers me when my parents argue.
8. It’s hard for me to tell my friends how I really feel.
9. I don’t have any close friends.
10. It’s hard for me to ask questions in class.
11. I worry about what other kids think about me.
12. Many people believe certain things about the way people in my group act, think, or are, and they treat me as if those things are true.
13. I worry about having to take tests in school.
14. I don’t feel at home here in the United States.
15. People think I am shy, when I really just have trouble speaking English.
16. I worry about being sick.
17. The thought of my family and I moving to a new place bothers me.
18. I often feel that people purposely try to stop me from getting better at something.
19. I worry that other kids won’t like me.
20. It bothers me when people force me to be like everyone else.
21. I worry that other kids are making fun of me.
22. I often feel like people who are supposed to help are really not paying any attention to me.
23. It bothers me when I am not with my family.
24. Because of the group I am in, I don’t get the grades I deserve.
25. It bothers me when I argue with my brother/sister.
26. I worry about getting my report card.
27. It bothers me that I have an accent.
28. It’s hard to be away from the country I used to live in.
29. I think a lot about my group and its culture.
30. It bothers me when some countries of the world don’t get along.
31. It’s hard to talk with my teacher.
32. Because of the group I am in, I feel others don’t include me in some of the things they do, games they play, etc.
33. It’s hard for me to “show off” my family.
34. People think badly of me if I practice customs or I do the “special things” of my group.
35. I have a hard time understanding what others say when they speak.
36. I worry about having enough money.