Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale (EASS) adult version

Abstract

The Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale (SAFE), developed by Mena and colleagues (1987), is a comprehensive psychological scale designed to measure the specific stressors experienced by individuals undergoing the process of acculturative stress. The adult version of the SAFE scale specifically assesses stress across four critical domains: Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental adaptation challenges faced predominantly by the Latino (a) immigrant and later generation students in the United States. It provides a quantitative measure of the difficulties encountered during cross-cultural adaptation.

Keywords

Acculturative Stress, SAFE Scale, Latino (a), Immigration, Cultural Adaptation, Cross-Cultural Psychology, Social Stress, Environmental Stress

Authors

F. J. Mena, A. M. Padilla, M. Maldonado

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SAFE scale is to provide a standardized, multi-dimensional assessment tool for researchers and clinicians to quantify the level of acculturative stress experienced by individuals navigating cultural transition. The instrument aims to move beyond generic stress measures by focusing specifically on challenges arising from cultural conflict and discrimination in the host society.

It is designed to differentiate between various sources of stress, allowing for targeted interventions. The scale is particularly useful for identifying the specific environmental, social, or familial conflicts that contribute to psychological distress among Latino (a) populations residing in the United States.

Construct

The SAFE scale measures Acculturative Stress, which is defined as the psychological distress resulting from the challenges of adapting to a new host culture while attempting to maintain one’s heritage culture. This distress arises from perceived discrimination, language barriers, value conflicts, and social isolation.

The construct is hypothesized to consist of four distinct sub-factors, reflecting key domains of conflict: Social Stress (interpersonal difficulties and isolation), Attitudinal Stress (prejudice and stereotypes), Familial Stress (intergenerational conflict regarding cultural values), and Environmental Stress (systemic barriers and perceived lack of opportunity).

Validity

Initial studies establishing the SAFE scale demonstrated strong evidence of content validity, as items were derived from direct input regarding common stressors faced by the target population. Construct validity has been supported through correlations with measures of psychological distress (e.g., depression and anxiety), showing that higher SAFE scores are significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes, consistent with the theoretical framework of acculturative stress.

Discriminant validity has also been established by showing that the scale measures stress specifically related to acculturation, distinct from general life stress. Subsequent research has utilized the SAFE scale to predict outcomes related to academic achievement and psychological adjustment, further supporting its utility in cross-cultural research.

Reliability

The reliability of the SAFE scale is generally reported as high. Internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha, is often found to be robust for the overall scale (e.g., α > .85), indicating that the items reliably measure the underlying construct of acculturative stress. Subscale reliability, while sometimes lower due to fewer items per factor, is usually within acceptable ranges for research purposes.

Test-retest reliability has also been utilized in longitudinal studies to confirm the stability of scores over short time periods, further supporting its utility as a reliable psychological scale. These psychometrics confirm that the instrument consistently measures the construct across different administrations.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the SAFE scale typically support a multi-dimensional structure corresponding to the four primary components implied by the acronym: Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental stress. This factor structure allows for a nuanced understanding of where an individual’s stress is concentrated.

The ability of the scale to successfully factor into these four distinct domains suggests that acculturative stress is not monolithic but rather a complex experience arising from different sources, ranging from external discrimination to internal family value clashes.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale

Format: 24 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale

Language Available: English (and often translated into Spanish for use with specific immigrant populations)

Population Group: Individuals experiencing cultural transition, primarily Latino (a) immigrants or those from immigrant families.

Age Group: Adult version (originally validated on college students, typically 18+)

Population Details: Originally validated on Hispanic college students and later applied to various groups of first and later generation immigrants in the United States.

Test Methodology: Quantitative assessment via questionnaire, yielding a total acculturative stress score and subscale scores for the four domains.

Keywords

Acculturation, Migration, Stress Measurement, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Discrimination, Psychometrics, Hispanic Studies

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially published and validated in 1987 (Mena et al., 1987). Detailed permissions and fee information are not provided in the primary source document, but the instrument is widely used in non-commercial academic research. The instrument was utilized in the 2006 thesis by Roche at Georgia State University. The original PDF of the instrument, as used in the thesis, can be downloaded here: http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=psych_theses.

Reference’s

• Mena, F. J., Padilla, A. M., & Maldonado, M. (1987). Acculturative stress and specific coping strategies among immigrant and later generation students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 9(2), 207-225.
• Roche, Cathy. (2006). “Making the Grade: Academic Achievement among Latino Adolescents.” Thesis, Georgia State University. The instrument used in this thesis is available at: http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/psych_theses/10.

Items of the Environmental Acculturative Stress Scale (SAFE) adult version

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 make jokes about or put down Latinos.
2. I have more problems to overcome than most people do.
3. It bothers me that my family does not understand my new American values.
4. People in my family who I am close to have plans for when I grow up that I don’t like.
5. It is hard to tell my friends how I really feel.
6. It bothers me to think that so many people use drugs.
7. It bothers me that some of my family does not live near me.
8. I sometimes feel that being Latino (a) makes it hard to get a good job.
9. I don’t have any close friends.
10. Many people have stereotypes about Latinos and treat me as if those things are true.
11. I don’t feel at home in the United States.
12. People think I am shy when I really just have trouble speaking English.
13. I often feel that people try to stop me from improving myself.
14. It bothers me when people pressure me to be like everyone else.
15. I often feel ignored by people who are supposed to help me.
16. Because I am Latino (a) I do not get enough credit for the work I do.
17. It bothers me that I have an accent.
18. It’s hard to be away from the country that my family is from.
19. I often think about my cultural background.
20. Because I’m Latino (a), I feel that others (neighbors, students) don’t include me in their activities.
21. Being with my family in a public place makes me feel really different.
22. People look down on my Latino customs.
23. I have trouble understanding others when they speak English.
24. I feel at home here in Georgia.

Scoring Key: 1=Not At All True, 2= Slightly True, 3= Somewhat True, 4= Very True