Adaptation of the Psychological Behavioral Acculturation Scale to a Community of Urban-based Mexican Americans in the United States

Abstract

Objective: To report the psychometric properties of the Psychological-Behavioral Acculturation Scale (P-BAS), a tool gauging behavioral and psychological acculturation after adapting it through formative research to people of Mexican origin in the United States. Methods: We analyzed data from adapted P-BAS questionnaires in the TalaSurvey study, using standard methods to establish internal consistencies (Cronbach’s alpha), construct validity, and ascertain if the value orientation profile differed by ethnic group. Results: In 2012-13, 505 respondents (mean age 45.2 ±14.1, 56% female) participated: 250 European Americans (EA) and 255 people of Mexican origin (MA). Conclusions: Although internal consistencies of 15 value orientation measures were occasionally low, overall results were encouraging. A weighted combination of value orientation scores strongly discriminated between EA and MA. Additionally, the pattern of relationships among MAs identified between acculturation scores and the validity contrasts supported the construct validity of the proposed dual framework. The trend was particularly evident for most behavioral variables.