This part of the essay will discuss the results found in a study conducted to better understand the what, how and why of acculturation stress on selected individuals. This was done by creating a survey which was then distributed to 100 participants. Once the survey was completed, the results of each question were then analyzed and grouped. The results initially depicted what we hypothesized.
Only 43% of participants were familiar with the term acculturation stress. The other 57% of course, were not familiar. After calculating the results, of these percentages, individuals that had spent more than 5 years in their new country of origin were more likely to be familiar with the term acculturation stress.
The participants were asked whether or not they related more to westernized culture or their own and the results were then placed into four categories: assimilation, separation, integration and marginalization. These terms are often used as classifications to help illustrate the ways in which immigrants identify with their host country (Sayegh & Lasry, 1993). 67% of participants fell under assimilation, which is described as individuals who reject their cultural practices and identify with the country they immigrated to (Sayegh & Lasry, 1993). 21% of participants were placed under separation for rejecting the practices of western culture and continuously practicing their own native traditions. The remaining 12% were placed under integration because they identified with both western culture and their own. None of the applicants were placed under marginalization, which occurs when a person rejects both their host country and that of their own (Sayegh & Lasry, 1993).
Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the individuals that immigrated younger than 5, and those that selected yes to the question. We found that those that immigrated at a younger age were more likely to identify themselves with Canadian culture, as opposed to those that immigrated at an older age. 54% of participants said that they have been living in Canada for more than 10 years, while the remainder has lived in Canada for less. Evidently this is because majority of the students who participated in the survey immigrated at a younger age, thus have been here longer.
It is easy to conclude that age of immigration has a significant effect on how the participants responded to each question, in addition to the extent of which acculturation stress affects them. The graph below shows how participants responded to the question “How stressed have you been since you immigrated to Canada”

54 % said not stressed, 27% said moderately and 19% said very stressed. There was a link between those that said they were much more stressed and those that moved here at the age of 5 and up, in addition to those that have been in Canada for less than 10 years. The reason behind this correspondence could be that participants who have been in Canada for less than 10 years are still getting use a change on environment, in addition to possible multiple factors that also initiate stress.
In a study conducted on the effects acculturation has on consumer behavior, researchers found that when individuals immigrate to a new country their shopping behavior also changes, which can become stressful (Kelvyn et al, 2012). Individuals are forced to learn how to adapt to the environment, clothes and food, as well as learning how to integrate themselves into this society. This can leave them in a vulnerable position that can create danger, which is why educating immigrants on services available for their benefit is important.
The participants were asked whether or not they knew about services available to them, as well as how they often dealt with their stress. 67% of the individuals asked were aware of at least one facility offering services available to them. The remaining 33% were not aware of any services available. Examples of services offered could be as follows: