A Systematic Review of Acculturation Scales Among African Immigrants

Background and Objective:
African immigrants account for one of the largest-growing populations in the United States (U.S.). Approximately 2.1 million immigrants in the U.S. in 2015 (Pew Research Center, 2017), inevitably undergo acculturation.  Berry (2005) conceptualized acculturation through the processes of integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization, but the extant research lacks consensus for defining acculturation. The current study seeks to understand how acculturation has been measured and used among African immigrants in the U.S.

Method:
This systematic review was conducted based on the systematic review guide, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and used six different databases with exhaustive search terms for immigrants and refugees in the U.S.. Studies were included if they: 1) used a quantitative methodology; (2) were published between the 2000 and December 2017; (3) had participants aged over 18; (4) were published in English, and (5) involved immigrants from any African country. Dissertations or qualitative studies were excluded. About ten articles met this criterion and were included in the final synthesis.

Results:
Initially, 1216 potentially relevant studies were identified; only ten met the selection criteria. All studies were conducted among Burundian, Ethiopian, Somali, Nigerian, and West-African immigrants and measured acculturation using the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS), Short Acculturation Scale (SAS) for Hispanics, or Marginalization Subscale from the East Asian-Acculturation scale. Two studies used the Family Hassles subscale and the Stephenson Multigroup; two others used the revised Haitian Acculturation Scale (rHAS). Another used the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire (BIQ) and lastly, the Hispanic Bidimensional Acculturation Scale (BAS).  Eight studies reported internal consistency alpha scores of .70 to .96, and two did not. Three studies measured the level of acculturation by the BAS, SAS, and BIQ, respectively. The BAS assessed acculturation between one's host and home cultures and was pilot-tested. The SAS assessed language preference use, peer relations, and media and established validity scores through CFA. Finally, the BIQ assessed comfort levels in the new and old cultures and confirmed its factors structure through EFA. A study used the Family Hassles subscale in the domains of school, peers, language, and family and demonstrated test-retest validity. Four studies reported good internal consistency alpha scores (.75 to .92); however, no validity measures were reported. Lastly, two studies used r-HAS to measure language, religion, food, activities, and media but failed to report validity/reliability.  Based on our findings, it is evident that there were no scales developed specifically for the African immigrant population.  Additionally, some studies failed to conduct needed psychometric analysis for scale reliability and validity, which raises questions about the validity of such conclusion as a composite measure of acculturation, especially for the target population.

Conclusion:
Acculturation is complex, dynamic, and multifaceted; however, it is inevitable for African immigrants. Our findings reveal validity ambiguity of this particular construct among the African immigrant population.  Specifically, there is a need to conceptualize acculturation within the African population in order to develop more robust measures that fully capture the nuances found therein.