J. Streltzer et al., DOES ACCULTURATION INFLUENCE PSYCHOSOCIAL ADAPTATION AND WELL-BEING IN NATIVE HAWAIIANS, International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 42(1), 1996, pp. 28-37
Native Hawaiians have suffered higher disease rates and achieved lower
educational and economic levels than other ethnic groups living in Ha
waii. This study tests the hypothesis that cultural affiliation protec
ts against psychosocial pathology in Hawaiians. Subjects included 172
Hawaiians of varying blood quantum and 92 non-Hawaiians. The Na Mea Ha
wai'i, a rationally derived, empirically validated measure of Hawaiian
acculturation was administered to all subjects in addition to psychol
ogical tests which included 19 visual analogue scales that measure bot
h state and trait variables. The Na Mea Hawai'i proved excellent al di
fferentiating Hawaiians from non-Hawaiians (p = .0001), and it correla
ted well with blood quantum (r = 0.31, p = .0001). Low acculturation s
cores among Hawaiians did not correlate with any measure of discontent
or psychosocial pathology irrespective of blood quantum. We conclude
that Na Mea Hawai'i is a valid measure of Hawaiian acculturation, and
that adaptation of the Hawaiians in our sample has been unaffected by
level of acculturation.