Psychological Acculturation: A Concept Analysis With Implications for Nursing Practice

Abstract

Psychological acculturation is a complex process that has been widely discussed in the literature of anthropology, psychology, and sociology. The purpose of this article is to analyze the concept of psychological acculturation using Walker and Avant's strategy for concept analysis. The authors bring greater clarity to this process of acculturation to help nurses understand individuals'health behaviors. Definitions of acculturation are examined using different resources including dictionaries and scholarly literature. Antecedents, defining attributes, and consequences are identified, discussed, and summarized. A model case and contrary case are presented. Measurement of psychological acculturation is discussed in the context of defining attributes. Direction for future research and implications for nursing practice are presented.