PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Que-Lam Huynh

MA-Research
August 2004

Validating a Multidimensional Measure of Acculturation for Vietnamese Americans

    The goal of this study was to develop and validate a multidimensional measure of acculturation (Multidimensional Measure of Acculturation for Vietnamese Americans – Vietnamese and American versions, or MMAVA).  The MMAVA was developed specifically for use with Vietnamese Americans, and it samples many domains of behavioral and psychological acculturation separately for Vietnamese and American cultures.  I recruited 155 ethnic Vietnamese young adults from Los Angeles and Orange Counties to participate in the validation study.  Each participant completed the MMAVA, the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale, the Vertical Individualism-Collectivism subscale and a demographics form.  The MMAVA had acceptable internal consistency reliability, factorial validity, convergent validity with the SL-ASIA and INDCOL-V, and there was some evidence of concurrent validity with key demographic variables.

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