The relationship of acculturative stress, machismo and self-esteem as predictors to aggression for Latino males.

The purpose of this study was to assess how acculturative stress, adherence to machismo ideology, and types of self-esteem predicted aggression for Latino males. In particular, this study assessed how acculturative stress, machismo, and self-esteem predicted aggression in two Latino groups; individuals who have affirmed domestic violence versus individuals with no history of domestic violence. Mexican-descended participants from urban west coast state ( N = 215) completed the Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory (MASI), two subscales of the Masculinity Femininity Personality Trait Scales, four subscales of the Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale (CSW), the Self-Esteem Scale, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), and the short form of the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ-12). All measurements were available in English or Spanish versions.;Assessed as a bicultural sample, the study's participants reported low levels of acculturative stress, higher adherence to healthy machismo, high levels of self-esteem, and lower levels of aggression. Among the individuals endorsing domestic violence and those who reported no history of domestic violence findings indicated that there were differences in the relationships of the study's constructs between these two groups. Individuals endorsing a history of domestic violence reported higher levels of acculturative stress, higher levels of pathological machismo, lower levels of self-esteem, and higher levels of aggression. Additionally, healthy machismo, pathological machismo, global self-esteem, narcissistic traits, and acculturative stress significantly predicted aggression for this sample of Latino males. Limitations of the study and implications for counseling psychology were addressed.