Cultural adaptation congruence in immigrant spouses is associated with marital quality

Objective and backgroundPrevious research suggests that cultural adaptation is associated with Mexican‐origin couples’ marital outcomes, including marital distress and rates of dissolution. However, research on the marital implications of different types of spousal differences in cultural adaptation often omits important dyadic dynamics (i.e., incongruence between couples and with their partners); this, coupled with existing methodological issues, might contribute to the pattern of mixed findings in the literature.MethodUsing data from 273 Mexican‐origin couples, we conducted response surface analyses to examine how spousal congruence in four adaptation domains (acculturation, enculturation, English proficiency, Spanish proficiency) is associated with wives’ and husbands’ marital warmth, hostility and satisfaction.ResultsHigher, versus lower, levels of couple matches (except for enculturation) were associated with better marital quality. Mismatches in American (acculturation, English) and Mexican (enculturation, Spanish) orientations were also associated with higher, and lower, marital quality, respectively.Conclusion and implicationOur findings highlight the importance of examining couple matching, which has historically been understudied. We also suggest that inconsistencies in prior work can be explained by discrepant associations between mismatches in American versus Mexican orientation and relationship outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170867/1/jomf12799_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/170867/2/jomf12799.pd

A Comparison of Quality Characteristics in Dairy Products Made from Jersey and Holstein Milk

This study aimed to examine the quality characteristics of fermented milk, Mozzarella cheese, and Gouda cheese from Jersey and Holstein milk. The fermented milk, Mozzarella cheese, and Gouda cheese made from the Jersey breed exhibited higher fat, calcium, and phosphorous contents than those from the Holstein breed. The proportion of saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid and stearic acid was higher in dairy products made from Jersey than those made from Holstein, as was the component ratio of unsaturated fatty acids containing oleic acid and linoleic acid. In the sensory evaluations of fermented milk and Mozzarella cheese, the preference scores of products from Jersey were lower in color, flavor, texture, taste, and general preference than those from Holstein. In terms of sensory preference, it is considered that Jersey milk may be more appropriate for ripened cheese than fermented milk and fresh cheese. Therefore, Jersey milk is expected to contribute to the diversification of dairy products and to provide consumers with high quality nutrition.N

Profiles of Language Brokering Experiences and Contextual Stressors: Implications for Adolescent Outcomes in Mexican Immigrant Families

Adolescents from Mexican immigrant families are often embedded in a challenging social environment and experience multiple contextual stressors, including economic stress, discrimination, and foreigner stress. We consider how the effects of these contextual stressors may be amplified or diminished for adolescents who function as language brokers, interpreting and mediating for their English-limited parents. Using two waves of survey data collected from a sample (N = 604 at Wave 1; N = 483 at Wave 2) of Mexican American adolescents with ages ranging from 11 to 15 (M age  = 12.41, 54% female), four distinct brokering—stress profiles were identified. Latent profile analyses revealed that with moderate levels of contextual stress, adolescents with more positive language brokering experiences (protective group) demonstrated more favorable outcomes than those with neutral language brokering experiences (moderate group) and those who did not involve themselves as frequently in language brokering activities (less-involved group). In contrast, high levels of contextual stress, coupled with more negative language brokering experiences (risk group), produced the least favorable outcomes among adolescents