Construct: Degree of acculturation of Asian populations
Description of Measure: The Suinn-Lew Self Identity Acculturation scale (SL-ASIA) was originally developed by Suinn, Ahuna, & Khoo (1992) as a 21-item measure, modeled on the ARSMA, to assess the degree of acculturation of Asian-American clients. Later, the authors added an additional 5 items. The 21-item version can be scored as follows: Add up each answer for each question on the scale, then obtain a total value by summing across the answers for all 21 items. A final acculturation score is calculated by then dividing the total value by 21. The resulting total score can range from 1.00 (low acculturation) to 5.00 (high acculturation). With the 25-item version, the additional items can be classified by examining the answers to #22 and #23 together, #24 and #25 together, and #26 alone.
The SL-ASIA has been used successfully with clients across a wide range of ages. Though it was not specifically designed for older adults, it has been effectively used with this population as well.
Lee and Bronstein (2010) utilized the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale to develop a list of questions on acculturation in their study examining associations between cultural factors (level of acculturation, years lived in the United States, and familism) and finding meaning in caregiving.
Reference
Lee, Y., & Bronstein, L. R. (2010). When do Korean-American dementia caregivers find meaning in caregiving?: The role of culture and differences between spouse and child caregivers. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 19(1), 73-86. doi: 10.1080/15313200903547756
Suinn, R. M., Ahuna, C., & Khoo, G. (1992). The Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale: Concurrent and factorial validation. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52(4), 1041-1046.