Psychological symptomatology in second generation puerto rican women of three socioeconomic groups

The effects of socioeconomic class on the symptom profile of normal Puerto Rican women were studied. On the basis of previous research, it was expected that both quantitative and qualitative differences would be found in women from different socioeconomic strata. The results supported the hypothesis of quantative differences in that women from lower socioeconomic groups did report a significantly higher number of symptoms. However, qualitatively, the symptom profiles of all groups were similar, contrary to expectations. An additional finding was that qualitative differences did exist when Puerto Rican women were compared to a mainstream Anglo sample. However, those differences were not as distinct as those reported earlier in the literature. These findings are discussed in the context of changes brought about by the process of acculturation.