Acculturation stress and allostatic load among Mexican immigrant women.

Objectives: this case-control study compared levels of stress and allostatic load (AL) among Mexican women in the US ( n =19) and Mexico ( n = 40).

Method: measures of stress included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Hispanic Women's Social Stressor Scale (HWSSS). A composite measure of 8 indicators of AL (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, glycated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1C), triglycerides and C-reactive protein) was calculated.