Ethnicity and adjustment: a comparative study of Maltese- and Anglo-Australian adolescentsAuthor: Victoria Borg MethodologyParticipants. For this study, 2 groups of subjects were selected: an Anglo-Australian group (n--60) and a Maltese-Australian group (n--60) from a student population. They were selected from Victoria University of Technology (n--82) and from Grades 1 1 and 12 of a secondary school (n7--38). The subjects' ages ranged from 16 to 25 years with a mean of 18.9. Seventy-five per cent of the subjects were between 16 and 20 years of age. Subjects in the Anglo-Australian group were of Anglo-Celtic descent. Those in the Maltese-Australian group were of Maltese descent, namely both parents were born in Malta. This group comprised 3 first-generation migrants bom in Malta, and 57 second-generation Maltese-Australians born in Australia. Materials. A self-report questionnaire, which comprised of five sections, was used. The first section consisted of six questions relating to demographic information, including place of birth of subjects and both parents, and year of arrival in Australia if bom overseas. The Maltese Cultural Involvement Scale was based on the "Cultural Involvement Scale" which was designed and used by Szapocznik and his associates (1980 p.357) in their investigation into the cultural involvement and adjustment of Hispanic-American youths. The scale elicited information on the use of Maltese language, the degree of enjoyment of Maltese and Australian culture and the degree of preference for aspects of culture. The Maltese Cultural Involvement Scale was considered on a continuum, with high Maltese on one end of the scale and low Maltese on the other. Parent-child conflicts were measured by Rosenthal's (1984) 12 items scale. The frequency of conflicts with parents was measured on a 5-point scale, around issues relating to relationships with opposite sex, studying behaviour, personal appearance, careers, social activities and household chores. A 'conflict score' was computed by adding all scores on the 12 items for each respondent. A high score indicated high conflict. Self-esteem was measured by using Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (Adult Form). This instrument is very widely used. Its reliability coefficient is 0.80. It contains 25 items. The computation of all scores yielded a self-esteem index. A high score indicated high selfesteem. Stress was assessed by using Golberg's (1978) General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30). This instrument consists of questions about social activities and psychological and physical symptoms, and is designed to identify indications of depression, agitation, apathy and anxiety in the respondent. Procedure. After obtaining approval from the Ethics Committee data collection commenced. Most of the questionnaires were administered in class to those students who met the criteria for the two groups, namely the Maltese-Australian group and the Anglo-Australian group, and were willing to participate. In many cases, they were completed at the beginning of the class. In other cases, they were collected at the end of the class. There were other cases in which subjects were recruited outside the classroom. These questionnaires were collected through the Department of Psychology in a sealed envelope to maximise confidentiality. Source: Maltese Background Youth - Editors Cauchi M, Borland H, Adams R, 1999, [Europe Australia Institute], p 62
    
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