Adolescent hope can promote the emotional and behavioral well‐being of Latinx families. Positive family functioning may foster adolescent hope, whereas cultural stress may compromise adolescent hope ...and well‐being. We examined how adolescent hope changed over time, and whether cultural stress and family functioning predicted emotional and behavioral health via adolescent hope intercept and slope. Recent Latinx immigrant adolescents (Mage = 14.51) and parents (Mage = 41.09; N = 302; n = 150 from Los Angeles; n = 152 from Miami) completed measures of above constructs over 3 years (Summer 2010 to Spring 2013). Latent growth curve modeling indicated that adolescent hope increased over time. Higher cultural stress predicted lower initial hope. Higher family functioning predicted higher initial levels of and less steep increase in hope. Increase in hope predicted better emotional and behavioral health. Family functioning predicted better health outcomes by way of hope.
Objective
The present study was designed to examine distinct co‐occurrence patterns of acculturation and perceived context of reception between weekdays and weekends among Hispanic college students ...in Miami and their influences on psychosocial maladaptation.
Methods
We conducted a 12‐day diary study with a sample of first‐ and second‐generation Hispanic college students in Miami (n = 864). Depressive symptoms and physically aggressive behaviors were assessed on Days 1 and 12, and acculturation components and perceived negative context of reception were measured using single items on Days 2–11. We examined the overlap between weekday and weekend patterns of acculturation and negative context of reception, as well as links of this overlap with depressive symptoms and with physically aggressive behaviors.
Results
Overall, six distinct co‐occurrence patterns of acculturation and perceived contexts of reception emerged from the analysis. Four of these appeared to represent stable co‐occurrence patterns regardless of weekdays and weekends and two indicated changing co‐occurrence patterns between weekdays and weekends. Students in patterns of the Moderate Biculturalism–High Negative Context of Reception regardless of weekdays and weekends reported high depressive symptoms and physically aggressive behaviors. Also, for the two changing co‐occurrence patterns, students in patterns of the Changes in both Acculturation and Negative Context of Reception between weekdays and weekends reported high scores on both depressive symptoms and physical aggressive behaviors.
Conclusion
Both stable and changing patterns in acculturation and context of reception co‐occurrences between weekdays and weekends predicted psychosocial maladaptation.
Acculturation consists of multiple domains (i.e., cultural practices, identifications, and values). However, less is known about how acculturation processes influence each other across multiple ...domains of acculturation. This study was designed to investigate transition patterns of acculturative processes within and across domains in a sample of 302 recent‐immigrant Hispanic adolescents, Mage (SD) = 14.51 years (0.88) at baseline; male = 53%). Adolescents were assessed six times over a 3‐year period. Latent profile analyses identified two profiles (high or increasing vs. low) for each domain at each timepoint. We found largely stable transition patterns in each domain over six timepoints. Importantly, sequential associations among profiles in acculturation domains were also detected. Implication for acculturation theory and research are discussed.
This study examined longitudinal effects of adolescent and parent cultural stress on adolescent and parent emotional well‐being and health behaviors via trajectories of adolescent and parent family ...functioning. Recent immigrant Latino adolescents (Mage = 14.51) and parents (Mage = 41.09; N = 302) completed measures of these constructs. Latent growth modeling indicated that adolescent and parent family functioning remained stable over time. Early levels of family functioning predicted adolescent and parent outcomes. Baseline adolescent cultural stress predicted lower positive adolescent and parent family functioning. Latent class growth analyses produced a two‐class solution for family functioning. Adolescents and parents in the low family functioning class reported low family functioning over time. Adolescents and parents in the high family functioning class experienced increases in family functioning.
Objective
The current study investigated the relation of various cultural stressors, parent–child alienation, and Mexican‐origin adolescents' internalizing symptoms at both between‐ and within‐person ...levels across the course of adolescence.
Background
Positive parent–child relationships can be a critical buffer against cultural stressors for Mexican‐origin adolescents. However, it is unclear whether low levels of parent–child alienation (a) buffer the negative effects of different types of cultural stressors on internalizing symptoms and (b) function at the individual level more generally or during specific periods when adolescents experience high cultural stressors.
Method
The current study used a three‐wave longitudinal dataset of 604 Mexican‐origin adolescents (Wave 1: Mage = 12.41, SD = 0.97, 54% female, 75% born in the United States) and conducted multilevel regression analysis.
Results
At the between‐person level, overall low parent–child alienation buffered the adverse effects of ethnic discrimination on anxiety and cultural misfit on depressive symptoms. There were no significant within‐person‐level interactions of parent–child alienation and cultural stressors on adolescent internalizing symptoms.
Implication
The findings suggest that interventions should aim to reduce parent–child alienation throughout the course of adolescence to alleviate the impact of cultural stressors on internalizing symptoms among Mexican‐origin adolescents.
Latino youth can experience a range of cultural (i.e., ethnic discrimination and acculturative stress) and familial (i.e. family conflict) risk factors that can contribute to their perceived stress, ...thereby increasing their risk for depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking. To understand the mechanisms by which ethnic discrimination, acculturative stress and family conflict influence the risk for depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking of youth, the current study investigated the mediating role of perceived stress in these associations. The data came from a longitudinal study of acculturation and substance use with 1919 Latino adolescents (52 % female; 84 % 14 year-olds; 87 % U.S. born). Structural equation modeling indicated that discrimination and family conflict (Time 1) related with higher perceived stress (Time 2), which, in turn, related with more depressive symptoms and smoking (Time 3). The results suggest that perceived stress might be one mechanism by which ethnic discrimination and family conflict contribute to Latino youth symptoms of depression and cigarette smoking. The findings highlight the need for prevention and intervention strategies that help youth manage their general perceived stress and/or focus on stress reduction techniques.
Abstract Cultural stressors related to racism, xenophobia, and navigating bicultural contexts can compromise the healthy development of Hispanic/Latinx/o (H/L) youth. Youth' coping can minimize the ...adverse impact of this stress. Less is known about the intermediary processes related to youths' cultural stressor experiences and coping responses. We analyzed focus group data from H/L youth ( N = 45; 50% girls; 0% nonbinary; M age = 15.3) to hear their voices on how they interpret, react to, are impacted by and cope with cultural stressors. Using a Grounded Theory approach, we constructed four themes of intermediary processes (e.g., meaning making) and four themes of coping (e.g., distancing oneself). Youth actively processed their experiences, which informed their coping choices, pointing to youths' agency and resilience.
Abstract This study examined longitudinal effects of cultural stress (a latent factor comprised of bicultural stress, ethnic discrimination, and negative context of reception) on depressive symptoms ...and a range of externalizing behaviors among recently (≤5 years in the U.S. at baseline) immigrated Hispanic adolescents. A sample of 302 adolescents (53% boys; mean age 14.51 years) completed baseline measures of perceived ethnic discrimination, bicultural stress, and perceived negative context of reception; and outcome measures of depressive symptoms, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, aggressive behavior, and rule-breaking behavior six months post-baseline. A path analysis indicated that higher cultural stress scores predicted higher levels of all outcomes. These effects were consistent across genders, but varied by study site. Specifically, higher cultural stress scores increased depressive symptoms among participants in Miami, but not in Los Angeles. Findings suggest that cultural stress is a clinically relevant predictor of depressive symptoms and externalizing behaviors among Hispanic immigrant adolescents.
Latinx emerging adults explore and commit to their ethnic and American identities which may influence their psychological well-being. However, it may not be the act of exploring and committing to ...their ethnic and American identities that influence emerging adults’ psychological well-being; instead, it may be how they integrate both identities. To test this possibility, this study tested whether ethnic and American identity exploration and commitment were associated with psychological well-being by way of two bicultural identity integration processes (i.e., blendedness and harmony) among Latinx emerging adults. Data came from a year-long three-wave longitudinal study about stress and well-being among Latinx first-years (70% female;
M
age
= 18.20;
SD
= 0.51) with Wave 1 collected in Fall 2020, Wave 2 in Spring 2021, and Wave 3 in Fall 2021. Cross-sectional and longitudinal structural equation modeling suggest ethnic identity exploration and American identity commitment to be associated with psychological well-being by way of bicultural identity integration blendedness (i.e., perceived cognitive overlap between identities) and harmony (i.e., perceived affective conflict between identities). Results point to ethnic and American identity exploration and commitment being related with blendedness and harmony, which, in turn, were related with psychological well-being in the moment but not over time.
Abstract Purpose We sought to determine the extent to which initial levels and over-time trajectories of cultural stressors (discrimination, negative context of reception, and bicultural stress) ...predicted well-being, internalizing symptoms, conduct problems, and health risk behaviors among recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents. Addressing this research objective involved creating a latent factor for cultural stressors, establishing invariance for this factor over time, estimating a growth curve for this factor over time, and examining the effects of initial levels (intercepts) and trajectories (slopes) of cultural stressors on adolescent outcomes. Methods A sample of 302 recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents in Miami (median of 1 year in the United States at baseline) and Los Angeles (median of 3 years in the United States at baseline) was recruited from public schools and assessed six times over a 3-year period. Results Perceived discrimination, context of reception, and bicultural stress loaded onto a latent factor at each of the first five timepoints. A growth curve conducted on this factor over the first five timepoints significantly predicted lower self-esteem and optimism, more depressive symptoms, greater aggressive behavior and rule breaking, and increased likelihood of drunkenness and marijuana use. Conclusions The present results may be important in designing interventions for Hispanic immigrant children and adolescents, including those within the present wave of unaccompanied child migrants. Results indicate targeting cultural stressors in interventions may have potential to improve well-being and decrease externalizing behaviors and substance use within this population.
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