Parental Practices and Maternal Warmth as Protective Factors for Problem Behaviors in Mexican Preadolescents

Epidemiological estimates indicate that approximately 12% of children and adolescents in Mexico are in clinical ranges for psychological disorders. Low-income families in need of psychological support generally encounter understaffed and sometimes inefficient public health services and thus, families frequently constitute the primary source of support for individuals affected by mental health disorders. Empirical studies in the Mexican context have demonstrated that positive parental practices are associated with positive developmental outcomes and low levels of problem behaviors for both children and adolescents. This study aims to identify if such practices act as protective factors for problem behaviors in 306 Mexican students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades from 3 public elementary schools in Mexico City. Practices of maternal autonomy and communication as well as maternal warmth were found to significantly diminish internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, while parental involvement and communication only reduced externalizing problem behaviors. Findings have implications for social welfare programs that target positive youth development and supportive parenting

Efectos de los estilos parentales en las conductas internalizantes y externalizantes: un estudio en preadolescentes mexicanos

Parental practices such as inconsistent discipline, psychological control, and imposition have been linked to the development of internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in preadolescents. This study aimed to identify the association these practices had on Mexican preadolescent problem behaviors through Structural Equation Modeling. The sample consisted of 306 elementary students from three public schools in Mexico City (age M = 10, SD = 0.92). Students completed subscales from the Parental Practice Scale, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Paternal imposition and maternal psychological control were significant predictors for internalizing problems, while inconsistent discipline was a significant predictor of externalizing problems. The results highlight that although parental practicevalues might differ across cultures, their association to problem behaviors are similar.Las prácticas parentales como disciplina inconsistente, control psicológico e imposición se han vinculado con el desarrollo de problemas de conducta internalizada y externalizada en preadolescentes. Este estudio buscó identificar la asociación de estas prácticas en el desarrollo de problemas de conducta en preadolescentes mexicanos, a través de ecuaciones estructurales (306 estudiantes de primarias públicas en la Ciudad de México, Edad M = 10, DE = 0.92). Los estudiantes completaron Escalas de Prácticas Parentales, el Cuestionario de Parentalidad de Alabama, así como el Cuestionario de Fortalezas y Dificultades. La imposición paterna y el control psicológico materno predijeron problemas internalizados, mientras que la disciplina inconsistente fue un predictor de externalizados. Los resultados demuestran que aunque los valores detrás de las prácticas parentales difieran entre culturas, sus asociaciones con los problemas de conducta son similares

Ajuste escolar percibido por el profesor (PROF-A) en estudiantes mexicanos: análisis psicométrico

El presente trabajo de investigación tuvo como objetivo validar la escala de ajuste escolar percibido por el profesor (PROF-A) de Cava et al. (2015) en estudiantes mexicanos de educación primaria. El diseño fue de tipo instrumental y el estudio se desarrolló con una muestra no probabilística de bola de nieve conformada por 37 profesores pertenecientes a ocho escuelas de una zona escolar de educación primaria en un municipio del sur del estado de Sonora, México; quienes evaluaron el ajuste escolar de los estudiantes adscritos a su grupo, obteniendo un total de 628 registros. Los análisis se llevaron a cabo en SPSS v.25 y R 4.0.1 utilizando los paquetes MVR, Lavaan, Psych y semPlot. Se realizó un análisis factorial confirmatorio y un análisis de consistencia interna para comprobar la validez y confiabilidad de la escala, obteniendo un modelo de cuatro factores (integración social, competencia académica, implicación familiar y relación profesor-alumno) al igual que en la escala original. Los resultados demuestran que la PROF-A puede ser utilizada en estudios posteriores con muestras mexicanas en el nivel de educación primaria, ya que muestra propiedades psicométricas satisfactorias; se recomienda su uso en el contexto mexicano

A Culturally Adapted Parenting Intervention for Mexican-Origin Immigrant Families with Adolescents: Integrating Science, Culture, and a Focus on Immigration-Related Adversity

Low-income Latina/o immigrants are very likely to experience intense contextual challenges in the USA, such as limited exposure to culturally relevant parent training (PT) prevention interventions. This prevention study consisted of an exploratory randomized controlled trial, aimed at empirically testing the implementation feasibility and initial efcacy of a culturally adapted version of the evidence-based PT intervention known as GenerationPMTO©. The parenting intervention was adapted to overtly address immigration-related stressors, discrimination, and challenges associated with biculturalism. Seventy-one Mexican-origin immigrant mothers participated in this study and were allocated to one of two conditions: (a) culturally adapted GenerationPMTO (i.e., CAPAS-Youth) or (b) wait-list control. Measurements were completed at baseline (T1) and intervention completion (T2). When compared to mothers in the control condition at T2, CAPAS-Youth participants reported signifcant improvements on four of the core parenting practices delivered in the CAPAS-Youth intervention. As hypothesized, no signifcant diferences in limit-setting skills were identifed at T2. With regards to adolescents’ outcomes, mothers exposed to CAPAS-Youth reported signifcant improvements in youth internalizing and externalizing behaviors at T2 when compared to a wait-list control condition. Mothers in both conditions also reported signifcant reductions in levels of immigration-related stress. Current fndings indicate the feasibility of implementing CAPAS-Youth within a context of considerable adversity, as well as the benefcial impacts of the parent-based intervention on salient parenting and youth outcomes