The Influence of Caregiver-Child Acculturation Gap on Mexican American Adolescents' Depression and Suicidality

Latino adolescents are at an elevated risk of depression and suicidality when compared to their European American and African American counterparts. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine cultural and familial risk and protective processes in Latino adolescents’ lives that impact depression and suicidality. In the first part of the dissertation, an enhanced conceptual model of the acculturation gap hypothesis is presented that builds upon previous research. Specifically, the modified conceptual model highlights the importance of examining: acculturation mulitdimensionally (i.e., cognitively, behaviorally and affectively); the impact of this gap on both female and male caregiver relationships; acknowledging the reality of the familial composition of many Latino youth’s lives which include broadening the acculturation gap hypothesis to include primary caregivers regardless of biological relation; the role of positive and negative caregiver-child relationships on depression and suicidality; and the possible moderating effect that ethnic group membership and gender may play on this model. Based on the enhanced acculturation gap model, the second part of this dissertation tests a resiliency model that investigates the impact caregiver-child acculturation gaps have on caregiver-child connectedness and conflict, depression and suicidality for Mexican American adolescents. Data was collected on 524 Mexican American adolescents (46.9% male; 53.1% female) ranging from 14 to 20 years (M = 16.23 years; SD = 1.10 years) who attended high school in a midsized south Texas city. The hypothesized model had acceptable model fit [x^(2) (59, 524) = 66.50, p > .05; x^(2)/df =1.13; CFI = .97; TLI = .96; & RMSEA = .02] and did not vary by gender. Direct and indirect paths indicated that there is support for the acculturation gap hypothesis when considering the effect of the cognitive acculturation dimensions of familismo and gender role beliefs on the caregiver-child relationship, depression and suicidality for Mexican American adolescents. The results are discussed based on their application to future research, as well as suicide and depression intervention and prevention programming

The Role of Behavioral and Cognitive Cultural Orientation on Mexican American College Students’ Life Satisfaction

We examined the role of behavioral (acculturation and enculturation) and cognitive cultural orientation (independent and interdependent self-construal) on Mexican American college students’ life satisfaction. Analyses explained 28% of the variance in life satisfaction, with social class, grade point average, and independent self-construal being unique predictors. Furthermore, enculturation was associated with increasing life satisfaction among those low in interdependent self-construal, whereas acculturation was associated with decreasing life satisfaction among those high in independent self-construal. Implications and directions for future research are discussed

Navigating Identity Uncertainty: Identity Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have only recently begun to be explored. Among college students, who were faced with sudden and unprecedented changes and challenges, it is likely that COVID-19 detrimentally impacted the establishment of a sense of self, a key developmental task of the college years. However, no research has examined the relationships among COVID-19 related worries, identity distress, and psychological and academic adjustment. To address these gaps in the current study, we examined the prevalence of identity distress, the relationship between COVID-19 related worries and identity distress, and the direct and indirect associations between COVID-19 related worries and psychological and academic adjustment among a sample of 1627 college students (M-age = 20.51, SD = 2.21). Findings indicated that over a third of the sample reported high levels of identity distress and that COVID-19 related worries were negatively associated, both directly and indirectly through identity distress, with psychological and academic adjustment

Longitudinal Trajectories of Family Functioning Among Recent Immigrant Adolescents and Parents: Links With Adolescent and Parent Cultural Stress, Emotional Wellâ Being, and Behavioral Health

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148234/1/cdev12914.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148234/2/cdev12914_am.pd

Disentangling acculturation and enculturation intergenerational gaps: Examining mother-youth value discrepancies and mental health among Mexican-descent college students.

ObjectiveTo test the acculturation gap hypothesis by examining mother-youth value discrepancies (both acculturative and enculturative) and their association with mother-youth acculturative conflict and youth mental health outcomes.MethodParticipants were 273 Mexican descent college students attending a large, public, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in West Texas (72% women). The participants' ages ranged 18-25 years (M = 19.33 years; SD = 1.54 years).ResultsThree models assessed the relationship between mother-youth value discrepancies and mental health outcomes (suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, and depressive symptoms) as mediated by mother-youth acculturative conflict. Consistently, Mexican heritage cultural values were related to mental health outcomes while American cultural values were not.ConclusionsThe study found that increased mother-youth discrepancies on Mexican cultural values were associated with increased negative mental health outcomes. Our findings suggest that adopting or learning new mainstream American values does not substitute for the Mexican cultural values that protect against negative outcomes

Cultural Self, Personal Self: Links With Life Satisfaction Among Mexican American College Students

Structural equation modeling was used to test relations among heritage-culture retention (i.e., adherence to Latina/o values, ethnic identity, and collective self-esteem), personal self-esteem, life satisfaction, and academic grades for 446 Mexican American college students. Results indicated that the hypothesized model fit the data well. Personal self-esteem partially mediated the relation between heritage-culture retention and life satisfaction. Specifically, heritage-culture retention predicted personal self-esteem, and heritage-culture retention and personal self-esteem both predicted life satisfaction. The mediated effect of heritage-culture retention to life satisfaction via personal self-esteem also was significant. The relation of personal self-esteem to life satisfaction was significant for both genders, but stronger for women, resulting in a stronger mediated effect of heritage-culture retention on life satisfaction for women than men. Contrary to the hypotheses, academic grades were not predicted by life satisfaction and, thus, not indirectly related to heritage-culture retention or personal self-esteem. Overall, greater retention of aspects of one's heritage culture predicted higher levels of both personal self-esteem and life satisfaction. In turn, higher personal self-esteem predicted greater life satisfaction. The hypothesized model explained 28% of the variance in life satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales fue utilizado para deteriminar las relaciones entre la retención de la herencia cultural (es decir, la adhesión a los valores de la cultura Latina, la identidad étnica y la autoestima colectiva), la autoestima personal, la satisfaccíon con la vida y el éxito académico de 446 estudiantes universitarios mexico-americanos. Los resultados indicaron que el modelo de la hipótesis de ajuste a los datos. Como hipótesis, la autoestima personal mediado parcialmente la relación entre la conservación de la herencia cultura y la satisfaccíon con la vida. Específicamente, la retención de la herencia cultural predijo la autoestima personal; y la retención de la herencia cultural y la autoestima personal predijeron la satisfaccíon con la vida. El efecto mediado por la retención de la herencia cultural para la satisfaccíon con la vida a través de la autoestima personal también fue significativa. La relación de la autoestima personal al bienestar subjetivo fue significativa en ambos sexos, pero más fuerte para las mujeres que resultan en un efecto mediado más fuerte de la retención de la herencia cultural en la satisfaccíon con la vida de las mujeres que en los hombres. En contra de la hipótesis, el éxito académico no fue predicha por la satisfaccíon con la vida y por lo tanto, no indirectamente relacionados con la retención de la herencia cultural o la autoestima personal. En general, la retencíon de la herencia cultura predijo niveles más altos tanto de la autoestima personal y la satisfaccíon con la vida. El aumento de la autoestima personal predijo un mayor bienestar subjetivo. El modelo hipotético explicó 28% de la varianza en la satisfaccíon con la vida. Se discuten las implicaciones para la investigación y la práctica

Associations of ethnic discrimination with symptoms of anxiety and depression among Hispanic emerging adults: a moderated mediation model

Background and Objectives: Emerging adulthood is often marked with elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression. Hispanic emerging adults may face cultural stressors such as ethnic discrimination that further increase levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. The study aims were to examine if (a) self-esteem mediated effects of ethnic discrimination on symptoms of anxiety and depression, and (b) if gender moderated the indirect effects of discrimination. Design: The study design was cross-sectional self-report. Method: Two moderated mediation models were tested, with 1084 Hispanic emerging adults (ages 18-25) enrolled in institutions of post-secondary in the United States. Results: Results indicated that (a) higher ethnic discrimination was associated with higher anxiety symptoms (β = .05, p = .04), higher depression symptoms (β = .06, p = .02), and lower self-esteem (β = −.30, p < .001); (b) self-esteem mediated the associations of ethnic discrimination with anxiety and depression symptoms; and (c) gender moderated the indirect effects of discrimination, whereby self-esteem was a stronger mediator among men than women. Each moderated mediation model explained 26% of variability in symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the mediating effects of self-esteem linking ethnic discrimination with symptoms of anxiety and depression vary between genders

The Longitudinal Associations Between Discrimination, Depressive Symptoms, and Prosocial Behaviors in U.S. Latino/a Recent Immigrant Adolescents

The links between discrimination and adjustment in U.S. Latino/a immigrant adolescents is an important but understudied phenomenon. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations (across 1 year) among discrimination, prosocial behaviors, and depressive symptoms in U.S. Latino immigrant adolescents using two competing models: associations between discrimination and prosocial behaviors via depressive symptoms (mental health strain model), and associations between discrimination and depressive symptoms via prosocial behaviors (prosociality strain model). Participants were 302 Latino/a recent immigrant adolescents (53.3 % boys, M age = 14.51 years at Time 1, SD = .88 years) who completed measures of discrimination, depressive symptoms, and prosocial behaviors at 6-month intervals. The results provided support for both proposed models. The discussion examines the importance of prosocial behaviors in understanding adjustment and effects of discrimination among recently immigrated U.S. Latino adolescents