Intermediary processes in Hispanic/Latinx/o youths' coping responses to cultural stressors.

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; Mage = 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.

Understanding adjustment profiles among Mexican-origin adolescents over time: A focus on cultural risk and resilience factors.

This study used a three-wave longitudinal dataset to: identify adjustment profiles of U.S. Mexican-origin adolescents based on their physical, academic, and psychosocial health adjustment; track adjustment profile changes throughout adolescence; and examine the associations between cultural stressors, family obligation, and adjustment profile membership over time. Participants were 604 Mexican-origin adolescents (54% female, Mage = 12.41, SD = 0.97) in Texas (Wave 1: 2012-2015; Wave 2: 2013-2016; Wave 3: 2017-2020). Three concurrent profiles (Well-adjusted, Moderate, and Poorly-adjusted) emerged at each wave, whereas three transition profiles (Improved, Stable well-adjusted, and Overall poorly-adjusted) were identified across three waves. The results suggest that cultural stressors pose risks for Mexican-origin adolescents' adjustment, and family obligation values play a protective role in these associations.

Latinx/Hispanic youths' experiences of cultural stressors, emotional reactions, and coping within the family context.

OBJECTIVES: This qualitative investigation examined how Latinx/Hispanic youth experience cultural stressors, emotionally react to, and cope with these stressors within the family context. METHOD: Forty-five youth participated in six focus groups (51% female; 49% male; 0% nonbinary; Mage = 15.26; SD = 0.79). RESULTS: Using reflexive thematic analysis, we constructed two themes with four accompanying subthemes centering on (a) observing family members experience cultural stressors and (b) experiencing cultural stressors together with family members. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the need for cultural stress theory to focus on the family context in Latinx/Hispanic youths' experiences of cultural stressors, their emotional reactions and coping responses to these stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Association of Ethnic and American Identities with Psychological Well-Being among Latinx Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Bicultural Identity Integration.

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; Mage = 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.

Alcohol Use Severity among Hispanic Emerging Adults: Examining Intragroup Marginalization, Bicultural Self-Efficacy, and the Role of Gender within a Stress and Coping Framework.

Most research on cultural stressors and alcohol has focused on intercultural stressors. Continuing to exclude intracultural stressors (e.g., intragroup marginalization) from alcohol research will yield a biased understanding of the experiences of Hispanics living in a bicultural society. As we amass more studies on intracultural stressors, research will be needed to identify mutable sociocultural factors that may mitigate the association between intracultural stressors and alcohol. To address these limitations, we examined the association between intragroup marginalization and alcohol use severity and the extent to which gender and bicultural self-efficacy may moderate this association. A convenience sample of 200 Hispanic emerging adults ages 18-25 (men = 101, women = 99) from Arizona (n = 99) and Florida (n = 101) completed a cross-sectional survey. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses. Higher intragroup marginalization was associated with higher alcohol use severity. Gender functioned as a moderator whereby intragroup marginalization was associated with higher alcohol use severity among men, but not women. Also, higher social groundedness functioned as a moderator that weakened the association between intragroup marginalization and alcohol use severity. Role repertoire did not function as a moderator. Our findings are significant because they enhance the reliability of the association between intragroup marginalization and alcohol use severity, and the moderating effect of gender in this respective association. This emerging line of research suggests that alcohol interventions targeting Hispanics may have a significant limitation by not accounting for intracultural stressors.

Distinct co-occurrence patterns of acculturation and perceived context of reception between weekdays and weekends among Hispanic college students.

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.

Do Mothers' Experiences Count? An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of Language Brokering Experiences in Mexican Immigrant Families.

Language brokering is a shared parent-child experience with implications for parent-child relationships and, in turn, individuals' psychological well-being; however, few studies recognize the role of parents. This study took a dyadic approach to investigate the association between brokering experiences and internalizing symptoms, and the mediating role of parent-child alienation. Participants were 604 Mexican-origin adolescents (54% female, Mage = 12.41) and their mothers (N = 595). Both adolescents' and their mothers' brokering experiences were related to their own internalizing symptoms via their self-reported parent-child alienation. Mothers' brokering experiences also affected adolescents so that when mothers experienced more negative brokering experiences, adolescents perceived greater parent-child alienation, and in turn more internalizing symptoms, suggesting the necessity of considering language brokering's influence on members involved as a dyadic process.

Cultural stress, daily well-being, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms among Hispanic college students.

The present study was designed to examine the extent to which, in a sample of 873 Hispanic college students, daily levels of, and variability in, well-being would mediate the predictive effects of culturally related stressors (discrimination, negative context of reception, and bicultural stress) on internalizing and externalizing symptoms 11 days later. A 12-day daily diary design was utilized, where reports of cultural stressors were gathered on Day 1, daily well-being reports were gathered on Days 2-11, and outcomes were measured on Day 12 (with controls for Day 1 levels of these same outcomes). Structural equation modeling results indicated that daily means of, and variability in, well-being significantly mediated the predictive effect of Day 1 ethnic/racial discrimination, negative context of reception, and bicultural stress on Day 12 symptoms of anxiety and depression. No effects emerged for externalizing symptoms. When we decomposed the latent well-being variability construct into its component indicators (self-esteem, life satisfaction, psychological well-being/self-acceptance, and eudaimonic well-being), daily variability in life satisfaction and self-acceptance appeared to be primarily responsible for the mediated predictive effects we observed. These results are discussed in terms of implications for further research, for counseling practice, and for the development of more inclusive university practices and policies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal change in adolescent hope among recent immigrant Latinx adolescents: Links with adolescent and parent cultural stress, family functioning, emotional well-being, and behavioral health.

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.

The role of psychologists in international migration research: Complementing other expertise and an interdisciplinary way forward.

This research note addresses the current and potential future role of psychologists in the study of international migration. We review ways in which psychologists have contributed to the study of migration, as well as ways in which psychological scholarship could be integrated with work from other social science fields. Broadly, we discuss four major contributions that psychology brings to the study of international migration-studying migrants' internal psychological experiences, incorporating a developmental perspective, conducting experimental studies, and integrating across levels of analysis. Given the position of psychology as a 'hub science' connecting more traditional social sciences with health and medical sciences, we argue for a more prominent role for psychologists within the study of international migration. Such a role is intended to complement the roles of other social scientists and to create a more interdisciplinary way forward for the field of migration studies. The research note concludes with an agenda for further scholarship on migration.

Cultural stressors, internalizing symptoms, and parent-child alienation among Mexican-origin adolescents.

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.

Acculturation Trajectories Differ by Youth Age at Arrival and Time in Residency among Latino Immigrant Families in a US Emerging Immigrant Context.

The present study was designed to examine acculturation trajectories of first-generation, Latino immigrant youth and their parents in an emerging immigrant context. We also examined whether acculturation trajectories differed between families with youth who migrated at different stages of development and who have spent differential amounts of time in the United States (US). A community sample of 217 immigrant families in western Oregon was purposely sampled according to youths' age at arrival and time in US residency (TR) and assessed three times over a 3-year period. Families were stratified into three TR groups: TR1 = 2-4 years spent in the US; TR2 = 6-8 years spent in the US; and TR3 = 10-12 years. Parents and youth in each TR group completed measures assessing their acculturation to US American and Latino culture. Results from multiple-group latent growth models showed that acculturation trajectories differed for both youth and parents depending on the TR group. Moreover, both youth and their parents within each TR group differed in their acculturation trajectories. Overall, although youth slowly gravitated toward biculturalism over time, their parents remained relatively separated such that they reported high endorsement of their heritage culture and low endorsement of US culture over time. Findings are discussed in terms of prior research and theory.

Directional Effects in Cultural Identity: A Family Systems Approach for Immigrant Latinx Families.

Although there is a substantial body of work focusing on the processes underlying cultural identity in general, less is known regarding how these processes might operate within the context of Latinx families. Moreover, among the limited research that has included the adolescent and caregiver cultural identity, most of the research has primarily focused on how caregivers influence their adolescent's cultural identity. In the present study, the directional pathways between recently immigrated adolescents' and caregivers' ethnic and U.S. identity belonging were examined using data from a longitudinal study of acculturation and identity development among recently arrived Latinx immigrant families. The sample consisted of 302 primary caregivers (Mage = 41.09, SD = 7.13 at baseline; 67.5% mothers) and their adolescents (Mage = 14.51, SD = 0.88 at baseline; 46.7% female). The results indicated that caregivers' ethnic identity belonging significantly predicted adolescents' ethnic identity belonging over time. At the same time, adolescents' ethnic identity negatively predicted caregivers' ethnic identity belonging over time, whereas adolescents' U.S. identity belonging positively predicted caregivers' later ethnic identity belonging. The findings indicate that immigrant caregivers may retain their native culture to direct and respond to their children's changing cultural identifications.

A Parallel Process Model of Integration and Multidimensional Prosocial Behaviors in Recent Immigrant U.S. Latinx Adolescents.

With a growing population of Latinx youth immigrating to the United States, it is important to understand how Latinx youth adapt to mainstream U.S. culture. Given that the majority of research examining social development among recent immigrant adolescents has focused on negative adjustment outcomes, research examining positive social behaviors is needed to avoid deficit approaches to their development, gain a holistic understanding of youth development, and improve interventions with this population.This study examined the associations among trajectories in cultural integration and multiple prosocial behaviors among recent immigrant U.S. Latinx adolescents in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California. Adolescents (N = 302; 53.3% males; M age = 14.51 years) completed measures of integration and prosocial behaviors across six time points. Latent growth curve models indicated that integration significantly increased, though this growth tapered off over time. The growth in prosocial behaviors depended on the specific form of helping assessed. While the growth in altruistic and compliant prosocial behaviors was stagnant, there was an increase in anonymous prosocial behaviors and a decrease in public and dire prosocial behaviors. Emotional behaviors did not linearly change, though slightly tapered off by the final time points. Parallel process latent growth curve model results indicated positive correlations between the slopes of cultural integration and most forms of prosocial behaviors. These findings highlight the positive role of cultural integration as an acculturative process for U.S. Latinx youth and the multidimensionality of prosocial behaviors.

E-cigarette use susceptibility among youth in Mexico: The roles of remote acculturation, parenting behaviors, and internet use frequency.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is increasing worldwide, raising concerns about its impact on youth development. Remote acculturation may influence the e-cigarette use cognitions of youth in Mexico by influencing their media use, thereby contributing to their e-cigarette use susceptibility. This study examined whether remote acculturation was associated with youth internet use frequency, and whether youth internet use frequency, in turn, was associated with youth e-cigarette use susceptibility. Because parenting behaviors can relate with lower tobacco and media use (e.g., internet use), this study also examined the associations of parental media restrictions and mother's parenting practices with youth internet use frequency and e-cigarette use susceptibility. METHODS: Data came from a school-based survey with middle school students in Mexico who had never tried e-cigarettes (N = 6004; 52.6% female; Mage = 13.07 years). Students completed measures of remote acculturation, parental media restrictions, mother's parenting practices, internet use, and e-cigarette use susceptibility. RESULTS: Structural equation analyses suggest that U.S. American cultural orientation may increase youth e-cigarette use risk by way of higher youth internet use. Mexican cultural orientation and parental media restrictions may reduce youth e-cigarette use risk by way of lower youth internet use. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive interventions to reduce Mexican youths' intention to try e-cigarettes could benefit from efforts to reduce youth internet use and from media literacy interventions that inform parents and youth about the influence of internet use on youth e-cigarette use.

Examining Discrimination and Familism Values as Longitudinal Predictors of Prosocial Behaviors Among Recent Immigrant Adolescents.

The current study was designed to address gaps in the existing literature by examining the role of discrimination and familism values as predictors of multiple forms of prosocial behaviors across time in a sample of recent immigrant Latino/a adolescents. Participants were 302 recent immigrant Latino/a adolescents (53.3% male; average age 14.51 years, range = 13-17). Data were collected from adolescents in two US cities: Los Angeles (n = 150) and Miami (n = 152). Adolescents completed measures of their own discrimination experiences, familism values, and tendency to engage in six forms of prosocial behaviors. Results indicated generally positive links between familism values and prosocial behaviors. Discrimination also positively predicted public prosocial behaviors and negatively predicted altruistic prosocial behaviors. We discuss the development of cultural processes and perceptions of discrimination experiences, and how these factors predict helping behaviors among immigrant adolescents.

Alcohol use severity, depressive symptoms, and optimism among Hispanics: Examining the immigrant paradox in a serial mediation model.

OBJECTIVE: Hispanic immigrants exhibit more positive outcomes than U.S.-born Hispanics across educational, psychological, and physical health indices, a phenomenon called the immigrant paradox. We examined the immigrant paradox in relation to alcohol use severity among Hispanic young adults while considering both positive (optimism) and negative (depressive symptoms) processes. METHOD: Among 200 immigrant and U.S.-born Hispanic young adults (Mage = 21.30; 49% male) in Arizona and Florida, we tested whether optimism and depressive symptoms statistically mediated the relationship between nativity and alcohol use severity. Specifically, we examined whether Hispanic immigrants reported greater optimism than their U.S.-born counterparts, and whether such optimism was, in turn, associated with less depressive symptoms and thus lower alcohol use severity. RESULTS: Indirect effects were significant in hypothesized directions (nativity → optimism → depressive symptoms → alcohol use severity). CONCLUSIONS: Both positive and negative psychological processes are important to consider when accounting for the immigrant paradox vis-à-vis alcohol use severity among Hispanic young adults.

Alcohol use severity among Hispanic emerging adults: Examining the roles of bicultural self-efficacy and acculturation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to (1) examine respective associations of acculturation orientations (e.g., U.S. orientation and Hispanic orientation) and domains (e.g., social groundedness and role repertoire) of bicultural self-efficacy, the perceived confidence to function effectively within the receiving culture and the heritage culture, with alcohol use severity among Hispanic emerging adults. This study also aimed to (2) examine potential moderating factors of respective associations among acculturation orientations and bicultural self-efficacy with alcohol use severity. METHOD: 200 Hispanic emerging adults from Arizona (n = 99) and Florida (n = 101) completed a cross-sectional survey. Inclusion criteria were being ages 18-25, self-identify as Hispanic or Latina/o, and currently living in Maricopa County or Miami-Dade County. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses. RESULTS: Findings indicate that neither of the acculturation orientations nor role repertoire had main effects with alcohol use severity. However, higher social groundedness was associated with lower alcohol use severity. Moderation analyses indicate that the interaction between the U.S. orientation and study site and the interaction between the Hispanic orientation and social groundedness were statistically significant in relation to alcohol use severity. CONCLUSIONS: Considering that the U.S. orientation was associated with alcohol use severity only in Arizona highlights the need for multisite studies on acculturation. Our findings demonstrate that other sociocultural processes such as acculturation can impact bicultural self-efficacy; and that the association between bicultural self-efficacy and alcohol merits further investigation. However, more thorough assessments of bicultural self-efficacy are needed to better understand its effects on alcohol.

Disentangling relationships between bicultural stress and mental well-being among Latinx immigrant adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The Acculturative Process and Context Framework (Ward & Geeraert, 2016) proposes that acculturative stressors influence psychological well-being over time. In fact, extant literature has linked bicultural stress with psychological functioning; yet, no studies have explored the causal dominance of bicultural stress. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the directionality of prospective relations among bicultural stress and psychosocial functioning (i.e., depressive symptoms, hopefulness, and self-esteem) in Latinx immigrant adolescents across 5 waves. METHOD: There were 303 Latinx adolescents who were recruited for this study from Los Angeles and Miami and were assessed across 5 waves at 6-month intervals. Adolescents were 14.50 years old on average (SD = .88) and 53.16% were male. Adolescents reported living in the United States for 2.07 years on average (SD = 1.87). A Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) was used to examine the between- and within-person relations among bicultural stress, depressive symptoms, hopefulness, and self-esteem in a comprehensive model. RESULTS: The comprehensive RI-CLPM including bicultural stress, depressive symptoms, hopefulness, and self-esteem exhibited excellent model fit. Between-person, trait-like relations among constructs ranged from small to large, as expected. Within-person, cross-lagged estimates among constructs were overall inconsistent, with some evidence that, within individuals, self-esteem influences later hopefulness. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study indicate that the RI-CLPM is an effective strategy to examine bicultural stress and well-being processes among adolescents. There is a need for further research examining bicultural stress among Latinx immigrant youth, particularly within prevention and intervention studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Dynamic Transition Patterns in Acculturation Among Hispanic Adolescents.

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.