Surveying Adolescents During a Pandemic: Comparison of Adolescents Recruited via Social Media vs. Schools.

School-based surveys of adolescents can be logistically difficult and exclude students who do not attend school. Social media recruitment could be a promising strategy to recruit representative samples of adolescents. However, few studies have compared adolescent survey data collected via different methodologies. Our team was conducting a school-based survey when the COVID-19 pandemic closed all schools, necessitating a shift to online adolescent recruitment. To achieve our goal of obtaining a sample of high school students throughout California, we placed ads on social media. We compared the adolescents recruited in schools with those recruited on social media on demographic characteristics, mental health, and substance use. The sample of students recruited in schools (N = 737) and adolescents recruited via social media (N = 953) did not differ significantly on gender or substance use. However, compared with school-based recruitment, social media recruitment yielded a higher proportion of boys, whites, and Asians and a lower proportion of girls, Hispanic/Latinx adolescents, and those who spoke other languages at home. The social media sample had significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms and perceived stress than the school-based sample. Results indicate that social media can be useful for recruiting adolescents for survey research, especially if strategies such as Spanish-language social media ads are used to recruit and consent Hispanic/Latinx adolescents and those with non-English-speaking parents. This method could potentially replace school-based surveys in cases where schools are unwilling to participate in research, or it could be used to supplement school-based samples. Advantages and disadvantages of both methods are discussed.

Cultural Stress Profiles: Describing Different Typologies of Migration Related and Cultural Stressors among Hispanic or Latino Youth.

Youth of immigrant origin vary across their families' migration history (e.g., country of heritage, reasons for migration, etc.) and in the communities in which they reside. As such, these youth are often faced with different cultural and immigrant stressors. Although prior research documented the detrimental impact of cultural and immigrant stressors, variable-centered approaches fail to account for the fact that these stressors often co-occur. Addressing this gap, the current study identified typologies of cultural stressors in Hispanic/Latino adolescents using latent profile analysis. Cultural stress profiles were derived using socio-political stress, language brokering, in-group identity threats, and within-group discrimination as indicators. The study was conducted in two sites (Los Angeles and Miami; total N = 306) during Spring and Summer 2020. A four-profile solution was identified: Low Cultural Stress (n = 94, 30.7%), Sociopolitical and Language Brokering Stress (n = 147, 48%), Sociopolitical and In-group Identity Threat Stress (n = 48, 15.7%), and Higher Stress (n = 17, 5.6%). Results indicate that profiles with stress were characterized by worse mental health symptoms, reporting higher means of depression, stress, and lower self-esteem, as well as by higher heritage cultural orientation compared to the low stress profile. Interventions designed to mitigate the deleterious effects of cultural stressors would benefit from adopting an individualized, tailored approach that addresses youth's stress profile membership.

Perceived Negative Political Climate Among Hispanic/Latino Adolescents Before and After the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: Associations with Internalizing Symptoms and Substance Use.

The political climate often changes following the installment of a new president. This volatility presents opportunities for examining how elections might affect vulnerable subgroups such as Hispanic/Latino (HL) adolescents. The present study explored the perception of negative political climate among HL adolescents before and after the 2020 U.S. presidential election and its association with internalizing symptoms and substance use. We conducted the study in Los Angeles and Miami between 2020-2021, with a sample of 304 HL adolescents (Females = 60.8%), aged 15.3 years on average. Participants completed measures of negative political climate (pre- post-election) and measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety, substance misuse, and substance use intentions after the election. We used paired tests and linear mixed-effects modeling to explore changes in perceived negative climate before and after the election. Structural equation modeling was used to determine predictors of negative political climate and its associations with internalizing symptoms and substance use. Results indicated that following the election negative political climate increased significantly in Miami and among Cuban-origin adolescents but not in Los Angeles or among Mexican-origin adolescents. Pre-election perceived negative political climate was significantly predicted by gender, study site, and mother's nativity. Pre-election negative political climate predicted post-election internalizing symptoms and substance use intentions indirectly through post-election negative political climate. HL youth's perceived political climate is a complex construct that might vary across different sociopolitical contexts and populational sub-groups. Exploring variations in politically-based cultural stressors and their role as mental health and substance use risk factors is crucial to addressing HL disparities. KEY WORDS: Adolescence, Hispanic/Latino, political climate, presidential election, internalizing symptoms, substance use.

Evaluation of a COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program among student athletes in a public high school district.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate a COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program among high school athletes through testing data and qualitative analysis from key stakeholders. METHODS: Testing data was obtained by the partnering school district. Testing staff, coaches, and parents participated in a focus group using a semi-structured focus group guide. Transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to produce the themes of the study. RESULTS: Rapid antigen tests quickly identified a COVID-19-positive student athlete, which allowed for quick isolation and zero transmission to teammates. Focus groups with parents, testing staff, and coaches indicated the testing program improved perceived safety and demonstrated the ability for school staff to implement a widespread COVID-19 screening program with minimal training. CONCLUSIONS: As schools continue to respond to various waves of COVID-19 infections, targeted testing for high-risk activities in school settings such as sports programs may help prevent school outbreaks during times of high community transmission rates. This evaluation adds to a body of literature that will aid schools and policy makers in their decision on how to best keep student athletes and school communities safe for future waves of COVID-19 infection and other pandemics.

COVID-19 booster vaccine attitudes and behaviors among university students and staff in the United States: The USC Trojan pandemic research Initiative.

Although authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (BNT162b2 by BioNTech/Pfizer and mRNA-1273 by Moderna) significantly reduce morbidity and mortality, recent evidence suggests that immunity wanes over time, and that a booster dose could further reduce COVID-19 transmission and severe illness. However, research examining attitudes on booster willingness in diverse populations is needed. This study examined COVID-19 booster vaccine attitudes and behaviors among university students and staff in the fall of 2021. In our sample, 96.2% of respondents indicated willingness to get a COVID-19 booster shot at least once per year. In both bivariate and multivariate analyses higher trust in science was associated with having higher odds of booster willingness. Those who identify as Black, on average, reported trusting science less than other racial/ethnic groups. Our findings demonstrate high willingness to receive a COVID-19 booster shot and highlight the importance of educational messages and initiatives that focus on building trust in science to increase willingness to get the COVID-19 booster. More research is needed to better understand the impact of cultural beliefs on booster willingness and vaccine hesitancy. This understanding will help determine what messages and populations to target to increase booster willingness in the future.

Evaluation of a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Testing Program in a Supervised Community Distance Learning Setting for K-8 Students.

BACKGROUND: School-based COVID-19 testing is a potential strategy to limit COVID-19 transmission among youth in congregate settings such as schools, sports programs, and summer camps. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of frequent rapid antigen testing at a supervised distance-learning setting for elementary and middle school children while their schools were closed. METHODS: This evaluation examines participation rates and testing data in addition to qualitative analysis of focus groups from a Los Angeles City-sponsored rapid antigen testing pilot program. In total, 434 children and staff were enrolled in the 13-week pilot program in the spring of 2021. RESULTS: In this pilot program, 2482 rapid antigen tests were administered, resulting in 3 positive test results, 1 of which was a false positive (confirmed by polymerase chain reaction testing) and 0 outbreaks or community spread. CONCLUSIONS: Throughout this pilot program, implementing rapid antigen tests allowed for the quick identification and isolation of potentially COVID-19-positive children, improved perceived safety for parents and staff who interact with children, and demonstrated the ability for staff and non-health care professionals in a school-based setting to implement a widespread COVID-19 screening program with minimal training.

Associations between Local Jurisdiction Ordinances and Current Use of Cannabis Products in California Adolescents.

PURPOSE: Cannabis use among adolescents may have detrimental effects and use among this age group is increasing. It is important to understand how expansion of laws permitting cannabis sales may impact adolescent use. Much of the current research has explored how state-level policy decisions may impact adolescents' use behaviors; however, there is a gap in the understanding of how differences in local jurisdictional policies may also influence underage cannabis use.Procedures: The present study cross-sectionally assesses local variation in cannabis policies to explore the potential effects of local policy on underage use behaviors. Data were collected from (N = 1,573) adolescents representing 120 different localities across California, collected as a part of Project Cal Teens. Linear regression models were used to assess associations between local jurisdiction's allowance of retail sale of cannabis for adult-use and past 30-day use of non-medical (adult use) cannabis and perceived access to cannabis products. FINDINGS: Local policy allowing cannabis retail was associated with adolescents' significantly higher past 30-day use of cannabis (ß = 0.25 95% CI = 0.08, 0.42) and perceived access (ß = 0.60 95% CI = 0.27, 0.94). CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the impact of local cannabis policies on adolescent cannabis use and perception. Considering the effects of cannabis use on adolescent development, this is an important public health concern because 14 states have already legalized recreational retail sales and growing numbers of local jurisdictions are allowing the retail sale of recreational cannabis.

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.

#FlavorsSaveLives: An Analysis of Twitter Posts Opposing Flavored E-cigarette Bans.

BACKGROUND: Starting in 2019 policies restricting the availability of flavored e-cigarette products were proposed or implemented in the United States to curb vaping by youth. People took to Twitter to voice their opposition, referencing the phrase "Flavors Save Lives." This study documented the emerging themes pertaining to "Flavors Saves Lives" over a 12-month period. METHODS: The study period was from May 1, 2019, to May 1, 2020. A stratified sampling procedure supplied 2500 tweets for analysis. Posts were classified by one or more of the following themes: (1) Political Referendum; (2) Institutional Distrust; (3) Individual Rights; (4) Misinformation; (5) THC Vaping is the Real Problem; (6) Smoking Cessation; (7) Adult Use; and (8) Not a Bot. The temporal pattern of tweets over the year was examined. RESULTS: Political Referendum (76.5%) and Institutional Distrust (31.3%) were the most prominent themes, followed by Not a Bot (11.0%), Individual Rights (10.4%), Adult Use (8.0%), Smoking Cessation (6.6%), Misinformation (5.9%), and THC Vaping is the Real Problem (3.5%). Total tweet frequencies increased in September 2019 and peaked in November 2019 before returning to relatively low numbers. Political Referendum and Institutional Distrust were consistently the most prevalent themes over time. CONCLUSION: Twitter posts with the phrase "Flavors Save Lives" commonly discussed voting against political incumbents and mentioned distrust of government representatives. Findings demonstrated the possibility of near real-time Twitter monitoring of public opposition to flavor bans. These data may be valuable for designing tobacco control information campaigns in the future. IMPLICATIONS: (a) Starting in 2019 policies restricting the availability of flavored e-cigarette products were proposed or implemented in the United States to curb vaping by youth. (b) This study content analyzed Twitter posts with the phrase "Flavors Save Lives" from a 12-month period to understand opposition to flavor restrictions. (c) Twitter posts commonly discussed voting against political incumbents and mentioned distrust of government representatives. (d) Findings demonstrated the possibility of near real-time Twitter monitoring of public opposition to flavor bans, and contribute to a more comprehensive assessment of different sub-population's responses to current and proposed tobacco control information policies.

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.

"I'm using cigarettes to quit JUUL": An analysis of Twitter posts about JUUL cessation.

INTRODUCTION: JUUL, a small pod-based vaping device that aerosolizes nicotine salts, is popular among adolescents and young adults. Because of JUUL's high nicotine content, JUUL users can become nicotine dependent very quickly and have difficulty quitting. Nicotine-dependent JUUL users might turn to Twitter to seek advice, share their cessation struggles, or report their success rather than confiding in friends or family. METHOD: This study analyzed Twitter tweets (N = 3192) posted in 2018-2019 to identify common themes about quitting JUUL. Tweets containing the keywords "JUUL" and "quit" or "quitting" were analyzed qualitatively and grouped into themes. RESULTS: The most common themes were Methods to quit (25.4%), Have quit (17.8%), Want to quit (16.1%), Reasons to quit (9.6%), Difficulty quitting (7.9%), Barriers to quitting (2.9%), and Curious about quitting (2.1%). Methods to quit included evidence-based tobacco cessation methods such as nicotine replacement therapy and enrolling in a text-to-quit program, but they also included non-evidence-based strategies such as buying lower-nicotine pods online or switching to other tobacco products including cigarettes. Former JUUL users who had quit successfully generally expressed pride but also acknowledged that quitting was very difficult. Reasons for quitting included adverse health effects such as breathing problems and the financial cost of a JUUL habit. Posters mentioned their extreme difficulty quitting JUUL, numerous failed quit attempts, and numerous barriers to quitting including intense physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms. Some posters joked about switching to cigarettes or other drugs to quit JUUL. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that JUUL cessation is difficult and that some JUUL users want to quit. Health communication messages are needed to direct JUUL users to effective cessation strategies.

Locations of licensed and unlicensed cannabis retailers in California: A threat to health equity?

This study examined whether unlicensed and licensed cannabis retailers in California are disproportionately located in neighborhoods with minority populations or populations living below the Federal Poverty Level. We mapped the locations of licensed and unlicensed cannabis retailers in California in October 2018, combining advertisements from cannabis websites with licensing data. Demographic characteristics of neighborhoods with and without licensed and/or unlicensed cannabis retailers were compared. We identified 1110 cannabis retailers in California (448 licensed and 662 unlicensed). Relative to neighborhoods without retailers, neighborhoods with retailers had higher proportions of Hispanics, African Americans, and residents living below the poverty level. Compared with neighborhoods with only licensed retailers, neighborhoods with only unlicensed retailers had higher proportions of Hispanics and African Americans, and lower proportions of non-Hispanic whites. Neighborhoods with both licensed and unlicensed retailers had higher proportions of African Americans, Asian Americans, and people living in poverty, relative to neighborhoods with only licensed retailers. Unlicensed retailers were disproportionately located in unincorporated areas and jurisdictions that allow cannabis retailers. Minority populations in California are disproportionately exposed to unlicensed cannabis retailers, potentially exacerbating health disparities by selling unregulated products or selling to minors.

Do tobacco industry websites target content to specific demographic groups?

BACKGROUND: Prior research has not examined whether tobacco brand websites vary content based on audience demographics. This study explored whether marketing content on tobacco brand websites varied by user ethnicity, gender or age group. METHODS: Participants (n = 32) were adult smokers, representing equal numbers of eight demographic groups: user ethnicity (Non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, African American, Asian), gender (women, men) and age (age 21-35, age 36+). This study examined 12 tobacco brand websites representing four tobacco product categories (cigarettes, cigar/cigarillos, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes). From January 2016 to January 2017, participants coded websites for themes, interactive activities, and links to social media sites (n = 874 website visits). Logistic regression was used to analyze observed content by participant ethnicity, age and gender. RESULTS: All themes, all interactive activities and all links to social media were observed at least once for each demographic category. Male participants were more likely to observe Harm reduction themes, while female participants were more likely to observe Promotion themes. Older participants were more likely to observe website features allowing them to select music, and request coupons. Compared to Non-Hispanic White participants, African American participants were more likely to observe links to social media sites. CONCLUSION: Tobacco brand website content varied across ethnic, age and gender groups. These findings suggest that other factors, such as tobacco use behaviors, may influence marketing strategies participants recall or find appealing. The findings from this study can inform future regulatory activities and communication strategies aimed at countering pro-tobacco content online.

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.

Empowering Hispanic Multiunit Housing Residents to Advocate for Smokefree Policies: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Culturally Tailored Fotonovela Intervention.

Purpose: Hispanic residents of multiunit housing (MUH) are disproportionately exposed to secondhand (SHS) and thirdhand tobacco smoke (THS) from neighboring apartment units and common areas. Comprehensive legislation and voluntary policies are needed to protect residents from smoke. We developed a culturally tailored bilingual fotonovela to educate Hispanic residents about SHS and THS and encourage them to talk to their neighbors and landlords about reducing smoke exposure. This article describes a randomized controlled trial of the fotonovela. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of the fotonovela on knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions about reducing smoke exposure. Methods: Hispanic MUH residents (N=403) completed a survey and were randomly assigned to receive the fotonovela, a text pamphlet, or no materials. They completed a follow-up survey 6 months later. Results: Among the entire sample, there were no significant differences across the three groups in knowledge or attitudes at follow-up. However, when the analyses were restricted to respondents who actually read part or all of the booklets (77% in the fotonovela group and 71% in the text pamphlet group), there were significant differences in two of the six outcome measures; those who read the fotonovela had higher scores on self-efficacy to talk to others about smoke and positive attitudes toward advocacy actions, relative to those who read the text pamphlet. Conclusion: Results indicate that a fotonovela can be an effective tool to empower Hispanic MUH residents to advocate for voluntary smokefree policies, but more efforts are needed to encourage residents to read the materials.

Tobacco Use Behaviors, Attitudes, and Demographic Characteristics of Tobacco Opinion Leaders and Their Followers: Twitter Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco-related content on social media is generated and propagated by opinion leaders on the Web who disseminate messages to others in their network, including followers, who then continue to spread the information. Opinion leaders can exert powerful influences on their followers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; yet, little is known about the demographic characteristics and tobacco use behavior of tobacco opinion leaders on the Web and their followers, compared with general Twitter users. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we hypothesized that opinion leaders use more tobacco products and have higher nicotine dependence than the other 2 groups (eg, followers and general Twitter users) and that followers-those who spread messages by opinion leaders-would more likely be in demographic groups that are vulnerable to tobacco marketing influence (eg, young adults and lower educational attainment). METHODS: We constructed the social networks of people who tweet about tobacco and categorized them using a combination of social network and Twitter metrics. To understand the characteristics of tobacco opinion leaders and their followers, we conducted a survey of tobacco opinion leaders, their followers, and general Twitter users. The sample included 347 opinion leaders, 567 followers, and 519 general users. The opinion leaders had a median of 1000 followers, whereas followers and general users had fewer than 600 followers. RESULTS: Opinion leaders were more likely than their followers to report past month use of tobacco products; followers, in turn, were more likely to report past month use of these products than general Twitter users. The followers appeared to be an especially vulnerable group; they tended to be younger (mean age 22.4 years) and have lower education compared with the opinion leaders and general users. CONCLUSIONS: Followers of Twitter tobacco opinion leaders are a vulnerable group that might benefit from antitobacco education to counter the protobacco communications they see on social media.

Alcohol initiation among recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents: Roles of acculturation and sociocultural stress.

There is a growing recognition for the need for research to explore the unique and interactive effects of acculturation and sociocultural stress on alcohol initiation. Building on this research agenda, the current study sought to explore the independent and interactive effects of acculturation (i.e., heritage and U.S. cultural practices and identification) and sociocultural stress (i.e., perceived discrimination, perceived context of reception, and bicultural stress) on alcohol initiation among recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents. Data were taken from a 6-wave longitudinal study with 302 recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents (53% boys; Mage = 14.51 years at baseline; range = 14-17 years) and their families. Discrete-time survival models indicated that none of the acculturation indicators directly predicted alcohol initiation. Sociocultural stress-and specifically, bicultural stress-predicted alcohol initiation. There were significant interactions between acculturation and sociocultural stress in predicting alcohol initiation. Further research considering multiple components of acculturation and sociocultural stressors is needed to broaden our understanding of the potential role of sociocultural processes in alcohol initiation among Hispanic youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The use of cultural identity in predicting health lifestyle behaviors in Latinx immigrant adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether cultural identity predicts health lifestyle behaviors. METHOD: Participants included 302 recently immigrated (<5 years in the U.S.) Latinx adolescents (53% boys; mean age 14.51 years at baseline) from Miami and Los Angeles. Participants completed cultural identity measures at baseline and 1-year post baseline. A path analysis was used to estimate associations between cultural identities (ethnic, national, and bicultural) and health lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, diet, and sleep hygiene). RESULTS: Ethnic identity positively predicted diet. Results also indicated a significant interaction between ethnic and national identity on sleep hygiene. Specifically, when national identity was high (+1 SD), ethnic identity positively predicted sleep hygiene. CONCLUSION: This study focuses on health lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, diet, and sleep hygiene in this population. Results highlight the need to explore the protective nature of cultural identity retention in relation to health lifestyle behaviors in Latinx adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

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

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.