Family-level moderators of daily associations between discrimination and distress among Mexican-origin youth.

The current study evaluated cultural values and family processes that may moderate associations between daily racial-ethnic discrimination and distress among Mexican-origin youth. Integrating micro-time (daily diary) and macro-time (longitudinal survey) research design features, we examined familism, family cohesion, and ethnic-racial socialization from youth-, mother-, and father- reports as potential buffers of daily associations between youth racial-ethnic discrimination and youth distress (negative affect and anger). The analytic sample, drawn from the Seguimos Avanzando study, included 317 Mexican-origin adolescents (Mage = 13.5 years) and their parents, recruited from the Midwestern United States. Results indicated that youth-reported familism and family cohesion significantly buffered daily associations between youth racial-ethnic discrimination and youth distress. In contrast, parent-reported familism and family cohesion and some aspects of ethnic-racial socialization exacerbated the discrimination to distress link. The implications of these results are discussed to inform efforts supporting the healthy development of Mexican-origin youth and their families.

Cross-cultural experiences and self-development: a psychobiographical study of Bruce Lee.

A common challenge people face in today's cross-cultural world is how to solve a series of adaptation problems caused by cultural conflict. Exploring Bruce Lee's successful cross-cultural experiences through psychobiography offers some inspiration and thoughts. How did Bruce Lee successfully integrate martial arts, symbolising the Eastern culture, with films representing the Western culture, finally propelling kung fu films onto the international stage? Numerous publicly available materials about Bruce Lee were collected for this study, and the research data were evaluated using thematic analysis. Bruce Lee's success benefitted from reconstructing cultural environment information and exercising his initiative to shape a new cultural environment. His life experiences reflect individual cognition behaviour and social and cultural environments as two aspects of a dynamic circulation system and show that the two have reached internal and spiralling harmony through mutual integration. In the context of the Oriental collectivism culture's family narrative, Chinese adults' personality development features the unique theme of 'inheritance and innovation'. Dealing with the relationship between self-actualisation and familism is another important and challenging task in developing the Chinese personality.

Familism, family cohesion, and health-related quality of life in Hispanic prostate cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: Familism, the cultural value that emphasizes feelings of loyalty and dedication to one's family, has been related to both positive and negative outcomes in Hispanic cancer survivors. One potential source of observed inconsistencies may be limited attention to the family environment, as familism may be protective in a cohesive family whereas it can exacerbate distress in a conflictive family. PURPOSE: The current study explored the associations of familism with general and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Hispanic men who completed prostate cancer (PC) treatment, and whether family cohesion may help explain these relationships. METHODS: Hispanic men treated for localized PC (e.g., radiation, surgery) were enrolled in a randomized controlled stress management trial and assessed prior to randomization. Familism (familial obligation) was assessed using Sabogal's Familism Scale and family cohesion was measured using the Family Environment Scale (ranging from high to low). The sexual, urinary incontinence, and urinary obstructive/irritative domains of the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite - Short Form measured disease-specific HRQoL. The physical, emotional, and functional well-being subscales of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General captured general HRQoL. Hierarchical linear regression and the SPSS PROCESS macro were used to conduct moderation analyses, while controlling for relevant covariates. RESULTS: Participants were 202 older men on average 65.7 years of age (SD = 8.0) who had been diagnosed with PC an average of 22 months prior to enrollment. Familism was not directly associated with general and disease-specific HRQoL. Moderation analyses revealed that greater familism was related to poorer urinary functioning in the incontinence (p = .03) and irritative/obstructive domains (p = .01), and lower emotional well-being (p = .02), particularly when family cohesion was low. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the importance of considering contextual factors, such as family cohesion, in understanding the influence of familism on general and disease-specific HRQoL among Hispanic PC patients. The combined influence of familism and family cohesion predicts clinically meaningful differences in urinary functioning and emotional well-being during the posttreatment phase. Culturally sensitive psychosocial interventions to boost family cohesion and leverage the positive impact of familistic attitudes are needed to enhance HRQoL outcomes in this population.

Psychosocial factors associated with 7-year change in cognition among middle-aged and older Hispanics/Latinos: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (SOL-INCA) and Sociocultural ancillary studies.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have examined the associations of psychosocial factors with cognitive change in Hispanics/Latinos. METHODS: Data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (HCHS/SOL INCA) and Sociocultural studies were used (n = 2,155; ages ≥45 years). Psychosocial exposures included intrapersonal (ethnic identity, optimism, purpose in life), interpersonal (family cohesion, familism, social networks, social support), and social factors (ethnic discrimination, loneliness, subjective social status). Survey-linear regression models examined associations between psychosocial exposures and 7-year cognitive change (global cognition [GC], verbal learning, memory, word fluency [WF], and digit symbol substitution [DSS]). RESULTS: Familism predicted decline in GC, verbal learning, and memory; family cohesion predicted DSS decline; and loneliness predicted memory decline. Ethnic identity was protective against decline in GC and memory, optimism and social support were protective against decline in memory, and purpose in life was protective against WF decline. DISCUSSION: Psychosocial factors are differentially related to cognitive changes. Culturally relevant factors should be explored in Hispanic/Latino cognitive aging research. HIGHLIGHTS: Psychosocial factors are differentially related to cognitive changes in Latinos. Role of culturally relevant factors on cognition should be further explored. Familism predicted decline in global cognition, verbal learning, and memory. Ethnic identity predicted increase in global cognition and memory.

Critical consciousness and anti-racist action as rooted in family processes.

Racially ethnically marginalized communities in the United States are exposed to structural and interpersonal forms of racism that have harmful effects on their health, wealth, education, and employment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Racism and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/racism-disparities/index.html, 2021). Although a plethora of research exists outlining these harmful effects, research examining how youth from diverse backgrounds effectively combat racism is lacking. Emerging research demonstrates that families may play a key role in the development of critical consciousness and participation in anti-racist actions (Bañales et al., Journal of Social Issues, 2021, 77, 964; Blanco Martinez et al., American Journal of Community Psychology, 2022, 70, 278; Lozada et al., Journal of Black Psychology, 2017, 43, 493). Yet, many key family processes have not been examined in relation to youth development of anti-racist practices. The current study included a sample of 327 racially ethnically diverse emerging adults (Mage = 18.80, SD = 1.28, range = 18-25), and explored the association between ethnic-racial socialization (cultural socialization, preparation for bias) and youth critical consciousness (reflection, motivation, action) and anti-racist (interpersonal, communal, political change) actions, and how familism values impact these associations. Results found that ethnic-racial socialization was positively associated with all aspects of critical consciousness and anti-racist actions. Results also found that familism significantly interacted with ethnic-racial socialization to predict some aspects of critical consciousness and anti-racist actions, but not others. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

Sociocultural factors, guilt and depression in family caregivers of people with dementia. Kinship differences.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to analyze the role that family obligations and social desirability have for understanding guilt and depressive symptoms in family caregivers. A theoretical model is proposed to analyze this significance based on the kinship with the person cared for. METHODS: Participants are 284 family caregivers of people with dementia divided into four kinship groups (husbands, wives, daughters and sons). Face-to-face interviews were conducted assessing sociodemographic variables, familism (family obligations), dysfunctional thoughts, social desirability, frequency and discomfort associated with problematic behaviors, guilt and depressive symptoms. Path analyses are performed to analyze the fit of the proposed model and multigroup analysis to study potential differences between kinship groups. RESULTS: The proposed model fits the data well and explains significant percentages of variance of guilt feelings and depressive symptomatology for each group. The multigroup analysis suggests that, for daughters, higher family obligations were associated with depressive symptomatology through a report of higher dysfunctional thoughts. For daughters and wives, an indirect association between social desirability and guilt was observed through reaction to problematic behaviors. CONCLUSION: The results support the need to consider the significance of sociocultural aspects such as family obligations and the desirability bias in the design and implementation of interventions for caregivers, especially for daughters. Considering that the variables that contribute to explaining caregivers' distress vary depending on the relationship with the person cared for, individualized interventions may be warranted depending on the kinship group.

Parental Warmth and Developmental Change in Familism Values: Latinx Adolescents in an Emerging Immigrant Community.

This study examined the developmental changes of familism values across adolescence among Latinx adolescents from an emerging immigrant community, and how changes in parental warmth were associated with changes in familism values. The sample included 547 Latinx adolescents. Multilevel model results indicated that familism values showed a linear decline from 6th to 10th grade. Between-person analyses showed that parental warmth was related to the higher initial levels of familism values but unrelated to changes in familism values. At the within-person level, on the occasions when adolescents report higher parental warmth, they also report higher familism values. This work highlights the importance of parental warmth for socializing developmental changes in Latinx adolescents' familism values in an emerging immigrant community context.

Family functioning and psychosocial symptoms among Latinx patients coping with advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVES: This brief report aims to describe and determine the association of family functioning (e.g., cohesion and expressiveness) with psychosocial needs among Spanish Latinx patients coping with advanced cancers. METHODS: Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed on data from 103 patients coping with advanced cancer (Stages III and IV). The measures used were the Family Relationships Index, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy: General. RESULTS: Results indicated that most of the participants had low family function (65%). Participants with higher family functioning (35%) had high levels of quality of life [r(103) .318, p < .002]. A higher level of quality of life was also strongly associated with lower levels of anxiety [r(95) -.653, p < .000], lower levels of depression [r(95) -.733, p < .000], and lower levels of hopelessness [r(95) -.585, p = .000]. A total of 22.3% of Latinx advanced cancer patients reported poor cohesiveness; those with low cohesiveness also had higher levels of depression [r(103) -.28, p = .004] and anxiety [r(103) -.27, p = .005]. Correlations between expressiveness and hopelessness were significant; namely, those with higher expressiveness had lower hopelessness [r(103) -.274, p = .005]. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Findings present a high correlation between family functioning and psychosocial symptoms.

Family caregivers of people with dementia in the context of the sociocultural stress and coping model: An examination of gender differences.

The study assessed gender differences in the associations between familism dimensions, dysfunctional thoughts, and resource and outcome variables in 190 Spanish dementia family caregivers. A theoretical model was tested through path analysis, obtaining an excellent fit of the model to the data. Higher scores in the familial obligations dimension were associated with lower self-efficacy for self-care and obtaining respite and leisure frequency, and higher anxious and depressive feelings, in female caregivers only. Significant between-gender differences were obtained, suggesting that female caregivers holding strong familistic values are more vulnerable to the negative consequences of caregiving compared to male caregivers.

Parents' Empathic Accuracy: Associations With Type 1 Diabetes Management and Familism.

OBJECTIVE: To (1) test associations between parents' empathic accuracy for their adolescents' positive and negative emotions and adolescents' physical and mental health (HbA1c, diabetes self-care, and depressive symptoms) in a predominantly Latinx sample of adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents, and (2) explore how familism values were associated with parent empathic accuracy and adolescent physical and mental health in this population. METHODS: Parents and adolescents engaged in a discussion about a topic of frequent conflict related to the adolescents' diabetes management. Parents and adolescents subsequently completed a video recall task in which they rated their own and their partner's emotions once per minute; parents' empathic accuracy was calculated from an average discrepancy between parent and adolescent ratings of the adolescent's emotions. Adolescents reported on their depressive symptoms and both parents and adolescents reported on adolescents' diabetes self-care and their own familism values; HbA1c was obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Results from structural equation modeling revealed that parents' empathic accuracy for adolescents' negative (but not positive) emotions was uniquely associated with adolescents' HbA1c, self-care, and depressive symptoms. There was limited evidence that familism was related to parent empathic accuracy or adolescent physical and mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting parents' empathic accuracy for adolescents' negative emotions in the context of type 1 diabetes management may have important implications for adolescents' mental and physical health.

Factors associated with the perception of services by dementia informal caregivers in Greece: the role of familism.

AIM: To investigate perceptions of informal caregivers of community-dwelling persons with dementia (PwD) regarding health and social care services and their correlates using the Behavioral Model of Healthcare Utilization as the theoretical framework. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using a purposive sampling technique to identify, through community-based health and social care services, caregivers of PwD. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 118 informal caregivers (78.8% female, mean age = 58.9 years) via a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Three 'Perceptions of Services' subscales were identified: 'Availability and Adequacy of Services' (AAS), 'Physicians' Competence' (COMP), and 'Professionals' Behavior' (PB). Predisposing factors (gender, employment, familism) and enabling/impeding factors (caregiving impedes work, quality of life aspects - environment and social relationships, information about dementia) were significant correlates of the AAS and COMP subscales. Familism was negatively associated with the AAS subscale. PwD's perceived declined physical and behavioral functioning was related to worse perceptions regarding professionals' behavior (PB) toward the PwD. CONCLUSION: Understanding the factors associated with caregivers' perceptions of health and social care community services may guide the development of interventions that facilitate the appropriate use of those services, provide increased support to PwD and their caregivers, and delay potential institutionalization.

Familism Values, Family Assistance, and Prosocial Behaviors Among U.S. Latinx Adolescents.

Among U.S. Mexican adolescents living in established immigrant communities, high familism values are positively associated with compliant, emotional, and dire prosocial behaviors via sociocognitive and cultural psychological mechanisms. Less is known about the behavioral mechanisms that may explain these associations, or about prosocial behaviors among U.S. Latinxs residing in emerging immigrant destinations. We examined the cross-sectional, intervening variable associations among familism values, family assistance behaviors, and culturally salient prosocial behaviors among 547 U.S. Latinx adolescents residing in an emerging immigrant destination (M age = 12.8 years; 55.4% girls). Familism values and family assistance behaviors promoted emotional and dire prosocial behaviors for boys and girls, and promoted compliant prosocial behaviors for boys only. Familism also had direct associations with all three prosocial behaviors for boys and girls. Family assistance behaviors may be a mechanism via which adolescents develop compliant, emotional, and dire prosocial behaviors.

Association between familism and mental health in dementia caregivers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dementia caregivers suffer from mental health problems while caring for dementia patients. As a core value, familism has been linked to the mental health of dementia caregivers. This study aims to systematically review the familism of dementia caregivers and to examine the association between familism and mental health of anxiety, depression, and burden in empirical research studies. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in various databases like Medline, PubMed, and Embase databases from inception till April 2021. Fisher's z was calculated with correlation coefficient or regression coefficient values for three familism dimensions and mental health of anxiety, depression, and burden. All statistical analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) version 2.0 software. RESULTS: A total of seven studies with 1178 participants were eligible for the meta-analysis. For caregivers' anxiety, three of seven studies, with 358 participants, were examined in terms of the average corrected correlation coefficient across the studies. It was found that dementia caregivers' familism was significantly related to anxiety. The pooled z-value was 0.148 (95% CI = 0.043-0.253). In addition, caregivers' familism significantly affected depression (z = 0.080; 95% CI = 0.003-0.156), as did familial obligation (z = 0.122; 95% CI = 0.034-0.211), but perceived family support was not associated with this (z = 0.051, 95% CI = -0.038-0.140). As for caregiver burden, there was no evidence that familism was significantly associated with it (z = -0.073; 95% CI = -0.297 to 0.151), including familial obligation and perceived family support (z = -0.087 and -0.089, respectively; 95% CI = -0.278 to 0.104 and -0.335 to 0.157, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: An association between caregiver familism and anxiety/depression exists in dementia patients. More research is needed to explore the relationship between familism and burden.

Familism and Parenting Stress in Latinx Caregivers of Young Children with Developmental Delays.

Several studies have documented the difficult experience of raising a child with a developmental delay (DD; DeGrace et al., 2014) but the majority of research has focused on non-Latinx White families and their experiences in childrearing and interacting with service providers (Hayes & Watson, 2013; Blanche et al., 2015). Additionally, stigma associated with mental illness and DD disproportionally affects Latinx communities (Burke et al., 2019). Familism plays a unique role among families of Latinx backgrounds (Moore, 1970; Coohey, 2001) and may act as a buffer to caregiver mental health. The current study aims to (1) determine the association between affiliate stigma and parenting stress among Latinx parents of young children with DD and (2) test whether familism moderates the relationship between affiliate stigma and parenting stress. Results revealed that the relationship between affiliate stigma and parenting stress was strongest in caregivers who reported low levels of familism, suggesting that familism may act as a buffer. More research is needed to further unpack the protective factors of familism on caregiver mental health.

A latent profile analysis of the link between sociocultural factors and health-related risk-taking among U.S. adults.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that health/safety behaviors (e.g., drinking heavily) and medical behaviors (e.g., donating blood) may be perceived as inherently risky, and further suggests there is substantial variation in the likelihood of engaging in a particular health-related risk behavior across people. Research examining demographic and sociocultural factors related to both health/safety and medical risk-taking is highly limited. Importantly, with very few exceptions the literature examining health risks characterized by potentially hazardous health behaviors (e.g, heavy alcohol use, driving without a seatbelt) is kept separate from the literature examining health risks characterized by potentially beneficial medical behaviors (e.g., donating blood, taking medication). In the interest of health promotion, it is critical for researchers to identify - and describe - individuals who are less inclined to engage in health-harming behaviors while at the same time being more inclined to engage in health-benefiting behaviors. Identifying such a subtype of individuals was the guiding aim for this study. METHOD: A national sample of adults in the United States responded to a survey on sociocultural and demographic correlates of health behaviors. Health-related risk-taking indicators were measured using the items from the health/safety and medical subscales of the DOSPERT-M. Subtypes of risk-takers were identified using latent profile analysis (LPA). Follow-up analyses to describe subtype demographic characteristics were conducted. RESULTS: LPA identified four subtypes of risk-takers, including a subtype (n = 565, 45% of the sample; labeled "divergent") that was comprised of individuals who highly endorsed medical risk-taking (e.g., taking medicine, giving blood) and minimally endorsed health/safety risk-taking (e.g., drinking heavily, unprotected sex). Subsequent analyses suggested that, among other findings, divergent profile members were likely to be married, endorse familial interdependence, and orient toward masculinity rather than femininity. CONCLUSION: By examining potentially modifiable factors related to individuals' inclinations to engage in health protective behaviors, this study is an important step toward improving current health behavior interventions among U.S. adults.

Decolonizing Care at Diagnosis: Culture, History, and Family at an Urban Inter-tribal Clinic.

The decolonization framework in medical anthropology is slowly reframing tropes of cultural competency toward decolonizing health care. For decolonization of health care to occur, both colonial histories and continuing postcolonial inequities must be recognized from the first diagnostic moment. We report on qualitative research into the role of culture, history, and family experience in person-specific reactions to receipt of a diagnosis. A collaborative approach at an urban inter-tribal clinic was used to interview patients with a recent (within six months) diagnosis of diabetes or related condition. Interviews revealed ways that the Relocation Act eventuated in isolation, poverty, and diabetes among now-urban Native Americans. We discuss how patients may or may not have the ability to (re)connect with their heritage and may simultaneously perceive only recent family contexts as influential in their diabetes. We conclude by acknowledging how postcolonial harms are not captured in diagnoses but should not be left out of diagnostic discussions.

Daily Family Connection and Objective Sleep in Latinx Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Familism Values and Family Communication.

Spending time with family ("family connection") is a salient aspect of adolescents' daily lives linked with healthy sleep. Less is known regarding the unique effects of parent and sibling connection on sleep. This study examined daily and average associations between parent/sibling connection and objective sleep (duration, efficiency) in a sample of Latinx adolescents (N = 195; Mage = 18.11, SD = 0.41; 65.6% female) and explored familism values and family communication as moderators. Adolescents slept longer on days that they spent more time with siblings, and youth who typically spent more time with parents had longer sleep durations. Family communication and familism-obligation moderated associations between family connection and sleep. These results provide support for the role of family interactions in promoting healthy sleep among Latinx adolescents.

Latino Adolescents' Academic Trajectories over the Transition to Higher Education: Variation by School and Neighborhood Contexts and Familism.

Latino college graduation rates continue to fall behind rates of other racial/ethnic groups, highlighting the importance of understanding risk and protective processes across the transition into higher education. The current study examined changes in socio-cultural contexts (i.e., campus and neighborhood co-ethnic composition) and academic achievement across the college transition for Latino adolescents and investigated whether familism values moderated associations. Participants were 188 Latino late-adolescents (Mage = 18.12; SD = 0.40; 62.9% female). Greater campus incongruency (i.e., decrease in co-ethnic composition) was associated with lower achievement for adolescents with low familism values, but not those with average or high levels. Change in neighborhood co-ethnic composition was not associated with achievement. Moving to incongruent campus contexts may be risky for Latino youth who report low levels of familism values, underscoring the importance of sociocultural protective processes in person-context transitions.

Familism, Self-Esteem, and Weight-Specific Quality of Life Among Latinx Adolescents With Obesity.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a critical public health condition affecting Latinx adolescents and contributes to health disparities across the lifespan. Childhood and adolescent obesity is associated with reduced quality of life (QoL) and decreased self-esteem. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of cultural (e.g., familism) and psychosocial (e.g., self-esteem) factors as predictors of weight-specific QoL among Latinx adolescents with obesity. METHODS: Baseline data from 160 Latinx adolescents (ages 14-16 years) with obesity (BMI > 95th percentile for age and sex) who were recruited for a diabetes prevention intervention were used. Structural equation modeling tested the relationships between four latent constructs (familism, positive self-esteem, self-deprecation, and weight-specific QoL). RESULTS: The model tested paths from familism to positive self-esteem, self-deprecation, and weight-specific QoL, and paths from positive self-esteem and self-deprecation to weight-specific QoL. Higher familism was positively associated with positive self-esteem but not self-deprecation. In turn, positive self-esteem was positively associated with higher weight-specific QoL, whereas self-deprecation was negatively associated. Furthermore, there was an indirect effect of familism on QoL via positive self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: These data shed light into specific cultural and psychosocial constructs that influence QoL among Latinx adolescents with obesity. This study suggests that familism and positive self-esteem can operate as protective factors associated with higher weight-specific QoL in Latinx adolescents with obesity; whereas self-deprecation may operate as a risk factor for lower weight-specific QoL.

Measuring familism in dementia family caregivers: the revised familism scale.

Objectives: Familism is a cultural value that has been shown to be important for understanding the dementia caregiving process. The aim of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Revised Familism Scale (RFS).Method: Face-to-face assessments were done with 199 dementia family caregivers. Exploratory factor analysis, discriminant validity, and reliability analyses of the RFS were carried out.Results: The results suggest that the RFS has good psychometric properties and is composed of three factors: "Familial interconnectedness", "Familial obligations", and "Extended family support".Conclusion: The RFS seems to be a reliable measure of familism, a multidimensional construct measuring a relevant cultural value for dementia family caregivers.