Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants differ in their psychological responses to patterns of lifetime adversity.

BACKGROUND: Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants are often exposed to multiple types of adversity across their lifetime (e.g., maltreatment, household dysfunction, discrimination) and this exposure can increase the risk for adult mental health problems. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to (a) identify subgroups of individuals exposed to unique combinations of childhood adversity and lifetime discrimination among Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants, and (b) compare the prevalence of mental health problems across different risk profiles. METHOD: We used existing data from the HCHS/SOL Sociocultural Ancillary Study. Participants included Puerto Rican (N = 402) and Mexican adults (N = 1351) born outside but living in the continental U.S. FINDINGS: Through latent profile analysis, we selected a three-profile solution for Puerto Ricans: (a) Low Exposure (low on all adversity items; 58% of sample), (b) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Only (high on ACEs items, average or lower than average on discrimination items; 32%), and (c) Dual Exposure (high on all adversity items; 10%). For Mexicans, we selected a four-profile solution: (a) Low Exposure (52%), (b) ACEs Only (24%), (c) Maltreatment and Discrimination (15%), and (d) Dual Exposure (9%). For Mexicans, we found that the Dual Exposure and the Maltreatment and Discrimination profiles had the highest levels of mental health problems. For Puerto Ricans, the Dual Exposure and ACEs Only profiles had the highest levels of mental health problems, suggesting that Puerto Ricans may be more vulnerable to the effects of childhood adversities as compared to Mexican immigrants. Results from our study indicate that different patterns of adversity exposure are linked to different levels of mental health outcomes, and therefore, may require different intervention dosage. Understanding which groups of individuals are at highest and lowest risk for mental health problems is critical for developing effective, tailored interventions to prevent the negative effects of childhood adversity and discrimination for Latinxs.

Family Violence, PTSD, and Parent-Child Interactions: Dyadic Data Analysis with Mexican Families.

BACKGROUND: Family violence has been shown to have a dramatic impact on individual and family life in the United States and other countries. Numerous studies have assessed the influence that exposure to violence can have on family dynamics and parent-child relationships. However, less is known about the association between family violence and parent-child relationships with Mexican families. OBJECTIVE: Guided by social interaction learning theory, the purpose of this study was to explore the role of exposure to family violence on PTSD and mother-child interaction patterns. METHODS: Eighty-seven mother-child dyads from Mexico completed assessments for exposure to family violence, PTSD, and observational tasks were analyzed to assess prosocial parent-child interactions (i.e., positive communication and problem solving). We conducted an actor-partner independence model (APIM) to examine the association between exposure to family violence, PTSD and mother-child relationship dynamics. RESULTS: As expected, higher exposure to family violence was linked to higher PTSD symptoms for mothers. Unexpectedly, higher maternal PTSD symptoms were associated with better communication during dyadic interaction tasks with their children. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that individuals from certain cultures (i.e., Mexico) may respond differently to experiencing family violence. The use of multiple measurement methods to assess the relational effects of trauma on family dynamics can advance the scientific understanding of trauma affected families.

Bi-national cross-validation of an evidence-based conduct problem prevention model.

OBJECTIVES: To (a) explore the preferences of Mexican parents and Spanish-speaking professionals working with migrant Latino families in Minnesota regarding the Mexican-adapted brief model versus the original conduct problems intervention and (b) identifying the potential challenges, and preferred solutions, to implementation of a conduct problems preventive intervention. METHOD: The core practice elements of a conduct problems prevention program originating in the United States were adapted for prevention efforts in Mexico. Three focus groups were conducted in the United States, with Latino parents (n = 24; 2 focus groups) and professionals serving Latino families (n = 9; 1 focus group), to compare and discuss the Mexican-adapted model and the original conduct problems prevention program. Thematic analysis was conducted on the verbatim focus group transcripts in the original language spoken. RESULTS: Participants preferred the Mexican-adapted model. The following key areas were identified for cultural adaptation when delivering a conduct problems prevention program with Latino families: recruitment/enrollment strategies, program delivery format, and program content (i.e., child skills training, parent skills training, child-parent activities, and child-parent support). For both models, strengths, concerns, barriers, and strategies for overcoming concerns and barriers were identified. CONCLUSIONS: We summarize recommendations offered by participants to strengthen the effective implementation of a conduct problems prevention model with Latino families in the United States. This project demonstrates the strength in binational collaboration to critically examine cultural adaptations of evidence-based prevention programs that could be useful to diverse communities, families, and youth in other settings. (PsycINFO Database Record