US Immigration Policy Stressors and Latinx Youth Mental Health.

Importance: The youth mental health crisis is exacerbated for Latinx adolescents, a group whose families are targets of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy. Objective: To investigate how immigration-related stressors are associated with disruptions in parent-child relationships and, in turn, the mental health symptoms of Latinx adolescents. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data for this prospective cohort study of adolescent-mother dyads were derived from surveys completed at 3 time points spanning 4 years (time 1 [T1] in 2018, time 2 [T2] in 2020, and time 3 [T3] in 2022). Mediation analyses estimated paths from immigration-related stressors to parent-child relationship qualities to mental health symptoms from early to late adolescence. Multivariable and multivariate linear models within a structural equation modeling framework regressed mediators and outcome variables on their own T1 values, offering a scientifically rigorous test of mediation. The setting was a school district in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, and included Latinx adolescents (ages 11-16 years) randomly selected from grade and gender strata. Data were analyzed from June 2023 to March 2024. Exposures: The primary independent variables were T1 mother reports of anti-immigrant worry and behavioral modification and adolescent reports of family member detention or deportation. Mediating variables were the reports of parental support and parent-child conflict of T2 adolescents. Main Outcomes and Measures: T3 adolescent reports of past 6-month internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results: A total of 547 Latinx adolescents (mean [SD] age, 13.3 [1.0] years; 303 female [55.4%]; 244 male [44.6%]) were included in this study. Response rates were 65.2% (547 of 839) among contacted parents and 95.3% (547 of 574) among contacted adolescents with parental permission. Four-year retention rates were 67% (366 of 547 adolescents) and 65% (177 of 271 mothers). Structural model results showed that T1 anti-immigrant worry and behavioral modification was associated with T3 increases in externalizing symptoms indirectly through T1 to T2 increases in parent-child conflict (ß = 0.03; SE = 0.02; 95% CI, 0-0.08). For girls, T1 family member deportation or detention was associated with T1 to T3 increases in internalizing and externalizing symptoms indirectly through T1 to T2 declines in parental support (internalizing: ß = 0.04; SE = 0.02; 95% CI, 0-0.08; externalizing: ß = 0.03; SE = 0.02; 95% CI, 0-0.07). Sensitivity analyses supported structural model findings. Conclusion and Relevance: Results of this cohort study suggest that legislative bodies, the health care system, and educational institutions should implement safeguards to mitigate potential harm conferred by anti-immigrant environments for parent-child relationships and, in turn, Latinx adolescents' mental health.

Mental Health During Early Adolescence and Later Cardiometabolic Risk: A Prospective Study of US Latinx Youth.

PURPOSE: Rising rates of cardiometabolic risk and mental health problems are serious public health concerns for US adolescents, particularly those of Latinx origin. This research examines how Latinx youth's internalizing symptoms during early adolescence are related to sleep problems, overweight/obesity, sedentary behavior, physical activity, healthy diet, and hypertension or diabetes risk during middle and late adolescence. METHODS: Participants included 547 adolescents listed as "Hispanic" on 2017-18 middle school enrollment lists in a suburban Atlanta, GA school district. Survey data collected at baseline (2018) and four years later (2022) were analyzed using Structural Equation Model. Path estimates from baseline internalizing symptoms to later health behaviors and physical health outcomes adjusted for demographics, the follow-up measure of internalizing symptoms, and correlations among outcome variables. Missing data were handled using Full Information Maximum Likelihood. RESULTS: At baseline, the 244 (44.6%) male and 303 (55.4%) female participants had a mean (standard deviation) age in years of 13.31 (0.97). Early adolescent internalizing symptoms were associated positively with later sleep problems (ß = 0.36 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.24-0.48]), overweight/obesity (adjusted odds ratio, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.29-5.15), sedentary behavior (ß = 0.19 [95% CI, 0.09-0.30]), and internalizing symptoms (ß = 0.48 [95% CI, 0.39-0.56]) and inversely with later physical activity (ß = -0.16 [95% CI, -0.27 to -0.05]) and a healthy diet (ß = -0.21 [95% CI, -0.32 to -0.09]). DISCUSSION: Latinx youth's internalizing symptoms during early adolescence not only track into later adolescence, but they also relate to health behaviors and outcomes underlying cardiometabolic risk during middle and late adolescence.

Familism values and psychological adjustment of Latinx adolescents in an emerging immigrant community: A five wave longitudinal study.

This study examined the relations between normative developmental changes of familism values and later internalizing and externalizing behaviors in Latinx adolescents from an emerging immigrant community. The sample included 547 Latinx adolescents (55.4% female; baseline Mage = 12.80; SD = 1.03) residing in the Southeastern United States. Results from latent growth models indicated that higher initial levels of familism values (intercept) and slower declines (slope) in familism values across adolescence predicted lower internalizing and externalizing behaviors at a later time. These associations generalized across adolescent gender (boys and girls) and ethnic background (Mexican-origin vs. other Latinx-origin). This work highlights the impact of variation in normative developmental changes in familism values on adjustment among Latinx adolescents in an emerging immigrant community context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

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.

The reciprocal relationships of social norms and risk perceptions to cigarette, e-cigarette, and cannabis use: Cross-lagged panel analyses among US young adults in a longitudinal study.

INTRODUCTION: Given the distinct and evolving social norms, research on health implications, and regulations regarding cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis, it is important to understand the interplay between social norms, risk perceptions, and use of these products. METHODS: We analyzed 3 waves of longitudinal data (Fall 2018, 2019, 2020) from 3006 young adults (Mage=24.56, 54.8% female, 31.6% sexual minority, 39.6% racial/ethnic minority) from 6 US metropolitan statistical areas. Cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) examined reciprocal relationships of (a) perceived social norms (i.e., peer use, social acceptability) and risk perceptions (i.e., harm, addictiveness) to (b) number of days of cigarette, e-cigarette, and cannabis use in the past 30 days, respectively. RESULTS: At baseline, lifetime and past 30-day use prevalence was: 61.8% and 26.9% for cigarettes, 57.7% and 37.7% for e-cigarettes, and 70.7% and 39.2% for cannabis. Perceived social norms and use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes decreased over time, and risk perceptions increased (except cigarettes showed stable perceived harm). Regarding cannabis, perceived social norms and use increased, yet perceived harm and addictiveness also increased. CLPM indicated that greater perceived social norms predicted greater cigarette, e-cigarette, and cannabis use over time, and vice versa. While greater perceived risk predicted less e-cigarette and cannabis use and vice versa, this did not hold true for cigarettes: use predicted lower perceived risk, but risk perceptions did not predict later use. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco and cannabis intervention and regulatory efforts should address health risks of use, particularly of e-cigarettes and cannabis, as well as denormalizing use.

Peer Discrimination, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Latino/a Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: A Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: U.S. Latino/a adolescents experience high levels of ethnic discrimination, particularly in new immigrant destinations. Due to the salience of peers during adolescence, this study examined how peer discrimination related directly and indirectly, through deviant peer affiliation, to changes in Latino/a adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Culture-specific moderators hypothesized to buffer discrimination impacts on adolescent symptomology included Spanish language enculturation and adolescents' social ties to relatives in the family's country-of-origin. METHOD: The sample of 547 Latino/a adolescent participants from the Caminos al Bienestar study (55.4% female; age M = 12.8, range = 11-16) was selected at random from middle schools in a large, suburban school district in Atlanta, Georgia. Three time points of survey data spaced roughly 6 months apart were collected during 2018 and 2019. RESULTS: Results from longitudinal structural equation models revealed that peer discrimination was associated indirectly with increased externalizing symptoms, through increases in affiliation with deviant peers (ß = 0.05; SE = 0.02; B = 0.02; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.09). We did not observe direct or indirect effects of peer discrimination on changes in internalizing symptoms, and we found no significant protective effects of either Spanish language enculturation or social ties with the country-of-origin. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic discrimination by peers may lead to deviant peer affiliation and, in turn, increased externalizing behaviors. Future research identifying protective factors that buffer discrimination impacts on deviant peer affiliation is needed to inform the development of interventions that can prevent Latino/a adolescents' externalizing symptoms.

COVID-19 Stressors and Latinx Adolescents' Mental Health Symptomology and School Performance: A Prospective Study.

This study addressed the need for research examining impacts of the Coronavirus-19 (COVID) pandemic on Latinx adolescents' adjustment. Survey data for a probability sample of 547 Latinx adolescents (Mage = 13.71, SD = 0.86; 55.2% female) were collected from 2018 to 2021, including two times both prior to, and during, COVID. Independent variables assessed COVID-related household hospitalization, job/income loss, and adolescents' increased childcare responsibility. Structural Equation Model results indicated that COVID-related increases in adolescent childcare responsibility were associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms and declines in school performance. COVID hospitalization and job/income loss were associated indirectly, through childcare responsibilities, to worse adolescent outcomes. Family adversities may harm adolescents' adjustment by burdening adolescents with responsibilities such caring for children.

Discrimination in Latinx families' linked lives: Examining the roles of family process and youth worries.

Our goal was to test a prospective indirect effects model to examine whether maternal and youth exposures to discrimination were linked to adolescent adjustment (i.e., grade point average [GPA], internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms) via maternal warmth and family anti-immigrant behavior modifications and whether youth anti-immigrant worries qualified these relations. Prior research has demonstrated that individual exposures to ethnic-racial discrimination are associated with poor adjustment among Latinx adolescents. Less research has evaluated the impact of discrimination from a family lens or focused on identifying the mechanism via which discrimination impacts adolescent adjustment. Data from a school-based sample of 547 Latinx adolescents (55% female; 88.1% U.S. born) across 2 years were used. Study hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) in Mplus. Whereas adolescents' discrimination exposures were associated with poorer adjustment via disruptions to maternal warmth, mothers' discrimination exposures were associated with lowered adolescent internalizing symptoms via family anti-immigrant behavior modifications. Further, prospective negative relations between warmth and internalizing and GPA were attenuated in the context of adolescents' greater anti-immigrant worries. By exploring discrimination in the family context and examining mechanisms via which discrimination impacts adolescent adjustment, the study offers a more comprehensive picture of the pernicious toll discrimination can have on the family lives of Latinx youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Mediating Role of Home-School Dissonance in Linking Maternal Discrimination to Latin American-Origin Adolescent Academic Performance.

Latin American-origin parents play an important role in supporting the formal education of their youth, but cultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers make parent involvement difficult. The aim of the present study was to examine how Latina mothers' experiences with discrimination were associated with short-term changes in their adolescent children's academic performance, directly and indirectly through mothers' appraisal of home-school dissonance. Data were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of 547 mother-youth dyads in suburban Atlanta. Results showed a significant indirect relationship between mothers' experiences of discrimination and declines in adolescents' grade point average by way of increased home-school dissonance. Thus, Latina mothers' discriminatory experiences may have spillover effects on adolescent academic achievement through increasing proximal barriers to parent involvement.

Predictors of latent class trajectories of depressive symptoms in Latina mothers.

Guided by the Family Stress Model (FSM) for minority families, the present study examined culture-specific (i.e., stress responses to anti-immigration actions and news, home-school dissonance) and general (i.e., financial strain, social support) risk and promotive factors as longitudinal predictors of Latina mothers' depressive symptom trajectories. Participants included 271 Latina mothers of early adolescents living in a new immigrant area in the southeast part of the United States, followed prospectively across four time points spanning 2 years. Mothers reported on their depressive symptoms at all four time points; risk and promotive factors were measured at Time 1 (T1). Latent class growth curve models identified three classes of mothers based on their depressive symptom trajectories. Roughly half of mothers reported low and decreasing symptoms, a third indicated moderate and increasing symptoms, and 10% displayed high and increasing symptoms. As expected, higher levels of stress responses to anti-immigration actions and news, home-school dissonance, and financial strain predicted membership in increasing symptom classes, whereas higher social support predicted membership in the decreasing symptom class. By adapting prevention and intervention efforts to the unique cultural and social contexts experienced by Latina mothers in new immigrant areas, practitioners may be better able to protect this segment of the population from experiencing depressive symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

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.

Depressive Symptoms in Relation to Adverse Childhood Experiences, Discrimination, Hope, and Social Support in a Diverse Sample of College Students.

BACKGROUND: Young adulthood is a critical transitory period, with various factors impacting mental health and longer-term health outcomes, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities. Drawing from minority stress theory, this study examined correlates of depressive symptoms, specifically adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), racial/ethnic discrimination, hope, social support, and their interactive effects, among a diverse sample of college students. METHODS: We analyzed data from 666 racial/ethnic minority college students (57% Black, 22% Latinx, 21% Asian) attending seven colleges and universities in the state of Georgia. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9). Multivariable linear regressions included ACEs, racial/ethnic discrimination, hope, and social support, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, parent education, nativity, and age. We tested two-way interaction terms in four separate models to examine the potential buffering effect of social support and hope on the association between ACEs and discrimination. RESULTS: Participants were on average 20.56 years old (SD = 1.93) and 30% were male. The mean PHQ-9 score was 3.89 (SD = 4.91); 56% reported at least one ACE; 70% experienced racial/ethnic discrimination. ACEs and racial/ethnic discrimination correlated with higher levels of depressive symptoms; higher social support and hope correlated with decreased depressive symptoms. While hope and social support did not moderate the relationships between ACEs or discrimination and depressive symptoms among the full sample, racial/ethnic subgroup analyses indicated that, among Asian students, the positive association between discrimination and depressive symptoms was significantly weaker for those perceiving greater hope. CONCLUSIONS: Eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in mental health requires concerted efforts to prevent and/or reduce ACEs and discrimination and identifying protective factors that can mitigate their relationship to depressive symptoms.

A longitudinal test of acculturative family distancing theory explaining latino/a/x adolescents' adjustment.

According to acculturative family distancing theory, adolescents' perceptions of cultural incongruencies with parents can diminish the quality of parent-adolescent relationships and, as a result, harm adolescent adjustment. Using four time points of data for a sample of 547 diverse Latino/a/x adolescents, this study examined how parent-adolescent relationship quality and acculturative family distancing were associated with changes in adolescent school performance and internalizing symptoms. At baseline, the school-based sample ranged from 11- to 14-years-old (M = 12.78) and included slightly more females (55%) than males (45%). Cross-lagged structural equation model results indicated that adolescent reports of greater acculturative family distancing were associated with adolescent perceived increases in parent-adolescent conflict and decreases in parental support. Conflict mediated associations between acculturative family distancing and decreased school performance. Associations between parent-child relationship qualities and Latino/a/x adolescent adjustment were bidirectional.

School racial-ethnic discrimination, rule-breaking behaviors and the mediating role of trauma among Latinx adolescents: Considerations for school mental health practice.

Much of the literature linking adversity to trauma fails to account for racialized experiences, including racial-ethnic discrimination, which is a highly prevalent form of adversity for youth of color in the U.S. Adversity and trauma often result in students experiencing elevated rule-breaking behaviors, exacerbating existing racial-ethnic disparities in disproportionate school discipline. Drawing from race-based trauma theory, the present study explored trauma as a mediator of the longitudinal association between racial-ethnic discrimination from teachers, other adults, and students in schools and rule-breaking behaviors among Latinx youth. Data were from a longitudinal study of 547 Latinx students in a southeastern U.S. state. Across gender and nativity groups, school racial-ethnic discrimination and trauma positively predicted later rule-breaking behaviors. Additionally, for girls only, increased levels of trauma partially explained the association between school racial-ethnic discrimination and rule-breaking behaviors. The study highlights the importance of addressing school racial-ethnic discrimination and trauma in equitable school metal health systems. Indeed, efforts aimed at reducing disproportionate school discipline among Latinx students should focus on reducing their exposure to school racial-ethnic discrimination and increasing access to trauma-informed and restorative justice approaches.

"I am affected in all the ways ": A phenomenographic analysis of Latinx adolescents' perceptions of family separations at the border.

OBJECTIVES: This phenomenographic analysis examines how news of family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border shaped variations of experience and perceptions among U.S. Latinx adolescents across parental residency status. METHOD: In 2018-2019, 340 15-18-year-old Latinx adolescents in the Washington D.C. area participated in a study on immigration actions and responded to an open-ended question detailing how news of family separations at the border affected them and their families. The sample was comprised of equivalent numbers of adolescents whose parents had U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, temporary protected status, or were undocumented. Utilizing a phenomenographic analysis, we compared data across the participants' parental residency status. RESULTS: Three categories captured the complex influences that news of family separations had on Latinx adolescents not directly affected. Perceptual Experiencing described the sympathetic and vicarious emotions produced by the news of family separations. Lived Experiencing described the tangible effects experienced by participants, including incidents of increased racism and fear. Catalyzing effects described spillover effects of the first two themes where internalized feelings induced fear and catalyzed family behaviors. All themes were noted across residency status; however, the third was most strongly supported by those whose parents had precarious statuses. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest Latinx families across residency statuses can be negatively affected by news of the adversities experienced by a subgroup. Service and healthcare providers, and educators must be prepared to support Latinx youth faced with fear, discrimination, and isolation arising from exposure to news on immigration actions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Predictors of Latent Class Trajectories of Internalizing Symptoms in Latinx Adolescents.

Guided by ecodevelopmental theories, the present study examined how both culture-specific and general risk and protective factors across contexts predicted trajectories of Latinx youth's internalizing symptoms during early and middle adolescence. Participants included 547 Latinx youth (M age = 12.80; 55% females) recruited in middle school and followed prospectively across four time points spanning two years. Youth reported on their internalizing symptoms at all four time points, and risk and protective factors were measured at Time 1 (T1). Latent class growth curve modeling was used to examine heterogenous trajectories of change in internalizing symptoms separately for females and males, and risk and protective factors were examined as predictors of class membership. Three classes based on symptom trajectories emerged for both females and males, with most adolescents falling into classes characterized by low symptoms that remained stable or decreased over time. Risk and protective factors were predictive of class membership in theoretically meaningful ways. Some predictors of internalizing symptom trajectories differed between females and males. Findings inform our understanding of factors that influence developmental trajectories in Latinx youth and can contribute to the refinement of prevention and intervention efforts to help ensure the well-being of this population.

Recent immigration actions and news and the adjustment of U.S. Latino/a adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: This research describes how family immigrant statuses are related to Latino/a adolescents' responses to recent immigration actions and news and, in turn, adolescent adjustment. METHOD: Study 1 included a school-based sample of 11- to 15-year-olds in suburban Atlanta, Georgia (N = 547); Study 2 included a convenience sample of 15- to 18-year-olds in the Washington, DC area (N = 340). Family immigrant status was defined by adolescents' immigrant generation status in Study 1 and by parent residency status in Study 2. In both studies, a 14-item measure assessed responses to recent immigration actions and news, including psychological worries and behavioral withdrawal. Dependent variables included internalizing and externalizing symptoms, suicidal ideation, e-cigarette use, and alcohol use (Study 1), and alcohol use and depressive symptoms (Study 2). RESULTS: Psychological worry and behavioral withdrawal responses to immigration actions and news were significantly greater among adolescents with foreign-born, compared to U.S.-born, parents (Study 1), and among adolescents with undocumented, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or permanent resident parents, as compared to citizen parents (Study 2). Results from tests of indirect effects indicated that these worries and behavioral withdrawal responses were, in turn, associated with higher levels of adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms, a higher odds of substance use and suicidal ideation (Study 1), and higher levels of adolescent depressive symptoms (Study 2). CONCLUSIONS: As 1-quarter of the U.S. child population is Latino/a, there is a need to address immigration threats jeopardizing the adjustment of Latino/a teenagers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

"Tenemos que ser la voz": Exploring Resilience among Latina/o Immigrant Families in the Context of Restrictive Immigration Policies and Practices.

Research investigating associations between immigration policies and practices and indicators of mental health among Latina/o immigrant families has identified a number of risk factors for this population, such as family separation. The role of protective factors tied to the mental health of Latina/o immigrants, however, often has been neglected. This study explored internal and external sources of resilience that may protect Latina/o immigrant families against the potentially negative effects of restrictive immigration policies and practices on psychological well-being. Six focus groups (N = 50) were conducted with Latina/o immigrant parents of varying residency statuses (i.e., undocumented, permanent residents, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries, and U.S. citizens). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: Social Support, Faith, and Civic Commitment and Action. Across groups, Latina/o parents referenced family, peer, and community support, as well as their spiritual faith and involvement in advocacy efforts as coping mechanisms. Overall, results suggest that Latina/o immigrant parents of varying residency statuses rely on both internal and external sources of resilience to protect themselves and their families when navigating restrictive immigration policies and practices. This research is particularly timely in light of the increasingly restrictive nature of immigration policies in the U.S. and the growing literature on the influence these may have on immigrant wellbeing. Intervention efforts should build upon existing strengths, such as providing opportunities for Latina/o immigrant families to participate in political activism.

School Discrimination and Changes in Latinx Adolescents' Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms.

U.S. Latinx youth are growing up in an environment characterized by increased anti-immigrant policy and rhetoric, including experiences of discrimination. Given the salience of the school setting for youth's development, it is important to understand how experiences of discrimination by teachers and other adults at school, or school discrimination, relate to the emotional and behavioral adjustment of today's Latinx adolescents. Study participants include 547 Latinx adolescents selected at random from a large, suburban school district in Atlanta, Georgia (55.4% female; age M = 12.8, range = 11-16). Youth provided two time points of survey data spaced roughly 6 months apart during 2018 and 2019. Structural equation models (SEM) were used to test the main and interaction effects of school discrimination and parental support on later internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Multiple group SEM was used to investigate gender differences in pathways to adolescent adjustment. More school discrimination was related to more internalizing and externalizing symptoms at a later time point. Greater parental support was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms, but did not moderate associations between school discrimination and adolescent outcomes. Pathways to adolescent outcomes were similar for males and females. Study results suggest that discrimination by teachers and other adults at school is an important source of adversity potentially jeopardizing Latinx youth's emotional and behavioral adjustment. Future research is needed to identify factors that mitigate potentially harmful consequences of discrimination for Latinx adolescents.

Association of Family Member Detention or Deportation With Latino or Latina Adolescents' Later Risks of Suicidal Ideation, Alcohol Use, and Externalizing Problems.

Importance: Policy changes since early 2017 have resulted in a substantial expansion of Latino or Latina immigrants prioritized for deportation and detention. Professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and Society for Research in Child Development, have raised concerns about the potentially irreversible mental health effects of deportations and detentions on Latino or Latina youths. Objective: To examine how family member detention or deportation is associated with Latino or Latina adolescents' later mental health problems and risk behaviors. Design, Setting, and Participants: Survey data were collected between February 14 and April 26, 2018, and between September 17, 2018, and January 13, 2019, and at a 6-month follow-up from 547 Latino or Latina adolescents who were randomly selected from grade and sex strata in middle schools in a suburban Atlanta, Georgia, school district. Prospective data were analyzed using multivariable, multivariate logistic models within a structural equation modeling framework. Models examined how family member detention or deportation within the prior 12 months was associated with later changes in suicidal ideation, alcohol use, and clinical externalizing symptoms, controlling for initial mental health and risk behaviors. Exposure: Past-year family member detention or deportation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Follow-up reports of suicidal ideation in the past 6 months, alcohol use since the prior survey, and clinical level of externalizing symptoms in the past 6 months. Results: A total of 547 adolescents (303 girls; mean [SD] age, 12.8 [1.0] years) participated in this prospective survey. Response rates were 65.2% (547 of 839) among contacted parents and 95.3% (547 of 574) among contacted adolescents whose parents provided permission. The 6-month follow-up retention rate was 81.5% (446 of 547). A total of 136 adolescents (24.9%) had a family member detained or deported in the prior year. Family member detention or deportation was associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation (38 of 136 [27.9%] vs 66 of 411 [16.1%]; adjusted odds ratio, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.06-5.29), alcohol use (25 of 136 [18.4%] vs 30 of 411 [7.3%]; adjusted odds ratio, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.26-7.04), and clinical externalizing behaviors (31 of 136 [22.8%] vs 47 of 411 [11.4%]; adjusted odds ratio, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.11-6.84) at follow-up, controlling for baseline variables. Conclusion and Relevance: This study suggests that recent immigration policy changes may be associated with critical outcomes jeopardizing the health of Latino or Latina adolescents. Since 95% of US Latino or Latina adolescents are citizens, compromised mental health and risk behavior tied to family member detention or deportation raises concerns regarding the association of current immigration policies with the mental health of Latino and Latina adolescents in the United States.