Examining Resource and Protective Factors in the Adjustment of Latino Youth in Low Income Families: What Role Does Maternal Acculturation Play?

The protective role of sense of community and access to resources on college student stress and COVID-19-related daily life disruptions

The aim of our study was to understand more about how college students have been impacted by the pandemic and how their universities can better support them by emphasizing protective factors that build resilience. The protective factors we explored were sense of community, perceived adequacy of resources, and perceived social support.We conducted an online survey, which was administered to 296 (70.4% female and Mage = 20.34) students from a private Northeastern University in the United States. There were gender and class year differences found after analysis. In addition, sense of community and perceived adequacy were found to be statistically significant. There were gender and class year differences found after analysis. In addition, sense of community and perceived adequacy were found to be statistically significant. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of sense of community and access to resources as protective factors in mitigating stress and coronavirus disease 2019-related disruptions to daily life among college students, particularly for female students who report more adverse outcomes.

Substance and Behavioral Addictions among American Indian and Alaska Native Populations

OBJECTIVE

This paper examines substance and behavioral addictions among American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) to identify the structural and psychosocial risk and cultural protective factors that are associated with substance use and behavioral addictions.

METHODS

Five databases were used to search for peer reviewed articles through December 2021 that examined substance and behavioral addictions among AIANs.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 69 articles. Numerous risk factors (i.e., life stressors, severe trauma, family history of alcohol use) and protective factors (i.e., ethnic identity, family support) influence multiple substance (i.e., commercial tobacco, alcohol, opioid, stimulants) and behavioral (e.g., gambling) addictions.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a dearth of research on behavioral addictions among AIANs. Unique risk factors in AIAN communities such as historical trauma and socioeconomic challenges have interfered with traditional cultural resilience factors and have increased the risk of behavioral addictions. Future research on resilience factors and effective prevention and treatment interventions could help AIANs avoid behavioral addictions.

Dealing With Dependent Effect Sizes in MASEM

Abstract. The objective of the present study was to examine whether different methods for dealing with dependency in meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) lead to different results. Four different methods for dealing with dependent effect sizes in MASEM were applied to empirical data, including: (1) ignoring dependency; (2) aggregation; (3) elimination; and (4) a multilevel approach. Random-effects two-stage structural equation modeling was conducted for each method separately, and potential moderators were examined using subgroup analysis. Results demonstrated that the different methods of dealing with dependency in MASEM lead to different results. Thus, the decision on which approach should be used in MASEM-analysis should be carefully considered. Given that the multilevel approach is the only approach that includes all available information while explicitly modeling dependency, it is currently the theoretically preferred approach for dealing with dependency in MASEM. Future research should evaluate the multilevel approach with simulated data.

Parent Cultural Stress and Internalizing Problems in Latinx Preschoolers: Moderation by Maternal Involvement and Positive Verbalizations

Parent cultural stress has a pervasive and significant impact on family functioning and increases risk for socioemotional problems among Latinx children. Identifying factors that can protect against the negative influence of cultural stressors and enhance the developmental trajectories of Latinx children early in life is key as these children experience disproportionate risk for psychosocial adversity and internalizing mental health problems. The present study evaluated the effect of maternal cultural stress on young children´s internalizing problems, and the moderating role of maternal parenting behaviors. Participants were 65 Latinx children (3 to 5 years old, 50% female) and their mothers (21 to 47 years old, 68% immigrants) recruited from three Head Start Centers in the Chicagoland Area. Mother-reported cultural stress predicted young children's internalizing problems. In addition, maternal self-reported involvement and observed maternal positive verbalizations during one-on-one interactions with the child moderated the effect of cultural stress on child internalizing symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of efforts to promote family and child resilience and implications for culturally sensitive measurement and intervention.

Maternal Monitoring Knowledge Change and Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors in Low-Income African American and Latino Families

Drawing on a sample of 318 African American and 354 Latino urban, low-income families, we identify maternal monitoring knowledge trajectories and examine which trajectory predicts fewer late-adolescent externalizing problems and which family and neighborhood factors predict trajectories with positive implications for late-adolescent externalizing behaviors. The majority of adolescents in both groups perceived long-term high levels of maternal monitoring knowledge throughout adolescence-stably high for the African American sample and high for the Latino sample. Long-term high levels of knowledge predicted fewer general late-adolescent externalizing problems for both groups and fewer late-adolescent delinquent behaviors for the African American sample. Family routine and mother-adolescent trust predicted long-term high levels of knowledge for both groups. For the African American sample, family routine and neighborhood cohesion predicted stably high levels of knowledge via the mediation of mother-adolescent trust. We discuss implications for improving positive adolescent development and family environments for both groups.

The Pathways Between Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a significant risk factor for negative adolescent development outcomes. Identifying the pathways between SES and these outcomes may inform interventions for adolescents from this demographic. We conducted a systematic literature review of eight databases for studies investigating pathways between SES and adolescent psychosocial outcomes. A total of 59 articles met inclusion criteria. Significant risk factors identified include economic stress, chaos in the home, and violence in the community. These risk factors appear to be mediated through parent depression, conflict between parents, parenting practices, and adolescent resilience. Interventions focusing on the identified risk factors are recommended.

Acculturation and Latino adolescent mental health: integration of individual, environmental, and family influences

In order to address the mental health disparities that exist for Latino adolescents in the United States, psychologists must understand specific factors that contribute to the high risk of mental health problems in Latino youth. Given the significant percentage of Latino youth who are immigrants or the children of immigrants, acculturation is a key factor in understanding mental health among this population. However, limitations in the conceptualization and measurement of acculturation have led to conflicting findings in the literature. Thus, the goal of the current review is to examine and critique research linking acculturation and mental health outcomes for Latino youth, as well as to integrate individual, environmental, and family influences of this relationship. An integrated theoretical model is presented and implications for clinical practice and future directions are discussed.

Associations between positive parenting practices and child externalizing behavior in underserved Latino immigrant families

This study examined whether five specific parenting practices (i.e., monitoring, discipline, skill encouragement, problem solving, and positive involvement) were associated with reduced child externalizing behaviors among a sample of Latino immigrant families. It utilized baseline data from 83 Latino couples with children participating in a larger randomized controlled trial of a culturally adapted parenting intervention. Results reveal that monitoring, discipline, skill encouragement, and problem solving each made independent contributions to the prediction of child externalizing behavior, although not all in the expected direction. Further analyses examining mothers and fathers separately suggest that mother-reported monitoring and father-reported discipline practices uniquely contributed to these findings. These results may have important implications for prevention and clinical intervention efforts with Latino immigrant families, including the cultural adaptation and implementation of parenting interventions with this underserved population.

Risk and protective factors for sexual and dating violence victimization: a longitudinal, prospective study of Latino and African American adolescents

Teen dating violence and sexual victimization are serious public health concerns. Although research has highlighted the correlates and consequences of such abuse, little is known about early antecedents. The current study sought to identify the risk and protective factors evident in early adolescence that are associated with sexual and dating violence victimization in late adolescence. The sample involved 236 (52% female) low-income Latino (69%) and African American (31%) youth, their older sisters, and their mothers who were studied when youth were, on average, ages 13 and 18 years. The results indicated that early indicators of a risky lifestyle (e.g., getting drunk, having sex) and having deviant friends and siblings were associated with a higher likelihood of subsequent victimization. Mothers' early strictness, monitoring, and conservative sexual attitudes predicted a lower likelihood of subsequent assault and served as significant buffers given specific risks, particularly for girls and Latinos. The findings suggest that behavior and social network patterns established relatively early in life increase one's vulnerability to victimization later in life, as well as point to aspects of parenting that serve a protective function against such outcomes.

Sexual initiation, parent practices, and acculturation in Hispanic seventh graders

BACKGROUND

Hispanic youths have high rates of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies, yet little research has targeted multiple protective/risk factors for early sexual initiation in this group. This study examined two main factors--parenting practices and acculturation--on early sexual initiation among Hispanic middle school students in Texas.

METHODS

Using data from Hispanic seventh graders (N = 655) in 15 urban middle schools in southeast Texas, we examined the association between parental monitoring/parent-child communication about sexual health and sexual initiation.

RESULTS

After controlling for age, gender, parent/guardian education, family structure, acculturation level, and intervention status, the likelihood of ever having sex decreased 50% for every 1-point increase in the parental monitoring score (AOR = 0.50;95%CI = 0.34,0.75). No association was found between ever having sex and parent-child communication scores (AOR = 1.29;95%CI = 0.76,2.18). Furthermore, parental monitoring differed significantly between acculturation levels, 1-way analysis of variance F(2,652) = 5.07, p < 0.007. This finding was unrelated to the parental monitoring-initiation association in the multivariable model.

CONCLUSION

Parental monitoring may delay sexual initiation among Hispanic middle school students. Parental monitoring differs by acculturation levels, warranting further investigation. These findings can inform school-based, parent-involved interventions designed to delay sexual initiation among Hispanic youth.

The relationship between parenting and delinquency: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis of 161 published and unpublished manuscripts was conducted to determine whether the association between parenting and delinquency exists and what the magnitude of this linkage is. The strongest links were found for parental monitoring, psychological control, and negative aspects of support such as rejection and hostility, accounting for up to 11% of the variance in delinquency. Several effect sizes were moderated by parent and child gender, child age, informant on parenting, and delinquency type, indicating that some parenting behaviors are more important for particular contexts or subsamples. Although both dimensions of warmth and support seem to be important, surprisingly very few studies focused on parenting styles. Furthermore, fewer than 20% of the studies focused on parenting behavior of fathers, despite the fact that the effect of poor support by fathers was larger than poor maternal support, particularly for sons. Implications for theory and parenting are discussed.