Familism, Parent-Adolescent Conflict, Self-Esteem, Internalizing Behaviors and Suicide Attempts Among Adolescent Latinas

Abstract

Adolescent Latinas continue to report higher levels of suicide attempts than their African-American and White peers. The phenomenon is still not understood and is theorized to be the result of the confluence of many cultural, familial, and individual level factors. In Latino cultures, belief in the importance of the family, the value known as familism, appears to protect youth's emotional and behavioral health, but parent-adolescent conflict has been found to be a risk factor for suicide attempts. The role of familism in relation to parent-adolescent conflict, self-esteem, internalizing behaviors, and suicide attempts has not been studied extensively. To address this question, we interviewed 226 adolescent Latinas, 50% of whom had histories of suicide attempts. Using path analysis, familism as a cultural asset was associated with lower levels of parent-adolescent conflict, but higher levels of internalizing behaviors, while self-esteem and internalizing behaviors mediated the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict and suicide attempts. Our findings point to the importance of family involvement in culturally competent suicide prevention and intervention programs. Reducing parent-daughter conflict and fostering closer family ties has the added effect of improving self-esteem and shrinking the likelihood of suicide attempts.

Familism through a developmental lens.

“…Adolescent familism also predicted low levels of parent-adolescent conflict (e.g., Smokowski, Rose, & Bacallao, 2010), and conflict served to mediate the positive effects of attitudinal familism. However, consistent with tenets of developmental science regarding the individual's transaction with the surrounding context, research has found that family conflict in the presence of high levels of attitudinal familism may be more detrimental as it violates the expectations of family harmony ( Hernández, Ramírez Garcia, & Flynn, 2010;Kuhlberg, Peña, & Zayas, 2010).…”

“…Finally, other studies have considered discrepancies in parent and child reports of attitudinal familism. Parentchild alignment on attitudinal familism was protective against both internalizing and externalizing symptoms ( Bamaca-Colbert & Gayles, 2010;Baumann, Kuhlberg, & Zayas, 2010;Kuhlberg, Peña, & Zayas, 2010;Stein & Polo, 2014).…”

Actividad física, obesidad y autoestima en escolares chilenos: Análisis mediante ecuaciones estructurales

“…Niveles bajos en los jóvenes se han asociado con síntomas psicopatológicos como reacciones de ansiedad 12 , depresión, desesperanza y tendencias suicidas 13 , demoras innecesarias en la realización de tareas y son comúnmente observados en aquellos que presentan conductas agresivas 14 , conductas antisociales 15 o violencia escolar 16 .También es fundamental analizar que los niños y jóvenes con baja autoestima se caracterizan por presentar una peor salud física, encontrando que los sujetos que llegan a la adolescencia con baja autoestima tienen un riesgo mayor de presentar hábitos no saludables y una salud mental más pobre 17 .…”

Self-image and suicidal and violent behaviours of adolescent girls

“…Risk factors for suicidal behaviour during adolescence mainly include depressed mood, mental disorders, substance abuse, intrapsychic problems (i.e., a negative self-image, issues related to emotional control, anxiety, impulsivity, the presence of borderline personality traits, the presence of antisocial characteristics, the presence of the characteristics of narcissism), social isolation, loneliness, traumatic experiences involving, e.g., violence, sexual abuse, loss of significant others, as well as conflicted and dysfunctional family relationships, illness in the family, low economic status of the family, the family and social transmission regarding destruction (Adrian, Miller, McCauley, & Vander Stoep, 2016;Brausch & Gutierrez, 2010;King, Kerr, Passarelli, Foster, & Merchant, 2010;Kuhlberg, Peña, & Zayas, 2010;Miller, Rathus, & Linehan, 2007;Pilecka, 2005;Steele & Doey, 2007;Woźniak, Talarowska, Orzechowska, Florkowski, & Gałecki, 2013). The indicated factors increase the risk of violent behaviour in adolescents (Arim, Dahinten, Marshall, & Shapka, 2011;Crapanzo, Frick, & Terranova, 2010;Herba, Tranah, Rubia, & Yule, 2006;Manseau, Fernet, Hébert, Collin-Vézina, & Blais, 2008;Pajer, Leininger, & Gardner, 2010;Rulison, Gest, Loken, & Welsh, 2010;Undheim & Sound, 2010).…”