Psychosociocultural correlates of mental health among Mexican American students in a Hispanic-serving institution: A conditional process analysis.

Abstract

In this study, we used a psychosociocultural framework to examine whether cultural congruity was related to mental health indirectly via a sense of university belonging in a sample of 322 Mexican American undergraduates attending a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). In line with literature on biculturalism and cultural values, we also examined whether Mexican American HSI students' adherence to the ethnic value of familismo and to White ethnoracial values jointly moderated this indirect association. Results of conditional process modeling indicated that greater cultural congruity was partially indirectly associated with greater university belonging, which, in turn, was associated with better mental health. This partial indirect effect was more pronounced among Mexican American students with higher levels of White ethnoracial values and weaker or nonsignificant among students with average or lower levels of these values, a moderation effect that persisted even at varying levels of familismo. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of examining the complex and interlocking associations among cultural congruity, university belonging, cultural values, and mental health for Mexican American students in an HSI context. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed. Public Significance StatementIn our study of 322 Mexican American undergraduates at a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI), we found that cultural congruity indirectly contributes to better mental health through a stronger sense of university belonging. Importantly, this relationship is influenced by students' adherence to White ethnoracial values, emphasizing the importance of considering cultural values in understanding mental health outcomes in an HSI context.