Trajectories of Cultural Stressors and Effects on Mental Health and Substance Use Among Hispanic Immigrant Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose We sought to determine the extent to which initial levels and over-time trajectories of cultural stressors (discrimination, negative context of reception, and bicultural stress) predicted well-being, internalizing symptoms, conduct problems, and health risk behaviors among recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents. Addressing this research objective involved creating a latent factor for cultural stressors, establishing invariance for this factor over time, estimating a growth curve for this factor over time, and examining the effects of initial levels (intercepts) and trajectories (slopes) of cultural stressors on adolescent outcomes. Methods A sample of 302 recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents in Miami (Mdn 1 year in the US at baseline) and Los Angeles (Mdn 3 years in the US at baseline) was recruited from public schools and assessed 6 times over a 3-year period. Results Perceived discrimination, context of reception, and bicultural stress loaded onto a latent factor at each of the first five timepoints. A growth curve conducted on this factor over the first five timepoints significantly predicted lower self-esteem and optimism, more depressive symptoms, greater aggressive behavior and rule breaking, and increased likelihood of drunkenness and marijuana use. Conclusions The present results may be important in designing interventions for Hispanic immigrant children and adolescents, including those within the current wave of unaccompanied child migrants. Results indicate targeting cultural stressors in interventions may have potential to improve well-being and decrease externalizing behaviors and substance use within this population.

Latino parent acculturation stress: Longitudinal effects on family functioning and youth emotional and behavioral health.

“…Our data suggest that, on average, parent acculturation stress was highest within the first five years that parents settled into their receiving communities and decreased over time. These findings corroborate research on the development of acculturation stress in recent immigrant Latino youth, in which acculturation stress also decreased over time (Schwartz et al, 2015). Although earlier levels of and change in acculturation stress negatively influenced family functioning and Latino youth mental health and substance use, our data suggests that preventive interventions that focus on acculturation stress and/or family functioning may be especially beneficial during the first five years following immigration (when acculturation stress was highest), but can also be beneficial later in the settlement process.…”

“…Parent acculturation stress was associated with worse adolescent-reported family functioning, which in turn, predicted lower symptoms of depression, lower aggressive behavior, and higher self-esteem in youth. These results reinforce and extend prior research on the harmful effects of acculturation stress on Latino youth well-being when youth themselves experience these stressors (Schwartz et al, 2015). …”

“…Unfortunately, once in the U.S., they may face anti-immigrant attitudes and policies, which may hinder families’ social mobility, thereby adversely affecting the health and well-being for their families (Halim, Yoshikawa, & Amodio, 2013; Pearlin, 1999; Schwartz et al, 2015; Tran, 2014). Indeed, acculturation stress in the form of discrimination, a negative context of reception, and acculturative stress among Latinos has been documented (Cano et al, 2015; Schwartz et al, 2014, 2015; Torres, Discoll, & Voell, 2012), and research supports a significant association between Latino youth-reported acculturation stressors and Latino youth mental health and substance use (e.g., Lorenzo-Blanco, Unger, Ritt-Olson, Soto, & Baezconde-Garbanati, 2011; Schwartz et al, 2014, 2015). However, few studies have investigated how parent perceptions of acculturation stress may impact the mental health and substance use of their adolescent children (Leon, 2014; Tran, 2014).…”

Stress and Alcohol, Cigarette, and Marijuana Use Among Latino Adolescents in Families with Undocumented Immigrants

“…The findings about cigarette and marijuana use are consistent with studies suggesting that stress is implicated in the initiation and escalation of substance use during adolescence (Brady & Sinha, 2005; Hoffmann, Cerbone, & Su, 2000; Nation & Heflinger, 2006; Newcomb & Harlow, 1986; Schwartz et al, in press; Wills, Sandy, Yaeger, Cleary, & Shinar, 2001). These findings also concur with studies that have identified low parental involvement as a risk factor for adolescent substance use factor (Dishion et al, 2004; Prado et al, 2007).…”

Prenatal, perinatal, and adolescent exposure to marijuana: Relationships with aggressive behavior

“…Family dysfunction (Moretti, Obsuth, Odgers, & Reebye, 2006;Tremblay et al, 2004), social disadvantage (Reboussin, Hubbard, & Ialongo, 2007;Tremblay et al, 2004), cultural stressors (Schwartz et al, 2015), childhood physical or sexual abuse (Barnow, Lucht, & Freyberger, 2001;Cullerton-Sen et al, 2008;Stevenson, 1999), PTSD (Moretti et al, 2006;Taft, Schumm, Orazem, Meis, & Pinto, 2010), parental substance abuse (Delaney-Black et al, 2000), exposure to violence (Boxer et al, 2008), and poor self-control (Derefinko, DeWall, Metze, Walsh, & Lynam, 2011) can all increase the likelihood of aggressive behavior in childhood or adolescence. Among adults seeking treatment for substance use problems, early maladaptive schemas-stable, enduring, dysfunctional interpersonal themes-predicted different forms of aggressive behavior, independent of substance use, antisocial personality, age, and education (Shorey et al, 2015); this pattern may extend to adolescents as well (Muris, 2006).…”