Ethnic–Racial Socialization Practices among Latino Immigrant Families: A Latent Profile Analysis

• In Event: 1-183 - Raising Children in Limbo: Immigrant Socialization and Psychosocial Functioning Among Undocumented Latinx Families

Integrative Statement

Background: In efforts to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., many states have passed restrictive, state-level immigration policies which reduce immigrants' access to education, health and other support services, and employment opportunities (Gulasekaram & Ramakrishnan, 2015). These policies also foster anti-immigrant sentiment and create hostile environments for immigrants and their children. Subsequently, parents find themselves having difficult conversations with their children in response to incidents, such as their child being called a “wetback” or told “to return to their country” (Rubio-Hernandez & Ayón, 2016). With a focus on resiliency, researchers have examined ethnic–racial socialization (ERS) among ethnic minority families. However, few studies with Latinx samples have examined ERS beyond cultural socialization (Hughes et al., 2006). This study was designed to examine profiles of Latinx immigrant parents’ use of ERS strategies, as well as, demographic, cultural, and sociopolitical factors associated with those profiles. This study assessed six ERS strategies: cultural socialization; promotion of mistrust; adapt (preparation for bias, avoidant coping); advocate (preparation for bias, active coping); promoting the value of diversity; and educating about nativity and documentation status.

Hypotheses: We hypothesize that a minimum of two patterns will emerge (H1a). If additional profiles emerge, we hypothesize that additional profiles will emphasize certain ERS strategies over others (H1b). In regards to predicting profile membership, we hypothesize that parents who strongly affirm familismo will have a strong ethnic identity, perceive strong social support, and engage in more frequent use of ERS strategies (H2a); and parents who experience higher levels of discrimination and whose family members experience more deportation vulnerability will engage in more frequent use of ERS strategies (H2b).

Methods: 300 parents participated in this cross-sectional study. All parents were immigrants, 80% were mothers, and had on average three children. A new, validated ERS measure was used along with measures of familismo, social support, and discrimination. A 3-step latent profile analysis was conducted in Mplus, Version 8, using the R3STEP option and maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors. We estimated two-, three-, and four-profile models and compared a combination of fit criteria for final model selection.

Results: Profile analysis revealed three ERS profiles including Low ERS (9%), Medium ERS (39%), and High ERS (52%). Although parents in the sample employed all the strategies, they used adapt and promotion of mistrust with less frequency relative to other strategies across the three profiles. The High and Moderate Frequency profiles were similar to each other and distinct from the Low Frequency profile in that they employed the advocate strategy with high frequency. The High Frequency profile engage more frequently in educating children about immigration and nativity. Parents in the Low Frequency profile focused on culture and diversity. Four demographic variables (parent gender and time in the US; and child age and nativity) and two cultural variables (ethnic identity and social support) predicted profile membership.

Implications: Future interventions need to account for ERS strategies as this is a critical aspect for parenting, particularly by immigrant parents within the current restrictive immigration climate.

Authors

• Cecilia Ayón, University of California RIverside
  Presenting Author

• Alisia (Giac-Thao) Tran, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tanya Nieri, University of California, Riverside
  Non-Presenting Author