Latina/o Adolescents’ Perceived Supportive Family Relationships and Internalizing Symptoms: Examination of Bidirectional Effects

• In Event: 1-179 - Parents, Partners, and Peers: Examining the Context of Supportive Relationships for Latina/o Adolescents

Integrative Statement

Cultural values such as familism underscore the importance of family relationships for Latina/o adolescent adjustment (Cupito et al., 2015). Supportive family relationships, including open parent-adolescent communication, may protect against Latina/o adolescent internalizing symptoms, although research suggests that protective effects may be stronger for Latina/o adolescent girls than boys (Lorenzo-Blanco et al., 2012; Perrino et al., 2014). Relational developmental systems theory asserts that individual characteristics and context mutually influence one another (Overton, 2016). However, few prospective studies have examined bidirectional pathways for family relationships and Latina/o internalizing symptoms (Hughes & Gullone, 2008). Both directions may be especially important to examine for Latina/o adolescents, as cultural values may emphasize the protective features of supportive family relationships and exacerbate any negative effects of internalizing symptoms on family relationships (Stein et al., 2014). Furthermore, support from fathers may be more important for Latina/o adolescent girls’ internalizing symptoms than support from mothers, but few studies have examined both parent and adolescent gender differences prospectively (Behnke et al., 2011). The aim of the present study was to examine bidirectional relationships between perceived supportive family relationships and adolescent internalizing symptoms, including an examination of parent and adolescent gender.
Participants at T1 were 340 Latina/o adolescents (51% female; age = 13.25, SD = .79 years) attending public middle schools in New England. Surveys were completed in school. The adolescents completed the Open Communication subscale of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale for mothers and fathers (PACS; Barnes & Olson, 2003; α=.93, .94 respectively), the Family subscale of the Multidimesional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Cheng & Chan, 2004; α=.90), the Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED; Birmaher et al., 1999; α=.95), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC; Weissman et al.,1980; α=.90). The adolescents completed measures again six months later at T2.
A multiple group comparison panel model (Selig and Little, 2012) was conducted to examine whether internalizing symptoms and supportive family relationships at T1 predicted internalizing symptoms and supportive family relationships at T2 for boys and girls, controlling for adolescent age and parents’ mean education. For boys (see Figure 1a), depressive symptoms negatively predicted family support at T2 (B=-.51, p<.05). Boys’ anxiety symptoms positively predicted family support at T2 (B=.39, p<.05). There were no significant paths between supportive family relationship variables at T1 and internalizing symptoms at T2 for boys. For girls (see Figure 1b), depressive symptoms at T1 negatively predicted family support at T2 (B=-.33, p<.05). In turn, open communication with mother at T1 negatively predicted depressive symptoms at T2 (B=-.23, p<.05), and open communication with father at T1 negatively predicted both depressive and anxiety symptoms at T2 (B=-.17, p<.05; B=-.20, p<.01, respectively). Findings highlight the influence of Latina/o internalizing symptoms on supportive family relationships, as well as gender differences in family-driven effects on internalizing symptoms. Overall, results demonstrate the importance of examining bidirectional effects between Latina/o internalizing symptoms in adolescence and supportive family relationships, while considering both parent and adolescent gender.

Authors

• Emily Grace Simpson, Connecticut Children's Medical Center
  Presenting Author

• Courtney R Lincoln, Connecticut Children's Medical Center
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christine McCauley Ohannessian, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author