The Role of Attachment in Language Brokering and Well-being among College Students

• In Event: 3-010 - A Critical Examination of Language Brokering: Dimensions, Mechanisms of Influence, and Children's Socioemotional Well-Being

Integrative Statement

Language brokering is a common practice for children (Dorner et al.,2008), adolescents (Chao, 2006), and emerging adults (Weisskirch, 2011) from immigrant families. For college students, the parent-child relationship may relate to the outcomes of language brokering. The type of attachment may be an indicator of the parent-child relationship, and it is likely that, when attachment is secure between parent and child, negative outcomes of language brokering will be lessened.
The Present Study
We hypothesize that the relationship between perceptions of language brokering and psychological well-being are made worse through high levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance.
Method
Participants
In this study, 262 college students (Female=219, Male=43) with an average age of 21.39 years (SD=1.92) who answered affirmatively to “Do you speak a language other than English” and to “Do you ever translate conversations, papers, documents, or other items from English to another language for one or both of your parents?” were retained in the study sample.
Measures
Demographics.
Frequency of language brokering.
Burden when language brokering. Participants completed the burden scale (Kim et al.,2014).
Role reversal in language brokering. Participants completed the role reversal scale (Kim et al.,2014). .
Efficacy when language brokering. We used Kim et al.’s (2017) language brokering efficacy scale.
Frequency of Intrusiveness of Language Brokering. We created a 6-item measure on the typical responsibilities of college students.
Attachment orientation. Participants completed the ECR-RS (Fraley et. al,2011).
Sadness/Depressive Symptoms. Participants rated the PROMIS depressive symptom scale (Hays et al.,2009).
Anxiety. Participants rated the Neuro-QOL Anxiety (Cella et al.,2012).
Somatic Symptoms. Participants completed a scale about somatic symptoms (Gierk et al.,2014).
Results (abbreviated)
To determine if perceptions of language brokering (LB) and frequency of LB predict well-being, we conducted separate multiple regression analyses, controlling for gender, age, and ethnicity. In the final model, infrequency of LB in the last week positively predicted depressive symptoms (β=.13, p <.05), R2=.08, F(6, 247)=2.78, p < .05. Burden when LB positively predicted anxiety symptoms (β=.29, p <.001), R2=.10, F(6, 247) = 4.37, p < .001. For somatic symptoms, burden when LB predicted somatic symptoms (β=.27, p<.001), R2=.14, F(6, 247)=6.67, p < .001.
In order to assess how attachment mediates the relationship between LB and well-being, we utilized Model 4 of the PROCESS macro for SPSS (Hayes, 2013) to assess mediation. There was an indirect effect of attachment anxiety on burden, role reversal, efficacy, and intrusion and depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms, respectively. See Tables 1 and 2.
Discussion
For college students from immigrant families, there may be ongoing responsibilities to language broker. Less frequent LB in the last week for parents predicted greater depressive symptoms. These findings may indicate that, although they engage in LB, not doing so recently may be indicative of depressive symptoms. Further, burden when LB was predictive of both anxiety and somatic symptoms, respectively. With these findings, for college students, it may be that feeling as though LB is burdensome, separate from actually engaging in LB, is what contributes to greater anxiety and somatic symptoms

Authors

• Rob Weisskirch, California State University, Monterey Bay
  Presenting Author

• Angie Guan, California State University, Northridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Vanja Lazarevic, San Diego State University
  Non-Presenting Author