Links Between Cultural Orientations, Weight Concerns, and Development of Depressive Symptoms Among Latinx Youth

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Research and theory suggest a robust, prospective link between weight concerns (i.e., concerns about overweight) and depressive symptoms during adolescence (Sharpe et al., 2018; Stice & Van Ryzin, 2019). However, much of this research has been conducted with predominantly White/European American samples, and less is known regarding this link among Latinx adolescents (Bardone-Cone, Higgins Neyland, & Lin, 2017). Evidence suggests that Latinx cultural orientations may protect against development of weight concerns and depressive symptoms, whereas orientations towards mainstream culture may be a risk factor (Poloskov & Tracey, 2013; Schooler & Daniels, 2013; Umaña-Taylor & Updegraff, 2007). Grounded in an ecological framework of development, this study aimed to test whether the prospective link between weight concerns and depressive symptoms holds among Latinx adolescents and examine Mexican and Anglo cultural orientations as potential protective/risk factors in this link for girls and boys. Participants were 492 Mexican-origin youth (M age at T1 = 14.5 years; M age at T2 = 19.6 years; 50.4% female) from 246 families who participated in a longitudinal study of youth development and family relationships. Results from multilevel models revealed that after adjusting for a number of key covariates at Time 1, including initial levels of depressive symptoms, the association between Time 1 weight concerns and Time 2 depressive symptoms was not significant. However, there was a significant two-way interaction between weight concerns and Mexican orientation predicting depressive symptoms at Time 2 (B = -1.20, SE = 0.53, p = .03). Simple slope tests revealed that the association between weight concerns and depressive symptoms was negative for youth with high Mexican orientations and positive for youth with low Mexican orientations, suggesting a protective effect of Mexican orientations in the prospective link between weight concerns and depressive symptoms. The two-way interaction between weight concerns and Anglo orientation predicting depressive symptoms was not significant. Finally, three-way interactions between weight concerns, cultural orientations, and gender revealed that there were no gender differences in these associations. Findings underscore the value of examining youth development within sociocultural context and have implications for theory and interventions pertaining to weight concerns and depressive symptoms for Mexican-origin adolescents.

Authors

• Anna K Hochgraf, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  Presenting Author

• Susan McHale, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kimberly Updegraff, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author