Filial Responsibilities, Problem Behaviors, and Familism Among Latinx Adolescents

• In Event: Family and Cultural Pathways to Socioemotional and Academic Well-Being in Latinx Adolescents

Abstract

Immigrant Latinx youth play a central role in their families by helping to maintain their households and supporting the psychological well-being of family members (Jurkovic et al., 2004; Kuperminc et al., 2013). While some research has suggested that taking on filial responsibilities can promote positive psychological and developmental outcomes for Latinx adolescents (Macife et al., 2015), other work has also noted that when family responsibilities are perceived to be burdensome or unfair, the associated positive effects often diminish (Kuperminc et al., 2013). To account for these inconsistencies, researchers note the importance of differentiating between engagement in different types and the perceived fairness of filial responsibility (Kuperminc et al., 2013). However, it is also possible that adherence to traditional Latinx cultural values may attenuate these effects. Specifically, familism, which refers to a set of prescribed behaviors and interaction styles that are acceptable among Latinx family members (Sabogal et al., 1987) may serve as a moderator in the relation between filial responsibility and adolescent behavior problems. Therefore, the current study examined the relations between dimensions of filial responsibilities and behavior problems among Latinx adolescents and the moderating role of familism. It was anticipated that adolescents’ behavior problems would be more strongly associated with their perceptions of unfairness than with their filial responsibilities and it was expected that familism would attenuate the link between filial responsibilities and problem behaviors.

Participants, 213 Latinx mother-child dyads (Myouthage = 14.17; SDyouthage = .46; 59% female), were recruited from a high school in California’s rural central valley. Adolescents reported their experience with expressive and instrumental filial responsibilities and their perception of fairness of having to engage in these tasks (Jurkovic et al., 2001). Mothers rated their children’s problem behaviors (Achenbach et al., 2001).

The results, via linear regressions, showed that adolescents’ perceptions of unfairness was positively associated with their behavior problems and instrumental responsibility was negatively associated with externalizing behaviors (see Table 1). Moderation analyses indicated that the expressive caregiving X familism interaction was significant for adolescents’ internalizing (b = - 4.67 (2.08), p<.05) and externalizing (b = -5.31 (1.71), p<.01) behavior problems. An examination of the interactions (see Figure 1) revealed that expressive caregiving was associated with lower internalizing behaviors at high levels of familism (see Panel A). Also, expressive caregiving was associated with higher externalizing behaviors at low levels of familism (see Panel B).

The results highlight the importance of disentangling engagement in filial responsibilities from the feelings associated with it. Although findings demonstrate the protective influence of familism, they also indicate that this effect is contingent on the degree of endorsement of this value. Overall, further research is needed to closely explicate this relationship in order to support Latinx adolescent development.

Authors

• Rosa I Toro, California State University, Fresno
  Presenting Author

• Yovani Muñoz, California State University - Fresno
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joann M Farver, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author