Home-School Cultural Value Mismatch and Depressive Symptoms in a Sample of Latinx University Freshmen

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that Latinx first-generation college students experience home-school cultural value mismatch – mismatch between collectivistic family obligations and individualistic academic obligations – during their transition to college (Vasquez-Salgado et al., 2015). In line with Cultural Mismatch Theory (Stephens et al., 2012), prior research has documented that this mismatch plays a negative role in Latinx students’ health and academics (Vasquez-Salgado et al., 2015). However, the relation between different forms of home-school cultural value mismatch and depression has not been tested. This is important given disparities in depressive symptoms that exist for this demographic (U.S. DHHS, 2019). There is also no research to date that has examined the potential moderating role of resilience, the capacity to recover from challenges, in these relations. Thus, the purpose of this study is to extend this work by examining relations between different forms of home-school cultural value mismatch and depressive symptoms in Latinx university freshmen and whether resilience moderates these relations. We hypothesize that (1) all forms of mismatch will relate to higher levels of depression and that (2) higher levels of resilience will reduce these relations.
Eighty eight freshmen (Mage = 18.10, SD = .44; 64.9% female) from Latinx backgrounds completed an online survey that gathered self-reports of home-school cultural value mismatch, depressive symptoms (8-items; e.g., “I felt sad”), and resilience (25-items, CD-RISC; e.g., “Under pressure, I stay focused and think clearly”) during their first semester at a four-year university in California. The 14-item home-school cultural value mismatch measure assessed mismatch between academics and 1) spending time with family (e.g., attending family events), 2) family assistance (e.g., taking care of other family members), and 3) family obligations that may have long-term imprints or weight (e.g., purchasing something for the family; Vasquez-Salgado et al., under review). The data from this study are part of a larger, ongoing longitudinal study surrounding cultural mismatch, health and academic adjustment during the transition to college.
Linear regressions were modeled for each type of home school cultural value mismatch. Results indicated that higher levels of home-school cultural value mismatch that may have long-term imprints or weights significantly predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms, (b = .28, SE = .13, p = .037), even after controlling for socioeconomic status. Contrary to our hypotheses, the two other forms of mismatch did not relate to depressive symptoms and resilience did not moderate these relations. Nonetheless, our findings contribute to the broader literature because they suggest that the relation between home-school cultural value mismatch and depressive symptoms exists, but only for a particular form of mismatch. Our findings illuminate the need for home-school cultural value mismatch to be closely monitored across the transition to college as it has the potential to lead to deleterious consequences for the mental health of Latinx students. Future research will explore whether there are other forms of resilience that protect Latinx students against mismatch and its negative role on mental health. Our findings have several implications for intervention, and larger, institutional understanding and change that is needed in higher education.

Authors

• Jean Pauline Serrano, California State University - Northridge
  Presenting Author

• Julia Salcedo, California State University, Northridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anthony Flores, California State University - Northridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yolanda Vasquez-Salgado, California State University, Northridge
  Non-Presenting Author

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