New Directions for Developmental and Prevention Science for Improving the Lives of Latinx Families

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

During the current administration, the U.S. became an increasingly hostile socio-political environment for Latinx families, particularly recent immigrants and temporary migrant workers from Latin America. Identifying families at risk for mental health problems as well as those factors that can protect these families from long-term mental health problems is a public health priority. Yet, there is a gap in the literature, with few studies focusing explicitly on understanding the experiences of Latinx families. This symposium bridges this gap, showcasing the work of four research groups, all of which collected data from large Latinx samples of families in different regions of North America, with samples that span developmental stages.

Group 1 shares findings that pregnant and new mothers’ anxiety/stress increased, while traditional values considered to be protective in this population (e.g., familism) decreased, from before-to-after Trump’s 2016 Presidential win. Group 2 discusses findings from a trial in which Latinx mothers’ and infants’ (N = 321) adverse childhood experiences were screened at a primary care clinic, revealing feasibility of screening within this context. Group 3 presents findings that parent-child relationship quality, but not sociodemographic risk, nor the interaction of the two, predicts (N =330) low-income Latinx adolescents’ and mothers’ mental health. Group 4 examines the attachment separation experiences of young adults residing in Mexico and Central America whose parents migrated to the U.S. for work, finding that parental migration is associated with lower attachment security and trust. The symposium identifies new directions for developmental and prevention science to positively impact Latinx families.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Chair

• Jessica L Borelli, University of California - Irvine

Individual Presentations

• Changes in Sociocultural Factors and Mental Health in U.S. Mothers of Mexican Descent Amidst the Changing Sociopolitical Climate - Presenting Author: Kimberly D’Anna-Hernandez, California State University San Marcos; Non-Presenting Author: Elizabeth Clausing, University of California, San Diego; Non-Presenting Author: Amy Non, University of California, San Diego

• Prevention and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): The Potential of Well-Child Visits for Serving Latinx Families - Presenting Author: Maryam Kia-Keating, University of California - Santa Barbara; Non-Presenting Author: Sabrina R Liu, University of California Irvine Conte Center; Non-Presenting Author: Miya Barnett, University of California, Santa Barbara; Non-Presenting Author: Chava Nerenberg, University of California, Santa Barbara

• A Comprehensive Assessment of the Associations Between Demographic Risk, Attachment, and Psychopathology in Latinx Mother-Youth Dyads - Presenting Author: Jose Arreola, University of California - Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Lyric Noelle Russo, University of California - Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Breana Cervantes; Non-Presenting Author: Hannah Hecht; Non-Presenting Author: Francisca Leal, Latino Health Access; Non-Presenting Author: Gloria Montiel, Latino Health Access; Non-Presenting Author: Paulina Paredes, University of California, Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Nancy Guerra, UCI Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Jessica L Borelli, University of California - Irvine

• Family Separation due to Migration: Effects of Paternal Separation During Childhood on Attachment Among Latinx Young Adults - Presenting Author: Amanda Venta, University of Houston