Poster #63 - The Effects of Coping on the Relations Between Cultural Stressors and Parent-Adolescent Relationship Quality

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

Latinx families in the US face multiple cultural stressors due to their ethnic-racial identity (e.g., discrimination, acculturation gap conflict between parents and youth). These stressors are positively associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms among Latinx parents (Brittian et al., 2015; Hill et al., 2018) and adolescents (Huq et al., 2017; Umaña-Taylor et al., 2006), though youth coping may attenuate these relations for adolescents (e.g., shift-and-persist; Stein et al., 2022; support seeking, Brittian et al., 2013). Furthermore, one’s own experiences of cultural stressors may impact not only the individual, but also other family members through parent-adolescent processes (e.g., Bámaca et al., 2022). Discrimination and acculturation gap conflict (AGC) exhibit deleterious effects on the parent-adolescent relationship (Ayón & García, 2019; Smokowski et al., 2008). The present study investigated whether Latinx mothers’ and youth’s experiences of discrimination and AGC were related to their own and the other family member’s perception of the mother-child relationship. Furthermore, we hypothesized that youth instrumental support seeking, venting, and shift-and-persist coping would moderate these associations.

Participants included 175 Latinx families from an emerging immigrant destination. Mothers and youth (52% female; Mage = 12.89 years; 87% US-born) self-reported their experiences of discrimination (Foreigner Objectification Scale; Armenta et al., 2013; mother: alpha = .79, youth: alpha = .72), acculturation gap autonomy-related conflict (Acculturation Gap Conflicts Inventory; Basáñez et al., 2013; mother: alpha = .83, youth: alpha = .88), and mother-child negative relationship quality (Network of Relationships Inventory-Relationship Qualities Version; Buhrmaster & Furman, 2009; mother: alpha = .75, youth: alpha = .89). Additionally, adolescents self-reported their use of instrumental support (alpha = .74) and venting (alpha = .79) behavior (COPE Inventory; Carver et al., 1989) and shift-and-persist coping (Christophe et al., 2019; alpha = .79).

We tested the moderating effects of instrumental support, venting, and shift-and-persist coping on the relations between each cultural stressor and mother-child relationship quality via 6 actor-partner independence models. Across the AGC models, one’s own experiences of AGC were positively related with their own perception of negative relationship quality (i.e., actor effects), but not their partner’s. Additionally, mother-reported AGC was strongly positively related to mother-reported negative relationship quality when instrumental support was lower, but the association weakened when instrumental support was higher (Figure 1). The discrimination models revealed non-significant actor or partner effects. Mother-reported discrimination was positively related to mother-reported negative relationship quality when youth venting was lower but had no association when venting was higher (Figure 2). Finally, shift-and-persist coping was negatively associated with youth-reported negative relationship quality.

Prior qualitative work has demonstrated the importance of relational coping for youth from Latinx immigrant families (Perreira et al., 2006). In the context of maternal experiences of cultural stressors, instrumental support and venting may promote relational coping that protects against negative maternal perceptions of the parent-adolescent relationship (Gonzalez et al., 2022). On the other hand, individual coping around shifting away from an uncontrollable stressor and maintaining a sense of optimism about the future may support less negative perceptions of the parent-adolescent relationship for youth amidst cultural stressors.

Authors

• Frances M. Lobo, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author

• Jocelyn Little, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Gabriela Livas Stein, University of North Carolina at Greensboro