Latinx Parent-Youth Experiences of Discrimination: Dyadic associations between self-reported discrimination and biobehavioral health.

• In Event: Education, discrimination, and positive youth development among Latinx populations

Abstract

Background: Research suggests adolescents who identify as Latino/a/x or Hispanic endorse higher depressive symptoms (Kann et al., 2018; Georgiades et al., 2018) compared to other ethnic-racial groups in the U.S., a trend that may be even higher among Puerto Rican Latinx youth (Wassertheil-Smoller et al., 2014). This disparity demonstrates the need for research identifying sources of risk in this group. Parents have the potential to influence regulatory strategies into adolescence, potentially ameliorating dysregulated patterns that place youth at greater risk for adverse mental health outcomes. Despite parents’ influence on youth outcomes, previous research has mostly focused on the impact of youth’s own experiences of discrimination on their health outcomes, and has primarily focused on Latinx youth in the southwest U.S. The limited research that has examined dyadic paths, reports a significant impact of parent’s experiences of discrimination on youth’s mental health outcomes (Huynh et al., 2021) and youth’s discrimination experiences on parent’s affective states (Bámaca et al., 2022). Objectives: Expanding from this research, we explore dyadic associations between discrimination and biobehavioral health (e.g., diurnal cortisol, depressive and anxiety symptoms) among predominately Puerto Rican Latinx parent-youth dyads living in New England. We hypothesize that adolescents will be attuned to their parent’s experiences of discrimination and thus exhibit significant partner effects (e.g., parent’s discrimination will be associated with youth’s health outcomes). Methods: A team of self-identifying Latinx researchers are currently recruiting Latinx families (target n = 40 families) with at least one adolescent youth (ages 13-19) living in Western Massachusetts using clustered probability sampling and professional referrals. Participation includes the collection of anthropometric, saliva, and survey data from a parent and youth in each family. Research staff verbally administer a survey in the participant’s preferred language (Spanish or English) that includes questions on demographics, perceived stress, overt/covert racism, U.S. Census race and ethnicity, Spanish caste, street race, and the PERLA skin color palette (self- and interviewer’s observations). Parent-adolescent dyads also collect their own saliva samples on the same day (awakening, 30-minutes post-awakening, 2-4 hours post-lunch, and before bedtime) to model the cortisol diurnal rhythm. To examine the dyadic associations in question, we will employ Actor Partner Interdependence Modeling (APIM; Cook & Kenny, 2005), this allows for the examination of partner effects (e.g., Parent DISC->Youth Outcome or vice versa) while accounting for an individual’s actor effects (e.g., Youth DISC -> Youth Outcome). Outcomes of interest will include parent and adolescent self-reported discrimination experiences, depression, and anxiety symptoms, as well as cortisol diurnal rhythms and physical health indices. Results: Data collection is currently underway for this pilot study, given the small sample size at this moment (n = 8 parent-youth dyads) no preliminary analyses were conducted. The final analyses will be conducted with the full sample (target n = 40 dyads) once data collection concludes. Conclusion: This findings from this study will add to the limited yet growing body of work illuminating the harmful effects of discrimination on Latinx youth’s biobehavioral health through a family-oriented approach, that considers experiences of multiple family members.

Authors

• Evelyn Mercado, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Presenting Author

• Airín Martínez, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

• Marielena Barbieri, University of Massachusetts Amherst