Patterns of assets that support Latinx adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment: A latent profile analysis

• In Event: Understanding Cultural Processes Among Hispanic/Latinx Youth

Abstract

U.S. Latinx adolescents develop within oppressive social systems that restrict access to resources, creating educational (Merolla & Jackson, 2019) and mental health (Wang et al., 2020) disparities. Yet, resilience frameworks suggest that marginalized populations possess assets that allow them to navigate adversity (Masten, 2001; Zimmerman, 2013). Variable-centered work has linked assets such as active coping, bicultural comfort, bicultural facility, and preparation for bias to psychosocial adjustment among Latinx adolescents (Liu & Lau, 2013; Safa et al., 2019; Thomas et al., 2022), but questions about covariation of assets remain unanswered. The current study took a person-centered approach to (a) investigate salient configurations of covariation among universal individual (i.e. active coping), culturally-grounded individual (i.e., bicultural comfort, bicultural facility), and familial (i.e., preparation for bias) assets, and (b) evaluate the differential associations between asset profile membership and school functioning (i.e., school belonging and grades) and psychological well-being (i.e., reduced depressive symptoms) among Latinx middle school students.

Method. The current study utilized cross-sectional data from 207 Latinx students (Mage= 12.39 years, SD = 1.15; 53% female; 89% U.S.-born) from the Southwest. Adolescents completed online surveys and reported on active coping (12 items; α = .96; Sandler et al., 1997), bicultural comfort (9 items; α = .85; Basilio et al., 2014), bicultural facility (9 items; α = .87; Basilio et al., 2014), preparation for bias (6 items; α = .92; Hughes & Johnson, 2001), school belonging (4 items; α = .80; Vaquera, 2009), grades (1 item; “what grades do you mostly get in school?”), and depressive symptoms (20 items; α = .89; Devins & Orme, 1985). To address study goals and identify asset profiles, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in Mplus. To examine differences in school belonging, grades, and depressive symptoms by asset profile membership, a Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) weighting regression (Bray & Dziak, 2018) was conducted.

Results/Discussion. The best-fitting solution (see Table 1) revealed five profiles (see Figure 1). The Average Individual Assets, Low Bias Preparation profile was the largest (38% of the sample) and included students who had average levels of coping and biculturalism, but low levels of bias preparation. The High Individual Assets, Low Bias Preparation profile (33%) included students who had high levels of coping and biculturalism, but low levels of bias preparation. The Average Individual and Familial Assets profile (20%) included students who had average levels across all indicators. The High Individual and Familial Assets (5%) profile included students who had the highest levels across all assets whereas the Low Individual Assets, High Bias Preparation (4%) included students who had the lowest levels of coping and biculturalism, but the highest levels of bias preparation. BCH results showed that those in the High Individual Assets, Low Bias Preparation and High Individual and Familial Assets had higher levels of school belonging, and lower depressive symptoms compared to other profiles. (see Table 1). The discussion will focus on the nuanced ways individual, familial, and cultural assets co-occur to support Latinx adolescent adjustment.

Authors

• Rayni Thomas, University of Arizona
  Presenting Author

• Melissa Y Delgado, University of Arizona

• Rajni L. Nair, Arizona State University

• Kiera Midori Coulter, University of Texas at Austin

• Isabella Timmons, Arizona State University

• Tera Riley, Arizona State University