Cultural Mismatch, Physical Distress and Resilience in a Sample of Underrepresented Minority Freshmen

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: PS 14 Topic - Health, Growth, Injury

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 - and peer-peer cultural value mismatch – mismatch between the collectivistic ideologies and practices of one peer and the individualistic ideologies and practices of another – during the transition to college (Vasquez-Salgado et al., 2015; Burgos-Cienfuegos et al., 2015). In line with cultural mismatch theory, these two forms of mismatch are distressing for students (Stephens et al., 2012; Vasquez-Salgado et al.; Burgos-Cienfuegos et al.). However, the relation between cultural mismatch and physical distress among a large and diverse sample of underrepresented minority (URM) college students remains relatively unknown. In addition, no research has examined the potential moderating role of resilience, the capacity to persist through difficult situations, in these relations. The current study aims to extend the literature by examining whether there is a relation between cultural mismatch (home-school, peer-peer) and self-reports of physical distress in a sample of URM university freshmen and whether this is moderated by resilience. We hypothesize that (1) cultural mismatch will relate to higher levels of physical distress and that (2) moderation will occur with higher levels of resilience, eliminating or reducing these relations.
One hundred and eleven freshmen (Mage = 18.00, SD = .43; 64% female) from URM backgrounds completed an online survey that gathered self-reports of cultural mismatch (home-school, peer-peer), physical distress (12-items; e.g., headaches, stomachaches, trouble breathing), and resilience (25-items; e.g., “Under pressure, I stay focused and think clearly”) during their first semester at a four-year university. The 14-item home-school and 8-item peer-peer cultural value mismatch measures assessed mismatch between collectivism learned at home and the individualism of the university environment (e.g., home-school: attending family events versus studying; peer-peer: providing support to one’s peers but not receiving support in return). The data from this study is part of a larger, on-going longitudinal study surrounding cultural mismatch, health, and academic adjustment during the transition to college.
Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that home-school and peer-peer cultural value mismatch predicted higher levels of physical distress, b = .28, SE = .08, p < .001, and, b = .32, SE= .09, p < .001, respectively, even after controlling for socioeconomic status (i.e., first-generation status, parental income). Partially supporting our hypotheses, resilience marginally moderated this relation for home-school cultural value mismatch, b = .24, SE = .12, p = .052, but not peer-peer cultural value mismatch. Interestingly, follow-up analyses demonstrated that home-school mismatch predicted higher levels of physical distress among students with high resilience, but not those with low resilience (See Table 1). This suggests that students with high resilience might be having difficulty coping with this mismatch. Those in the low resilience group reported high levels of physical distress across all mismatch levels (See Figure 1). Together, our findings demonstrate that cultural mismatch (home-school, peer-peer) is physically distressing for URM freshmen and that students with high and low resilience can benefit from interventions. Implications for future research, policies, and interventions to reshape higher education will be discussed.

Authors

• Bernardo Martinez, California State University - Northridge
  Presenting Author

• Karina Barragan, California State University, Northridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Amanda Thwaits, California State University, Northridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nayila Deveaux, California State University, Northridge
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jean Pauline Serrano, 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