Parent-adolescent dissimilarity in ethnic-racial identity exploration: Implications for adolescent family cohesion and depressive symptoms

• In Event: Fronteras en Casa: Immigration Conflict, Acculturation Gaps and Psychological Well-being Within Latinx families

Abstract

For Latinx families, acculturation discordance between immigrant-origin youth and their parents may influence family dynamics (Telzer, 2010). One acculturation domain where this misalignment may occur is in their ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development. ERI exploration, or the ways individuals participate in learning about their ethnicity or race, may develop at different rates for parents and adolescents as they navigate between cultural spaces (Umaña-Taylor et al, 2004; Telzer, 2010). Differences in parent and adolescent cultural values have been linked to poor psychosocial outcomes for youth, including greater depressive symptoms (Stein & Polo, 2014). These cultural tensions may also disturb their family cohesion as cultural values, interests, and identities clash (Schwartz et al, 2015). The detrimental effect of misaligned cultural orientations within families has been well-established (Telzer, 2010), yet less is known about differences in ERI development between parents and youth. Guided by social identity theory and the integrative model, we examined how discordance in ERI exploration within parent-adolescent dyads was related to youth’s depressive symptoms (Tajfel & Forgas, 2000; García-Coll et al, 1996). Moreover, we were interested in whether family cohesion accounted for the relationship between ERI discordance and youth’s depressive symptoms.
Data for this study were drawn from two waves of a longitudinal study of Latinx parent-adolescent dyads. The sample included 148 Latinx parents and their 13-14-year-old adolescents. Most parents were foreign-born (91%) and predominantly of Mexican origin, while the majority of adolescents were U.S. born (78%). Parents’ and adolescents’ ERI exploration was assessed with the Ethnic Identity Scale (Umaña-Taylor et al., 2004). Adolescents reported on their perceived family cohesion (Alegria et al., 2008) and depressive symptoms (Eaton, et al., 2004). Per Stein & Polo’s (2014) protocol, misalignment in ERI exploration was coded two ways: with a difference and a gap variable. We tested the direct effect of an ERI difference and gap between parent-adolescent dyads at wave 1 on adolescents’ depressive symptoms at both wave 1 and 2. Additionally, we examined the indirect effect of the parent-adolescent ERI difference and gap on depressive symptoms through family cohesion at both waves.
Path analysis revealed direct effects of W1 adolescent-reported family cohesion on their W1 depressive symptoms (b = -.03, SE = .01, p < .05) and W2 family cohesion on their W2 depressive symptoms (b = -.03, SE = .01, p < .05). There was an indirect effect of ERI exploration gap on W1 adolescent depressive symptoms via W1 adolescent family cohesion (b = .08 [95% CI .015, .220]; Figure 1). Lastly, we found an indirect association of ERI exploration gap with W2 adolescent depressive symptoms, through family cohesion in waves 1 and 2 (b = .03 [95% CI .007, .094]. Path analysis for a model with the ERI difference variable showed similar findings.
Our findings show that the unique ways in which Latinx parents and adolescents explore their ethnicity influences family dynamics and may in turn, impact adolescents’ mental health. For Latinx families experiencing a discordance in ERI exploration, sustained family cohesion may play a promotive role in Latinx adolescents’ depressive symptoms.

Authors

• Jessica P. Montoro, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie Miller-Tejada, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Non-Presenting Author

• Fernanda L. Cross, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Non-Presenting Author

• Deborah Rivas-Drake, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Non-Presenting Author