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Influence of Risk Factors and Cultural Assets on Latino Adolescents’ Trajectories of Self-Esteem and Internalizing Symptoms

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Abstract

In this study, we examined longitudinal, person-centered trajectories of acculturation, internalizing symptoms, and self-esteem in 349 Latino adolescents. We compared acculturation measures (time in the US, culture-of-origin involvement, US cultural involvement, for both parents and adolescents); acculturation stressors (perceived discrimination, acculturation conflicts); and family dynamics (parent–adolescent conflict, familism). Results indicated that, over time, Latino adolescents’ internalizing problems decreased and their self-esteem increased. However, we showed that increased length of time living in the US was significantly related to lower self-esteem among adolescents. Parent–adolescent conflict was a strong risk factor, which not only directly heightened internalizing symptoms and lowered self-esteem, but also mediated the effects of acculturation conflicts and perceived discrimination on these outcomes. Our findings revealed familism as a cultural asset associated with fewer internalizing symptoms and higher self-esteem. Internalizing symptoms were also minimized by the adolescent’s involvement in the US culture whereas bicultural adolescents with high culture-of-origin involvement reported higher self-esteem. We discussed the limitations and implications of this study for future research and practice.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Flavio Marsiglia and Monica Parsai, MSW for their work collecting data in Arizona and Melissa Chalot, MPH for project management. Special thanks go to the Latino families who participated in this study. This study was supported by grants from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (R49/CCR42172-02) and from the Centers for Disease Control’s Office of the Director (1K01 CE000496-01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro Street, CB 3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550, USA

    Paul Richard Smokowski & Roderick A. Rose

  2. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Martica Bacallao

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  1. Paul Richard Smokowski
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Correspondence to Paul Richard Smokowski.

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Smokowski, P.R., Rose, R.A. & Bacallao, M. Influence of Risk Factors and Cultural Assets on Latino Adolescents’ Trajectories of Self-Esteem and Internalizing Symptoms. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 41, 133–155 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-009-0157-6

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