Examining Resource and Protective Factors in the Adjustment of Latino Youth in Low Income Families: What Role Does Maternal Acculturation Play?

• NCJ Number: 218639
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 489-501
• Author(s): Alexandra Loukas; Maria-Anne Suizzo; Hazel M. Prelow
• Date Published: May 2007
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): HD36093; 5 R37 HD25936; 3R01 HD36093-04S1; 97.3022; P0044188; 20001007; R44 HD37292
• Sponsoring Agency: W.K. Kellogg Foundation; David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Annie E. Casey Foundation; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study investigated whether the risk and protective factors associated with delinquency and internalizing problems among Latino adolescents differed by maternal linguistic acculturation and adolescent gender.

Abstract

The results indicated that the level of cumulative risks to adolescents did not vary between high and low maternal linguistic acculturation and adolescent gender. However, the factors predicting change in adolescent outcomes did vary substantially based on gender and maternal linguistic acculturation. Specifically, for boys, maternal monitoring mediated the effects within the high acculturation group but was unrelated to adjustment in the low acculturation group. Social competence was a protective factor for boys in the high acculturation group, but negatively impacted boys in the low acculturation group. Maternal monitoring directly impacted delinquency engagement among girls and was the only positive factor contributing to Latino girls’ adjustment. The findings highlight the necessity of examining within-group variations in the adjustment patterns of Latino adolescents. They also suggest that intervention efforts would be more effective if they were tailored to specific sub-groups of Latino adolescents. Future research is needed to map the process through which maternal linguistic acculturation contributes to adolescent delinquency and internalizing problems. Data were drawn from Waves 1 and 2 of the “Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study,” designed to assess the impact of welfare reform on families. Participants for the current analysis were 454 Latino adolescents and their mothers who completed a series of interviews regarding perceived financial strain, linguistic acculturation, neighborhood problems, maternal psychological distress, maternal parenting stress, family routines, maternal monitoring, mother-adolescent relationship quality, adolescent social competence, delinquent behaviors, and internalizing problems. Data were analyzed using a series of 5-step regression models. Tables, references