Dispositional and situational measures of children's coping were developed using a theoretically based approach. Two studies (N1 = 217; N2 = 303) assessed the psychometric characteristics of these measures in fourth- through sixth-grade children. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a four-factor model of dispositional coping (active, distraction, avoidant, and support seeking) provided a better fit to the data than either the problem- versus emotion-focused (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) or passive versus active (Billings & Moos, 1981) coping models. The four-factor model was largely invariant with respect to age and gender. Moderate to high correlations were found between the parallel subscales of the dispositional and situational measures of coping. Although the four factor structures of the dispositional and situational measures were generally similar, factor loadings and correlations between dimensions were not equivalent.

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The extent to which current theories on family-related factors associated with children's depression and conduct problems are applicable to Mexican American children was examined among demographically comparable samples of low-income Mexican American (English and Spanish speaking) and Euro-American mothers and children. There were ethnic differences in mean levels of children's depression, maternal inconsistent discipline, and hostile control. In addition, there were differences across language within the Mexican American sample on levels of reported maternal inconsistent discipline and hostile control. The vast majority of relations between parenting and mental health were similar between Mexican Americans and Euro-Americans, suggesting that current theories do apply across ethnic groups. However, analyses across language within the Mexican American sample showed that language preference moderated the relation between maternal acceptance and children's conduct problems. Moreover, the relation between acceptance and hostile control differed across groups. These results are discussed in light of the relative influence of ethnicity and other contextual variables on parenting and children's mental health.

Mexican American adolescents face disparities in mental health and academic achievement, perhaps in part because of discrimination experiences. However, culturally-related values, fostered by ethnic pride and socialization, may serve to mitigate the negative impact of discrimination. Guided by the Stress Process Model, the current study examined risk and protective processes using a 2-wave multi-informant study with 750 Mexican American families. Specifically, we examined two possible mechanisms by which Mexican American values may support positive outcomes in the context of discrimination; as a protective factor (moderator) or risk reducer (mediator). Analyses supported the role of Mexican American values as a risk reducer. This study underscores the importance of examining multiple mechanisms of protective processes in understanding Mexican American adolescent resilience. KeywordsMexican American; adolescents; discrimination; cultural values; ethnic socialization; ethnic pride; mental health; academic achievement; longitudinal Discrimination and adjustment for Mexican American adolescents: A prospective examination of the benefits of culturally-related valuesLatino adolescents in the United States are at elevated risk for a variety of mental health and academic problems (Rumbaut, 1994). Mexican American adolescents, in particular, report higher levels of depressive symptoms (Hill, Bush, & Roosa, 2003), as well as externalizing behaviors (Gorman-Smith, Tolan, Henry, & Florsheim, 2000). Moreover, despite Mexican American families' emphasis on the value of school as an important pathway to success, Mexican American adolescents report lower academic self-efficacy (Fuligni, Witkow, & Garcia, 2005) and are more likely to drop out of school (Chavez, Oetting, & Swaim, 1994) than European American peers. Some have suggested that these elevated mental health and Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Cady Berkel, Prevention Research Center, Arizona State University, 900 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85287-6005, cady.berkel@asu.edu. In Press Journal of Research on Adolescence.This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the journal. It is not the copy of record. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript academic risks are due in part to experiences of discrimination commonly reported by Mexican American adolescents, which have been linked to poor mental health and academic achievement (Coker, et al., 2009;Stone & Han, 2005). Nevertheless, many Mexican American adolescents have good mental health outcomes, are successful in school (Gonzales, Knight, Birman, & Sirolli, 2004), and often appear to be more resilient than one might expect given the stressors to which they are exposed (Escobar, Nervi, & Gara, 2000). One potential mechanism operating among Mexican American adolescents that may support this resilience is the socialization processes that lead to the internalization of culturallyrelated values associated with th...