A social ecological study of psychological distress among recently immigrated, Latina young adults.

Abstract

The present study examined potential individual-, cultural-, and interpersonal-level determinants of psychological distress among young adult Latina immigrants during their initial months in the United States (US). Five hundred thirty participants (aged 18–23 years old) immigrated an average of one year before assessment. Higher levels of psychological distress (as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, Derogatis & Fitzpatrick, 2004) were associated with undocumented immigration status, more immersion in the dominant (US) society, and more acculturative stress. Participants who more strongly endorsed certain marianismo beliefs [i.e., Latina women should be (a) the spiritual leaders of their family and are responsible for the family’s spiritual growth and (b) virtuous and chaste] indicated less distress. Participants who endorsed the belief that Latina women should be subordinate and self-silencing to maintain harmony in relationships reported more intense distress. Women who endorsed the belief that Latinas should be the main source of strength for their family also reported more distress. Participants’ attachment to their social network served as a moderator of several direct effects. Participants who experienced close attachment to their social network and more ethnic immersion reported substantively less distress than other participants did. Participants reporting lower attachment and lower endorsement of the virtuous and chaste belief experienced more distress than their peers did. Participants indicating lower attachment and higher endorsement of subordinate and self-silencing beliefs also reported more distress than peers did. Finally, participants who spent less time in the US and reported lower attachment indicated higher levels of distress. Findings inform interventions to eliminate mental health disparities affecting Latina young adults.

Measurement invariance of the Inventory of Peer and Parent Attachment among Latinx and non-Latinx college students.

“…Not surprisingly, research on the IPPA with Latinx samples has also grown during this time and continues to point to the value of the IPPA in relation to public health. Indeed, Dillon et al (2019) documented that in a large sample ( N = 530) of Latinx young adults (ages 18–23) that the IPPA scales were related to psychological distress. Indeed, the IPPA has even been translated to Spanish with published empirical research utilizing that version (Delgado et al, 2016; Gallarin & Arbiol, 2013).…”

Attachment and Social Support in Latinx Young Adults: Investigating the Moderating Role of familismo

“…The IPPA demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in a college-aged sample in an early psychometric study (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987). Additionally, the IPPA has been examined in several exclusively Latinx samples of young adults with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .92 to .97 (De La Rosa et al, 2010; Dillon et al, 2018). The IPPA has also been translated for use in Spanish with satisfactory psychometrics (Delgado et al, 2016; Gallarin & Alonso-Arbiol, 2013).…”

The impact of marianismo on the association between intersectional discrimination and depressive symptoms among latina women: A profile analysis.

“…Lara et al (2016) found that greater identification with marianismo was associated with more symptoms of depression up to 6 months postpartum; the researchers attributed this outcome to women prioritizing others’ needs over their own, precluding them from engaging in adaptive coping when needed. Conversely, Dillon et al (2018) and Ertl et al (2019) linked aspects of marianismo (e.g., family pillar) with less distress.…”

“…Researchers studying marianismo among Latina women report mixed findings (Lara-Cinisomo et al, 2019), with some studies indicating identification with this cultural gender role is a psychological risk factor (Lara et al, 2016; Nuñez et al, 2016) and others showing engaging in ways congruent with marianismo offers psychosocial benefits (Dillon et al, 2018; Ertl et al, 2019). Lara et al (2016) found that greater identification with marianismo was associated with more symptoms of depression up to 6 months postpartum; the researchers attributed this outcome to women prioritizing others’ needs over their own, precluding them from engaging in adaptive coping when needed.…”