Adverse Childhood Experiences in Latinx Families: A Comparison between Intraracial and Interracial Families

Abstract

Racial/ethnic minorities are prone to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), posing a concern over social justice. However, the influence of interracial family structure has been rarely discussed. Considering that 26% of Hispanic individuals form interracial marriages in the U.S., we need to examine whether interracial family structure matters for ACEs disparities in Latinx families. We hypothesized that there were differences in ACEs between intraracial and interracial families in the Latinx population. A Latinx sample was collected from the Fragile Family and Child Well-being Studies with 1113 children of two Latinx parents and 397 children of interracial parents (e.g., White mother/Latinx father, Black mother/Latinx father, Latinx mother/White father, Latinx mother/Black father). Negative binomial models revealed a higher overall ACEs score among children in interracial families (β = 0.54, p < 0.05). Compared to children with two Latinx parents, children in each interracial family group were prone to higher risks of different ACEs. For example, children with Latinx mothers and Black fathers were more likely to experience parental separation (OR = 2.33), household material hardship (OR = 1.64), physical abuse (OR = 6.01), and psychological abuse (OR = 3.49) than children in intraracial Latinx families. Based on our findings, we call for culturally responsive ACEs prevention and intervention that consider the unique stressors of interracial families, to promote the health and well-being of racial/ethnic minorities.

Development of working memory and inhibitory control in early childhood: Cross-sectional analysis by age intervals and gender in Ecuadorian preschoolers

“…Key environmental variables influencing behavior in early childhood include values [ 89 ], family stress and influence [ 60 , 77 , 90 ], parental styles, parenting patterns, expectations or biases of parents [ 77 , 91 ], quality of early stimulation [ 78 , 92 ], peer acceptance, teaching-learning strategies [ 7 , 30 , 93 , 94 ] and SES [ 58 , 59 , 88 ]. Cross-cultural studies emphasize these environmental variables as contributors, to varying extents, to the variability in early childhood executive performance, while acknowledging the potential impact of methodological weaknesses in data collection, as previously suggested [ 5 , 7 , 32 , 50 , 75 , 77 , 78 ]. To enhance the East vs West model, some authors propose conducting intra-country cross-cultural studies, particularly when aiming to identify culture-specific effects on population performance in a given domain [ 51 , 52 ].…”

“…Another hypothesis worth considering is that the variability in the developmental trajectory of both EFs can be reasonably explained by a combination of maturation and the interaction of the processes involved in early childhood development. In this regard, factors such as the impact of early stimulation within the home and family environment [ 51 , 57 ], cognitive training in educational settings, motivation, and teaching strategies [ 29 , 39 , 76 ] can play a significant role in shaping children’s performance [ 17 , 75 , 77 , 78 ]. Additionally, the heterogeneity and insufficient systematization of teaching methodologies for Ecuadorian preschoolers warrants exhaustive investigation [ 79 – 81 ].…”

“…Regarding WM, an evolutionary perspective suggests that it is a relatively stable function, less susceptible to environmental influences compared to other cognitive variables, and tends to stabilize over time [13,15,16]. The stability of this function supports the existence of similar findings in such diverse cultural and sociodemographic environments, fostering debate about the possible stability of WM across cultures [7,74,75]. Thus, the data from the present study contribute significantly to filling an important gap, while acknowledging the nuances associated with each development context.…”