Disentangling acculturation and enculturation intergenerational gaps: Examining mother–youth value discrepancies and mental health among Mexican‐descent college students

Abstract

Objective: To test the acculturation gap hypothesis by examining mother-youth value discrepancies (both acculturative and enculturative) and their association with mother-youth acculturative conflict and youth mental health outcomes. Method: Participants were 273 Mexican descent college students attending a large, public, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in West Texas (72% women). The participants' ages ranged 18-25 years (M = 19.33 years; SD = 1.54 years).Results: Three models assessed the relationship between mother-youth value discrepancies and mental health outcomes (suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, and depressive symptoms) as mediated by mother-youth acculturative conflict. Consistently, Mexican heritage cultural values were related to mental health outcomes while American cultural values were not. Conclusions:The study found that increased mother-youth discrepancies on Mexican cultural values were associated with increased negative mental health outcomes. Our findings suggest that adopting or learning new mainstream American values does not substitute for the Mexican cultural values that protect against negative outcomes.

Asian American child–parent cultural value discrepancies, family conflict, life satisfaction, and self-esteem.

“…This relationship was observed across the value discrepancies on conformity to norms, family recognition through achievement, and humility. These findings are consistent with what is known about the dynamics related to intergenerational gap and how the gap can pose conflicts between children and parents and how this in turn can negatively affect the child's mental health (Lui, 2015;Manzo et al, 2022;Ying & Han, 2007). The present findings also show that when there are potentials for conflict or actual conflict with parents, its negative impact on life satisfaction is an important vulnerability for college age children.…”

“…The critical role of having a positive relationship between children and their parents on the healthy development of children has been well recognized, and theories and research studies have explored the nature and correlates of this relationship (Baumrind & Black, 1967; Chao, 2000; Darling & Steinberg, 1993). In particular, the effects of what is often termed the intergenerational gap has been an important area of focus and has led to important findings on how intergenerational discrepancies on the worldview between children and parents can cause conflicts between them, and in turn negatively affect the psychological functioning of children as they develop into adulthood (Lui, 2015; Manzo et al, 2022; Ying & Han, 2007).…”

Understanding family functioning in mothers and daughters with obesity

“…This could be especially relevant to immigrant families where U.S. born and/or raised children adhere more to American attitudes and behaviours compared to their foreign-born parents (Cano et al, 2016 ). Conflict between parent and child can arise due to differences in language proficiencies and education resulting in challenges to the traditional parent-child hierarchy as well as cultural expectations and norms of communication, gender roles, and familism (Manzo et al, 2022 ). Because most of the lifespan is devoted to a parent-child relationship in adulthood, more is needed to be learned on the impact of intergenerational acculturation differences in adult children.…”