Fitting In: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Daily Psychological Well-Being of Latino Youth*

Abstract

Objectives We examine how acculturation experiences such as discrimination and social acceptance influence the daily psychological well-being of Latino youth living in newly emerging and historical receiving immigrant communities. Methods We use data on 557 Latino youth enrolled in high school in Los Angeles or in rural or urban North Carolina. Results Compared to Latino youth in Los Angeles, Latino youth in urban and rural North Carolina experienced higher levels of daily happiness, but also experienced higher levels of daily depressive and anxiety symptoms. Differences in nativity status partially explained location differences in youths’ daily psychological well-being. Discrimination and daily negative ethnic treatment worsened; whereas social acceptance combined with daily positive ethnic treatment and ethnic and family identification improved daily psychological well-being. Conclusions Our analysis contributes to understanding the acculturation experiences of immigrant youth and the roles of social context in shaping adolescent mental health.

The Experience of Ethnic and Racial Group Membership Among Immigrant-Origin Adolescents

“…Furthermore, for some participants, a connection to their religious community and traditions provided support in the face of acculturative stress. This is consistent with prior research suggesting that access to a supportive similar ethnic social group or enclave and a supportive connection with parents can help to mitigate the negative effects of acculturative stress (Cho & Haslam, 2010;Potochnik et al, 2012).…”

“…Relatedly, studies concerning stereotype threat have indicated that ongoing experiences of being stereotyped trigger anxiety and self-doubt among racial minority youth (Potochnik et al, 2012;Steele, Spencer, & Aronson, 2002). Even seemingly positive stereotypes (e.g., model minority) have been found to have detrimental effects on well-being (Wong, Brownson, & Schwing, 2011).…”

I Didn’t Ask to Come to this Country…I was a Child: The Mental Health Implications of Growing Up Undocumented

“…Outside the home, discrimination can affect first-generation Latino youth even after a short time (i.e. 4.5 years), and substantially increase their risk of depression [4]; it is also worse in rural environments where many immigrants live [30]. Finally, social isolation can debilitate mental health over the long term [31–34], and research shows it is surprisingly common.…”

Health Risk Behaviors by Length of Time in the United States Among High School Students in Five Sites

“…Studies operationalize acculturation in a variety of ways, such as having parents who were foreign born, length of time in the US, and language spoken at home (2,4–6). Some studies posit that acculturation stresses can lead to depression and poor psychological well-being (7–9), but that support structures can mediate the relationship (7,9). At least two studies have found non-native youth more often experienced bullying victimization and discrimination (6,10) and a number of studies have found that as youth become more acculturated, they become as likely or more likely to use tobacco (7,11,12), alcohol (2,4,7,11,12), and other drugs (5,12); engage in sexual risk behaviors (13); be obese (14), and use computers for recreation which can lead to physical inactivity (15).…”