Mental health among Latinx emerging adults: Examining the role of familial accusations of assimilation and ethnic identity

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this study are to investigate (1) how family response to acculturation (e.g., accusations of assimilation) is related to anxiety and depressive symptomatology for Latinx emerging adults. This study's goal is also to analyze (2) the extent to which ethnic identity components and gender moderate the respective associations. Method: Cross-sectional survey was completed by 200 Latinx emerging adults. Inclusion criteria involved reading English, ages 18-25, currently reside in Maricopa or Miami-Dade Counties and self-identify as Latinx. Analysis used hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses. Results: Findings indicate that higher familial accusations of assimilation were associated with higher symptoms of depression and anxiety. Moderation analyses indicate that gender had a statistically significant interaction with accusations of assimilation in relation to symptoms of both depression and anxiety. A significant three-way interaction between ethnic identity exploration, gender, and intracultural accusations of assimilation in relation to symptoms of depression interaction among men was found. Conclusion: Findings from the study add to literature on the effect of intragroup marginalization on Latinx mental health and highlight gender differences. The ethnic identity component of exploration is found to be

Typologies of cultural stressors and assets: Exploring differential associations with prosocial behaviors and depressive symptoms among Latino/a young adults.

“…Young adulthood is marked by changes in autonomy, identity, and responsibilities that can pose unique challenges for Latino/a young adults who, for the first time, might be moving away from home, starting full-time jobs, or entering college (Arnett, 2007; Thornhill et al, 2022). As Latino/a young adults actively seek opportunities or work toward milestones, such as seeking employment or pursing higher education, they might experience marginalization related to culture or immigrant status.…”

Self-esteem and Social Media Dependency: A Comparative Analysis of Welsh- and English-Medium Pupils’ Perceptions

“…In support of this last point, studies have suggested that children acquire second languages relatively quickly (Akhter et al, 2016;Abdullah & Akhter, 2015;Latimer, Robertiello, & Squires, 2019). Qualifying children's second language acquisition efficiency, Lightbrown (2008: 25) Indicating that perceptions of social exclusion might be encountered in an array of environments such as the workplace, on social media, and school (Niu et al, 2022), numerous studies have suggested an association between elevated perceptions of marginalization, peer isolation, and feeling left out with higher levels of depression (Thornhill et al, 2021;Ahn, Kivlighan, & Hill, 2021;Chen et al, 2022b;Anjum et al, 2022;Evans & Fisher, 2022;Handing et al, 2022). Amplifying the social disconnection, Forrest et al (2018) suggested poor language skills inhibit social functioning, which increases the possibility of emotional problems.…”

“…There are two possible reasons for the statistically significant differences: the first reason -and the one put forward within the 'Introduction and Hypotheses' sub-section, above -suggests SIT processes and close affiliation to Welsh culture and the community (Tajfel & Turner, 1979;Hendry, Mayer, & Kloep, 2007;Jones, 2002;Coupland, Bishop, Evans, & Garrett, 2006) provided protection for FLWs against depression (e.g., Postmes, Wichmann, van Valkengoed, & van der Hoef, 2018), loneliness (e.g., Travaglino et al, 2020), and social anxiety (Haslam et al, 2019); conversely, a second reason would suggest FLEs with a lower Welsh language ability are disadvantaged in terms of feeling potentially marginalized within Welsh/Bilingualmedium schools (e.g., Šolak & Dragičevič, 2021). Although Chapter Six goes into greater detail, for the purposes of reinforcement, it is worth recalling how perceptions of marginalization, peer isolation, and feeling left out correlate to higher levels of depression, loneliness, and social anxiety (Thornhill et al, 2021;Ahn, Kivlighan, & Hill, 2021;Chen et al, 2022b;Anjum et al, 2022;Evans & Fisher, 2022;Handing et al, 2022;Gong et al, 2022;Neto, Quintana-Orts, & Neto, 2022;Niu et al, 2022;Leary, 2015;Flick et al, 2022;Ettekal et al, 2022;La Greca & Harrison, 2005). For contrasting reasons, the referenced literature has suggested differences in FLWs' and FLEs' depression, loneliness, and social anxiety scores with FLEs recording the higher values.…”

“…Given the self-reported Welsh language ability difference between FLWs and FLEs, application ofCarson et al (1998) suggests FLEs' lower Welsh language ability (for instance, comprehension) might encourage the belief within these individuals' minds that they have become marginalized. Amplifying the marginalization argument,Thornhill et al (2021) stated that individuals perceiving a sense of marginalization often feel pressure to conform. This, the latter authors show, may result in these marginalized individuals feeling unable to match the required standards, which triggers the belief that they have not been fully accepted and integrated within the community leading to poorer mental health outcomes.…”