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Mother-Youth Acculturation Gaps and Health-Risking/Emotional Problems among Latin-American Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2015

Margit Wiesner ,
Consuelo Arbona ,
Deborah M. Capaldi ,
Hyoun K. Kim  and
Charles D. Kaplan
Margit Wiesner*
Affiliation:
University of Houston (USA)
Consuelo Arbona
Affiliation:
University of Houston (USA)
Deborah M. Capaldi
Affiliation:
Oregon Social Learning Center (USA)
Hyoun K. Kim
Affiliation:
Oregon Social Learning Center (USA)
Charles D. Kaplan
Affiliation:
University of Southern California (USA)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be Margit Wiesner, Ph.D., University of Houston. Department of Educational Psychology. 491 Farish Hall. Houston, TX (USA). 77204–5029. Phone: 713–7435031. Fax: 713–7434996. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Second-generation Latin-American adolescents tend to show higher levels of various health-risking behaviors and emotional problems than first-generation Latin-American adolescents. This cross-sectional study of 40 mother-adolescent dyads examined the association of mother-youth acculturation gaps to youth adjustment problems. Intergenerational acculturation gaps were assessed as a bidimensional self-report component and a novel observational measurement component. The Latin-American adolescents were predominantly second-generation of Mexican descent (M age = 13.42 years, SD = 0.55). Most of the mothers were born in Mexico (M age = 39.18 years, SD = 5.17). Data were collected from mothers, adolescents, and coders, using questionnaires, structured interviews, and videotaped mother-youth interaction tasks. Findings revealed generally weak support for the acculturation gap-distress hypothesis. In addition, stronger relative adherence to their heritage culture by the adolescents was significantly (p < .05, ES = 0.15) related to less engagement in early health-risking sexual behaviors, possibly reflecting selective acculturation processes. Mother-youth acculturation gaps in orientation to the heritage culture were the most salient dimension, changing the focus on the original formulation of the acculturation gap-distress hypothesis.

Keywords

acculturationadolescentsemotional problemshealth-risking behaviorslatin-american
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 18 , 2015 , E52
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2015 

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