NCJ Number: 218639
Title: Examining Resource and Protective Factors in the Adjustment of Latino Youth in Low Income Families: What Role Does Maternal Acculturation Play?
Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume:36 Issue:4 Dated:May 2007 Pages:489-501
Author(s): Alexandra Loukas; Maria-Anne Suizzo; Hazel M. Prelow
Date Published: May 2007
Page Count: 13
Sponsoring Agency: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Grant Number: HD36093;5 R37 HD25936;3R01 HD36093-04S1;97.3022;P0044188;20001007;R44 HD37292
Publisher: http://www.springer.com
Type: Report (Study/Research)
Format: Article
Language: English
Country: United States of America
Annotation: This study investigated whether the risk and protective factors associated with delinquency and internalizing problems among Latino adolescents differed by maternal linguistic acculturation and adolescent gender.
Abstract: The results indicated that the level of cumulative risks to adolescents did not vary between high and low maternal linguistic acculturation and adolescent gender. However, the factors predicting change in adolescent outcomes did vary substantially based on gender and maternal linguistic acculturation. Specifically, for boys, maternal monitoring mediated the effects within the high acculturation group but was unrelated to adjustment in the low acculturation group. Social competence was a protective factor for boys in the high acculturation group, but negatively impacted boys in the low acculturation group. Maternal monitoring directly impacted delinquency engagement among girls and was the only positive factor contributing to Latino girls’ adjustment. The findings highlight the necessity of examining within-group variations in the adjustment patterns of Latino adolescents. They also suggest that intervention efforts would be more effective if they were tailored to specific sub-groups of Latino adolescents. Future research is needed to map the process through which maternal linguistic acculturation contributes to adolescent delinquency and internalizing problems. Data were drawn from Waves 1 and 2 of the “Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study,” designed to assess the impact of welfare reform on families. Participants for the current analysis were 454 Latino adolescents and their mothers who completed a series of interviews regarding perceived financial strain, linguistic acculturation, neighborhood problems, maternal psychological distress, maternal parenting stress, family routines, maternal monitoring, mother-adolescent relationship quality, adolescent social competence, delinquent behaviors, and internalizing problems. Data were analyzed using a series of 5-step regression models. Tables, references
Main Term(s): Hispanic; Juvenile social adjustment
Index Term(s): Cultural influences; Urban area studies
To cite this abstract, use the following link: http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=240344
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