Mother–Child Relationships in U.S. Latinx Families in Middle Childhood: Opportunities and Challenges in the 21st Century

The 21st century has brought unique opportunities and challenges for parents, and this is particularly true for Latinx families, whose children comprise more than one-fourth of the school-age population in the U.S. today. Taking an ecological and strengths-based approach, the current study examined the role of mothers’ cultural assets (familism values, family cohesion) and challenges (economic hardship, ethnic–race-based discrimination) on children’s educational adjustment in middle childhood, as well as the indirect role of mother–child warmth and conflict in these associations. The sample included 173 Latinx mothers and their middle childhood offspring (i.e., 5th graders and younger sisters/brothers in the 1st through 4th grade). Mothers participated in home visits and phone interviews and teachers provided ratings of children’s educational adjustment (academic and socioemotional competence, aggressive/oppositional behaviors). Findings revealed family cohesion was indirectly linked to children’s educational adjustment via mother–child warmth and conflict, particularly for younger siblings. Discussion focuses on the culturally based strengths of Latinx families and highlights potential implications for family-based prevention in middle childhood.

Parenting and prosocial behaviors in Nicaraguan adolescents: The roles of prosocial moral reasoning and familism

Despite the surge of interest in understanding the socializing role of parents on youth prosocial behaviors, studies on the socialization of prosocial behaviors in Latinx adolescents residing in their native countries are lacking. This study examined the relations among supportive and strict parenting, prosocial moral reasoning, familism values, and six types of prosocial behaviors in parents and youth residing in Nicaragua. Participants were 265 secondary school students ( Mage = 14.85 years, SD = 1.33; 62% female) from San Marcos, Nicaragua. We found partial support for the hypothesized effects. Specifically, strict parenting was positively linked to approval-oriented moral reasoning, which in turn, was positively linked to public prosocial behavior and negatively linked to altruistic prosocial behavior. Higher strict parenting was directly linked to higher emotional prosocial behavior. Moreover, supportive parenting was positively linked to adolescents’ familism values and dire and public prosocial behaviors, and it was negatively related to approval-oriented moral reasoning. Additionally, familism value was positively linked to compliant and emotional prosocial behaviors and negatively linked to altruistic prosocial behavior. These findings were robust across adolescents’ gender. Overall, these findings have implications for traditional and culture-specific models of prosocial behaviors and extend our understanding of the roles of parenting, sociocognitive and value traits, and adolescents’ prosocial behaviors to Latinx parents and youth residing in their native country.

Examining discrimination and familism values as longitudinal predictors of prosocial behaviors among recent immigrant adolescents

The current study was designed to address gaps in the existing literature by examining the role of discrimination and familism values as predictors of multiple forms of prosocial behaviors across time in a sample of recent immigrant Latino/a adolescents. Participants were 302 recent immigrant Latino/a adolescents (53.3% male; average age 14.51 years, range = 13–17). Data were collected from adolescents in two U.S. cities: Los Angeles ( n = 150) and Miami ( n = 152). Adolescents completed measures of their own discrimination experiences, familism values, and tendency to engage in six forms of prosocial behaviors. Results indicated generally positive links between familism values and prosocial behaviors. Discrimination also positively predicted public prosocial behaviors and negatively predicted altruistic prosocial behaviors. We discuss the development of cultural processes and perceptions of discrimination experiences, and how these factors predict helping behaviors among immigrant adolescents.

Predicting Longitudinal Changes in Familism in an Emerging Immigrant Context

Building on the Behavioral Process Model of Familism, the current study examined the longitudinal association between public and private ethnic regard and familial support, and familism values in a sample of 141 Latinx 7th–10th graders living in a semi-rural, emerging immigrant community. Analyses revealed that changes in public and private regard were positively related to changes in familism ( p<.001) over time, but there were no cross-lagged associations. Additionally, changes in familism were positively and significantly correlated with changes in family support ( p<.001), and more family support at T1 was related to growth in familism at T2 ( p<.001). These findings suggest that familial processes set the stage for continued growth in familism values across adolescence. These results highlight the importance of the family in fostering the growth of familism values over time for youth in emerging immigrant communities.

Familism and its Impact on Younger African-American Informal Family Caregiver Role Strain and Decision-Making

Informal family caregivers of older adults are the life’s blood of the long-term services and supports (LTSS) system in the United States, providing an estimated $470 billion in unpaid care each year. This care is disproportionately provided by racial and ethnic minority families, where systemic economic disparities make it impossible to afford formal care in many cases. Adding to this are the cultural expectations or familism values that often influence attitudes and beliefs about caregiving. These expectations and values contribute to the emotional, psychological, financial, and professional strain experienced by caregivers. They also impact the caregiver-healthcare provider dyad as well as the caregiver-patient-healthcare provider triad, where shared decision-making is an essential component of providing LTSS for family members. This presentation applies an auto-enthographic lens to the author’s personal experiences as a younger African-American female caregiver of an elderly, terminally ill family member and as a medical social worker to highlight the gaps that exist between familism values, the shifting reality of family caregiving, and available resources and addresses related implications for the future of long-term care in a family-centered context.

Familism values across the transition to adolescent motherhood: Links to family functioning and Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ adjustment

Familism values are conceptualized as a key source of resilience for Latino adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment. The current study addressed the developmental progression and correlates of familism within the context of the transition to adolescent motherhood. Participants were 191 Mexican-origin pregnant adolescents (15 to 18 years of age at first pregnancy; Mage = 16.76 years; SD = 0.98) who were having their first child. Adolescents completed interviews during their third trimester of pregnancy and annually for 5 years after (Waves 1 through 6). We examined changes in familism values across the transition to adolescent motherhood and the moderating role of age at pregnancy. Moderation analyses revealed differences in familism trajectories for younger versus older adolescents. We also examined whether familism values were related to family relationship dynamics (i.e., adolescents’ relationships with their own mother figures) and adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment, respectively, using multilevel models to test both between-person and within-person associations. Adolescents’ stronger familism values were related to adolescent–mother figure warmth and conflict, coparenting communication, and three dimensions of social support from mother figures, but no associations emerged for coparental conflict, adolescents’ depressive symptoms, or self-esteem. Discussion addresses these findings in the context of culturally grounded models of ethnic–racial minority youth development and psychopathology.