Culturally relevant stressors as moderators of intergenerational transmission of mother-adolescent executive function in Mexican immigrant families

The intergenerational transmission of executive function may be enhanced or interrupted by culturally salient environmental stressors that shape the practice of executive function in the family. Building upon past research, the current study tests whether culturally relevant stressors such as economic stress and foreigner stress have a direct effect on adolescent executive function, as well as whether they modify the intergenerational transmission of mother–child executive function (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control, and shifting) in low-income Mexican immigrant families. The sample consists of 179 Mexican American adolescents (Mage = 17.03 years; SDage = 0.83; 58% females) and their Mexico-born mothers (Mage = 43.25 years; SDage = 5.90). Results show that mothers’ perceived economic stress is associated with poor inhibitory control in adolescents. Low levels of mothers’ perceived foreigner stress related to a stronger association between mothers’ and adolescents’ working memory, while high levels of mothers’ perceived foreigner stress related to enhanced intergenerational transmission of poor shifting ability. Study findings demonstrate the prominence of perceived foreigner stress as a contextually relevant factor moderating the intergenerational transmission of mother–child executive function in low-income Mexican immigrant families.

Adaptation of a Caregiver-Implemented Naturalistic Communication Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Families of Mexican Immigrant Descent: A Promising Start

Purpose Caregiver-implemented naturalistic communication interventions (CI-NCIs) support the communication abilities of young children with language disorders and enhance the communication behaviors of their caregivers. Yet, few CI-NCIs have been adapted and tested for feasibility with families who speak Spanish at home. This study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the social validity and preliminary outcomes of an adapted CI-NCI program with families who identified as Mexican immigrants and spoke Spanish. Method A multiphase cultural adaptation process enhanced the Language and Play Every Day program for Spanish-speaking Mexican immigrant families in the United States. Six families, including eight caregivers and eight toddlers, participated. Caregivers received coaching on the use of language-facilitating strategies within existing home routines. Multiple measures of the social validity of the intervention's goals, procedures, and outcomes were collected. Changes in caregivers' reported confidence, knowledge, and use of language-facilitating strategies and children's receptive and expressive communication were examined to determine preliminary outcomes. Results Overall, caregivers perceived many of the intervention's goals, procedures, and outcomes as socially valid and specified aspects of the intervention needing improvement. Caregivers and children showed modest but potentially clinically meaningful gains in their communication skills following the intervention despite wide individual variability. Conclusions Given some recommendations to further adapt the intervention, this CI-NCI appears to be feasible for supporting the communication development of children of Spanish-speaking Mexican immigrant descent. Thus, future research on the efficacy of the intervention is warranted. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12269081

Experiencing Anti-Immigrant Policies on Both Sides of the U.S./Mexico Borderland: A Comparative Study of Mexican and Iranian Families

The experiences of Mexican and Iranian immigrant families are often unheard and unpacked. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how race, ethnicity, and national identity are at the core of the sociopolitical and economic issues that Latino and Iranian families undergo in the United States. Using critical race theory as a framework, this research analyzed the ways in which Mexican immigrant families who were deported, and Iranian-immigrant families living in the United States, have been differently affected by post 9/11 anti-immigrant policies and by zero tolerance policies enacted by the Trump administration. The research question guiding this study was: How do U.S. anti-immigrant policies affect Iranian and Mexican immigrant families and their children’s futures? Our findings uncovered that both groups were negatively affected, however, in different ways. Iranian immigrant parents worried about their socioeconomic status in the United States and their children’s future. They also feared that their relatives might not be able to visit them due to the U.S. Muslim Travel Ban placed on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. On the other hand, Mexican immigrants who lived in the United States undocumented were deported to Mexico. However, after deportation, and responding to the threat of the Trump administration to deport millions more, the Mexican government provided dual citizenship to U.S.-born children of Mexican returnees to facilitate their access to government services, including education. All people and place names are pseudonyms.

How do mothers manage their privacy with adolescents? Exploring mother–adolescent communication in Mexican immigrant families

The present study seeks to understand how Mexican immigrant mothers manage private information with adolescent children activating the state of emotional parentification. “Emotional parentificiation” occurs when there is a role reversal between parent and adolescent where the child is prematurely given adult responsibilities in the family and provides emotional support to parents. Sixteen Mexican immigrant mothers participated in individual interviews and as a result of the thematic analysis, three themes were identified: (1) adolescent children serving as a reluctant confidant, (2) adolescent children becoming a deliberate confidant, and (3) adolescent children employing confidant privacy rule strategies. Findings discussed mothers’ perspective of adolescent children coping with unsolicited private information from their mothers during parent–adolescent conversations where the adolescent children were put into a situation of being a reluctant confidant. Findings also demonstrated that some adolescent children became a deliberate confidant seeking information from their mothers. In reaction to mothers’ disclosure, the study identified three types of confidant privacy rule strategies used by adolescent children, that is, comforting, mediating, and protecting.