Social support and strain and emotional distress among Latinos in the northeastern United States

Background US Latinos report high levels of emotional distress. Having positive familial and friend social support buffers emotional distress among US Latinos, but thus far no research has been done on social support and ataque de nervios in that population, or on social strain and emotional distress. Methods This paper assesses social support and strain across three relationship types (partner, family, and friends) with three measures of emotional distress (depression, anxiety, and ataque de nervios). The sample for partner, family, and friend support included 508 Latino adults 21 and older. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association of social support and strain with each outcome. Results As all social support types increased, the odds of emotional distress symptoms decreased. Conversely, as each unit of partner and family strain increased, the odds of emotional distress symptoms increased. Increased friend strain was associated with greater odds of depressive and anxiety symptoms only. Conclusion Social support in all three network types (partner, family, and friend) was associated with a decrease in the odds of emotional distress, assessed as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ataque de nervios.

Neighborhood characteristics and ataque de nervios: the role of neighborhood violence

Ataque de nervios is a Latina/o idiom of distress that may occur as a culturally sanctioned response to acute stressful experiences, particularly relating to grief, threat, family conflict, and a breakdown in social networks. The contextual factors associated with ataque de nervios have received little attention in research. This study examined the association between neighborhood factors and the experience of ataque de nervios among a sample of Latinas/os participating in the Latino Health and Well-Being Project in the northeastern United States. We examined the association between neighborhood cohesion, safety, trust, and violence and ataque de nervios. In multivariate logistic regression models, neighborhood violence was associated with ataque de nervios ( p = .02), with each unit increase in the neighborhood violence scale being associated with 1.36 times greater odds of experiencing ataque de nervios. None of the other neighborhood variables were significantly associated with ataque de nervios. The positive association between neighborhood violence and the experience of ataque de nervios makes a further case for policy efforts and other investments to reduce neighborhood violence.

Ataques de Nervios

Ataque de nervios has been studied for half a century, and is one of the best assessed cultural concepts of distress. Ataques were initially studied in Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban samples by Latino researchers and anthropologists. Research indicates that ataques typically occur immediately after, or within a day of, a significant stressor. The characteristic symptoms of an ataque can be quite dramatic, and include emotional and physical symptoms along with displays of aggression and alterations in consciousness. In addition, 7%–14% of ataques result in suicide attempts. The chapter discusses this cultural concept of distress common among Latinos and shows how its relationship with psychopathology can vary depending upon the context, and can range from a normative response to stress to a marker of severe psychopathology.