Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Familism, Parent-Adolescent Conflict, Self-Esteem, Internalizing Behaviors and Suicide Attempts Among Adolescent Latinas

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry & Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Adolescent Latinas continue to report higher levels of suicide attempts than their African-American and White peers. The phenomenon is still not understood and is theorized to be the result of the confluence of many cultural, familial, and individual level factors. In Latino cultures, belief in the importance of the family, the value known as familism, appears to protect youth’s emotional and behavioral health, but parent-adolescent conflict has been found to be a risk factor for suicide attempts. The role of familism in relation to parent-adolescent conflict, self-esteem, internalizing behaviors, and suicide attempts has not been studied extensively. To address this question, we interviewed 226 adolescent Latinas, 50% of whom had histories of suicide attempts. Using path analysis, familism as a cultural asset was associated with lower levels of parent-adolescent conflict, but higher levels of internalizing behaviors, while self-esteem and internalizing behaviors mediated the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict and suicide attempts. Our findings point to the importance of family involvement in culturally competent suicide prevention and intervention programs. Reducing parent-daughter conflict and fostering closer family ties has the added effect of improving self-esteem and shrinking the likelihood of suicide attempts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. We use the terms Hispanic and Latino or Latina interchangeably.

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) Youth online: comprehensive results. Available at: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/

  2. Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (2003) Summary of findings from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville

    Google Scholar 

  3. Zayas L, Pilat A (2008) Suicidal behavior in Latinas: explanatory cultural factors and implications for intervention. Suicide Life Threat 38(3):334–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hawton K, Harriss L, Zahl D (2006) Deaths from all causes in a long-term follow-up study of 11583 deliberate self-harm patients. Psychol Med 36(3):397–405

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Zayas L, Lester R, Cabassa L, Fortuna L (2005) Why do so many Latina teens attempt suicide? A conceptual model for research. Am J Orthopsychiatry 75(2):275–287

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Vygotsky LS (1978) Mind in society. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  7. Bronfenbrenner U (1986) Ecology of the family as a context for human development: research perspectives. Dev Psychol 22(6):723–742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Cooley C (2001) The relationship between familism and child maltreatment in Latino and Anglo families. Child Maltreat 6(2):130–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Smokowski PR, Rose R, Bacallao ML (2008) Acculturation and Latino family processes: how cultural involvement, biculturalism, and acculturation gaps influence family dynamics. Fam Rel 57(3):295–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Rodriguez JM, Kosloski K (1998) The impact of acculturation on attitudinal familism in a community of Puerto Rican Americans. Hisp J Beh Sci 20(3):375–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Cauce AM, Domenech-Rodriguez M (2002) Latino families: myths and realities. In: Contreras JM, Kerns KA, Neal-Barnett AM (eds) Latino children and families in the United States. Greenwood, Westport, pp 3–26

    Google Scholar 

  12. Vega WA, Kolody B, Valle R, Weir J (1991) Social networks, social support, and their relationship to depression among immigrant Mexican women. Hum Organ 50(2):154–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Gil AG, Wagner EF (2002) Acculturation, familism, and alcohol use among Latino adolescent males: longitudinal relations. J Commun Psychol 28:443–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Smokowski PR, Bacallao ML (2006) Acculturation and aggression in Latino adolescents: a structural model focusing on cultural risk factors and assets. J Abnorm Child Psychol 34:657–671

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Rodriguez N, Ramirez M, Korman M (1999) The transmission of values across generations of Mexican, Mexican American and European American families: implications for mental health. In: Sheets RH, Hollins ER (eds) Racial/ethnic identity and human development. Erlbaum, Mahwah, pp 7–28

    Google Scholar 

  16. Cuellar I, Arnold B, Gonzalez G (1995) Cognitive referents of acculturation: assessment of cultural constructs in Mexican Americans. J Commun Psychol 23(4):339–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Ramirez JR, Crano WD, Quist R, Burgoon M, Alvaro EM, Grandpre J (2004) Acculturation, familism, parental monitoring, and knowledge as predictors of marijuana and inhalant use in adolescents. Psychol Addict Behav 18(1):3–11

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Sabogal F, Marín G, Otero-Sabogal R, Marín BV, Perez-Stable EJ (1987) Hispanic familism and acculturation: what changes and what doesn’t? Hisp J Behav Sci 9(4):397–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lugo Steidel A, Contreras J (2003) A new familism scale for use with Latino populations. Hisp J Behav Sci 25(3):312–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Valenzuela A, Dornbusch SM (1994) Familism and social capital in the academic achievement of Mexican origin and Anglo adolescents. Soc Sci Q 75(1):18–36

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rodriguez RA, Henderson CE, Rowe CL, Burnett KF, Dakof GA, Liddle HA (2007) Acculturation and drug use among dually diagnosed Hispanic adolescents. J Ethn Subst Abuse 6(2):97–113

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Steinberg L (2001) We know some things: parent-adolescent relationships in retrospect and prospect. J Res Adolesc 11(1):1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Smetana JG (1989) Adolescents’ and parents’ reasoning about actual family conflict. Child Dev 60:1052–1067

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Feldman SS, Rosenthal DA (1990) The acculturation of autonomy expectations in Chinese high schoolers residing in two western nations. Int J Psychol 25(2):259–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Bulcroft RA, Carmody DC, Bulcroft KA (1998) Family structure and patterns of independence giving to adolescents: variations by age, race, and gender of child. J Fam Issues 19(4):404–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Fuligni AJ, Tseng V, Lam M (1999) Attitudes toward family obligations among American adolescents with Asian, Latin American, and European backgrounds. Child Dev 70(4):1030–1044

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Portes A, Rumbaut RG (2001) Legacies: the story of the immigrant second generation. Univ of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  28. Allen JP, Hauser ST, Bell KL, O’Connor TG (1994) Longitudinal assessment of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of adolescent ego development and self-esteem. Child Dev 65(1):179–194

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Baca Zinn M (1982) Chicano men and masculinity. J Ethn Stud 10(2):29–44

    Google Scholar 

  30. Kulis S, Marsiglia FF, Hurdle D (2003) Gender identity, ethnicity, acculturation, and drug use: exploring differences among adolescents in the Southwest. J Commun Psychol 31(2):167–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Céspedes YM, Huey SJ Jr (2008) Depression in Latino adolescents: a cultural discrepancy perspective. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 14(2):168–172

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Bakan D (1966) The duality of human existence: an essay on psychology and religion. Rand McNally, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  33. Helgeson VS (1994) Relation of agency and communion to well-being: evidence and potential explanations. Psychol Bull 116:412–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Davies PT, Lindsay LL (2004) Interparental conflict and adolescent adjustment: why does gender moderate early adolescent vulnerability? J Fam Psychol 18(1):160–170

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Smokowski PR, Bacallao ML (2007) Acculturation, internalizing mental health symptoms, and self-esteem: cultural experiences of Latino adolescents in North Carolina. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 37(3):273–292

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Portes PR, Zady MF (2002) Self-esteem in the adaptation of Spanish-speaking adolescents: the role of immigration, family conflict and depression. Hisp J Beh Sci 24(3):296–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Breton JJ, Tousignant M, Bergeron L, Berthiaume C (2002) Informant-specific correlates of suicidal behavior in a community survey of 12-to 14-year-olds. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 41(6):723–730

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Randell B, Wang W, Herting J, Eggert L (2006) Family factors predicting categories of suicide risk. J Child Fam Stud 15(3):255–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Johnson JG, Cohen P, Gould MS, Kasen S, Brown J, Brook JS (2002) Childhood adversities, interpersonal difficulties, and risk for suicide attempts during late adolescence and early adulthood. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59(8):741–749

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Allison S, Pearce C, Martin G, Miller K, Long R (1995) Parental influence, pessimism and adolescent suicidality. Arch Suicide Res 1(4):229–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Toumbourou JW, Gregg ME (2002) Impact of an empowerment-based parent education program on the reduction of youth suicide risk factors. J Adol Health 31(3):277–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Gould MS, Greenberg T, Velting DM, Shaffer D (2003) Youth suicide risk and preventive interventions: a review of the past 10 years. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 42(4):386–405

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Kovacs M, Goldston D, Gatsonis C (1993) Suicidal behaviors and childhood-onset depressive disorders: a longitudinal investigation: longitudinal studies of depressive disorders in children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32(1):8–20

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Spirito A, Francis G, Overholser J, Frank N (1996) Coping, depression, and adolescent suicide attempts. J Clin Child Adol Psychol 25(2):147–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Guiao IZ, Esparza D (1995) Suicidality correlates in Mexican American teens. Issues Ment Health Nurs 16(5):461–479

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Swanson JW, Linskey AO, Quintero-Salinas R, Pumariega AJ, Holzer C (1992) Depressive symptoms, drug use and suicidal ideation among youth in the Rio Grande valley: a bi-national school survey. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 31(4):669–678

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Dukes RL, Lorch B (1989) The effects of school, family, self-concept, and deviant behaviour on adolescent suicide ideation. J Adolesc 12(3):239–251

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Campbell NB, Milling L, Laughlin A, Bush E (1993) The psychosocial climate of families with suicidal pre-adolescent children. Am J Orthopsychiatry 63:142–145

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Razin AM, O’Dowd MA, Nathan A, Rodriguez I, Goldfield A, Martin C et al (1991) Suicidal behavior among inner-city Hispanic adolescent females. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 13(1):45–58

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Shagle SC, Barber BK (1993) Effects of family, marital, and parent-child conflict on adolescent self-derogation and suicidal ideation. J Marriage Fam 55(4):964–974

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Roberts RE, Roberts CR, Xing Y (2007) Are Mexican American adolescents at greater risk of suicidal behaviors? Suicide Life Threat 37(1):10–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Vega WA, Gil AG, Zimmerman RS, Warheit GJ (1993) Risk factors for suicidal behavior among Hispanic, African–American, and non-Hispanic white boys in early adolescence. Ethn Dis 3(3):229–241

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Duarté-Vélez Y, Bernal G (2007) Suicide behavior among Latino and Latina adolescents: conceptual and methodological issues. Death Stud 31(5):425–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Carlson GA, Asarnow JR, Orbach I (1987) Developmental aspects of suicidal behavior in children: I. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 26(2):186–192

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Ng B (1996) Characteristics of 61 Mexican American adolescents who attempted suicide. Hisp J Beh Sci 18(1):3–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Sabo D, Miller KE, Melnick MJ, Farrell MP, Barnes GM (2005) High school athletic participation and adolescent suicide: a nationwide US study. Int Rev Sociol Sport 40(1):1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. O’carroll PW, Berman AL, Maris RW, Moscicki EK, Tanney BL, Silverman MM (1996) Beyond the tower of Babel: a nomenclature for suicidology. Suicide Life Threat 26(3):237–252

    Google Scholar 

  58. Rosenberg M (1979) Conceiving the self. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  59. Achenbach TM (1991) Manual for the child behavior Checklist/4–18 and 1991 profile. Univ of Vermont, Dept Psychol, Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  60. Robin AL, Foster SL (1989) Negotiating parent-adolescent conflict: a behavioral-family systems approach. Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  61. Muthén LK, Muthén BO (2006) Version 5 Mplus user’s guide. Muthén & Muthén, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

  62. Collins LM, Schafer JL, Kam CM (2001) A comparison of inclusive and restrictive strategies in modern missing data procedures: New approaches to missing data. Psychol Methods 6(4):330–351

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Royston P (2004) Multiple imputation of missing values. Stata J 4:227–241

    Google Scholar 

  64. Kline RB (2005) Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. The Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  65. Gunlicks-Stoessel ML, Powers SI (2008) Adolescents’ emotional experiences of mother-adolescent conflict predict internalizing and externalizing symptoms. J Res Adolesc 18(4):621–642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Parker JS, Benson MJ (2004) Parent-adolescent relations and adolescent functioning: Self-esteem, substance abuse, and delinquency. Adolescence 39(155):519–531

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  67. Li CE, DiGiuseppe R, Froh J (2006) The roles of sex, gender, and coping in adolescent depression. Adolescence 41(163):409–415

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  68. Elder JP, Broyles SL, Brennan JJ, de Nuncio MLZ, Nader PR (2005) Acculturation, parent–child acculturation differential, and chronic disease risk factors in a Mexican-American population. J Immigr Health 7(1):1–9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. McDonald EJ, McCabe K, Yeh M, Lau A, Garland A, Hough RL (2005) Cultural affiliation and self-esteem as predictors of internalizing symptoms among Mexican American adolescents. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 34(1):163–171

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Lee A, Hankin BL (2009) Insecure attachment, dysfunctional attitudes, and low self-esteem predicting prospective symptoms of depression and anxiety during adolescence. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 38(2):219–231

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. Umana-Taylor AJ, Updegraff KA (2007) Latino adolescents’ mental health: exploring the interrelations among discrimination, ethnic identity, cultural orientation, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. J Adolesc 30(4):549–567

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  72. Phinney JS, Cantu CL, Kurtz DA (1997) Ethnic and American identity as predictors of self-esteem among African American, Latino, and white adolescents. J Youth Adolesc 26:165–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Rossello J, Bernal G (1999) The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal treatments for depression in Puerto Rican adolescents. J Consult Clin Psychol 67:734–745

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Support for this paper was provided by grant R01 MH070689 from the National Institute of Mental Health to Luis H. Zayas. Additional support was provided by the Center for Latino Family Research. We extend our gratitude to the adolescent girls and their families who participated in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1196, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA

    Jill A. Kuhlberg, Juan B. Peña & Luis H. Zayas

Authors
  1. Jill A. Kuhlberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Juan B. Peña
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luis H. Zayas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jill A. Kuhlberg.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kuhlberg, J.A., Peña, J.B. & Zayas, L.H. Familism, Parent-Adolescent Conflict, Self-Esteem, Internalizing Behaviors and Suicide Attempts Among Adolescent Latinas. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 41, 425–440 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-010-0179-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-010-0179-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation