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Family Mediators of Acculturation and Adolescent Sexual Behavior Among Latino Youth

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Abstract

The present study develops and evaluates a theoretical framework of mediators of the relationship between acculturation and adolescent sexual behavior. Four hundred Latino mother–adolescent dyads from the Bronx, New York were interviewed. The study explored the relationship between intentions to have sexual intercourse and explanatory variables such as adolescent romantic relationship status and partner preferences, maternal approval of dating, adolescent perceptions of maternal approval of dating, and maternal and adolescent levels of familismo and acculturation. Findings revealed complex dynamics between acculturation and adolescent sexual behavior. Protective and risk-inducing associations were observed, with important gender differences operating for boys and girls. Implications for the development of applied prevention programs are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted as part of the Entre Familias Study and was supported by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cooperative Agreement #1 U01 DP000175. The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Bernardo Gonzalez & Kosta Kalogerogiannis

  2. School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Alida Bouris

  3. Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    James Jaccard

  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Catherine A. Lesesne

Authors
  1. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos
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  2. Alida Bouris
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  3. James Jaccard
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  4. Catherine A. Lesesne
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  5. Bernardo Gonzalez
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  6. Kosta Kalogerogiannis
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Correspondence to Vincent Guilamo-Ramos.

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Guilamo-Ramos, V., Bouris, A., Jaccard, J. et al. Family Mediators of Acculturation and Adolescent Sexual Behavior Among Latino Youth. J Primary Prevent 30, 395–419 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-009-0180-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-009-0180-1

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