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Stress and Resilience: Key Correlates of Mental Health and Substance Use in the Hispanic Community Health Study of Latino Youth

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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined associations of immigrant generation, acculturation, and sources of stress and resilience with four outcomes—depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, alcohol susceptibility, and smoking susceptibility. We used data from 1466 youth (ages 8–16) enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth), a probability sample of Hispanic/Latino youth living in Chicago (IL), Miami (FL), Bronx (NY), and San Diego (CA). We found no evidence of an immigrant paradox. Greater children’s acculturative stress was associated with depression/anxiety symptoms; greater parent’s acculturative stress was associated with smoking susceptibility. Family functioning and children’s ethnic identity were associated with fewer depression/anxiety symptoms and lower alcohol/smoking susceptibility. Although acculturation-related stressors increase youths’ risks for poor mental health and substance use, the development of positive ethnic identities and close, well-functioning family support systems can help protect Latino/Hispanic children from the negative behavioral and health-related consequences of stress.

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Funding

Funding was provided by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Grant Nos. R01HL102130, N01-HC65233, N01-HC65234, N01-HC65237, N01-HC65235 and N01-HC65236) and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Grant No. P2C HD50924).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Krista M. Perreira

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Ashley N. Marchante

  3. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Seth J. Schwartz

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Carmen R. Isasi & Robert C. Kaplan

  5. Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Mercedes R. Carnethon & Linda Van Horn

  6. Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Heather L. Corliss

  7. Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Daniel A. Santisteban

  8. School of Nursing and Health Studies, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Denise C. Vidot

  9. Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Alan M. Delamater

  10. Carolina Population Center, CB #8120, 206 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA

    Krista M. Perreira

Authors
  1. Krista M. Perreira
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  2. Ashley N. Marchante
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  3. Seth J. Schwartz
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  4. Carmen R. Isasi
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  5. Mercedes R. Carnethon
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  6. Heather L. Corliss
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  7. Robert C. Kaplan
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  8. Daniel A. Santisteban
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  9. Denise C. Vidot
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  10. Linda Van Horn
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  11. Alan M. Delamater
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Krista M. Perreira.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

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Perreira, K.M., Marchante, A.N., Schwartz, S.J. et al. Stress and Resilience: Key Correlates of Mental Health and Substance Use in the Hispanic Community Health Study of Latino Youth. J Immigrant Minority Health 21, 4–13 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0724-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0724-7

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