Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Examining Relations Between Negative Life Events, Time Spent in the United States, Language Use, and Mental Health Outcomes in Latino Adolescents

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Child & Youth Care Forum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Despite the growing number of Latino youth in the US, little research has examined factors that influence the development of mental health symptoms among this population, including factors related to immigration.

Objectives

This study examined the link between negative life events (NLEs) and two outcomes, symptoms of anxiety and engagement in delinquency, among Latino adolescents. Time spent in the US and use of language with family and friends were examined as moderators.

Methods

Study measures were completed by 144 Latino adolescents (N = 78 males; ages 14–19 years) attending a school in a large, Midwestern city.

Results

Multiple regression analyses indicated that exposure to NLEs was the only significant unique predictor of anxiety symptoms, and exposure to NLEs and male gender were significant predictors of engagement in delinquency. Further, an interaction was found between NLEs and language use with friends, indicating that exposure to NLEs is significantly related to engagement in delinquent acts at both high and low use of English with their friends; the magnitude of this association was stronger for low use of English. No other significant interactions were found.

Conclusions

Findings indicate that exposure to NLEs are important to consider for understanding the development of problem behavior among Latino adolescents. Further, the language that Latino youth speak with their friends is important to consider when monitoring these youth for mental and behavioral health symptoms. Interventions geared toward Latino youth should consider both exposure to NLEs and cultural factors to improve the cultural sensitivity of intervention efforts.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alderete, E., Vega, W. A., Kolody, B., & Aguilar-Gaxiola, S. (2000). Effects of time in the United States and Indian ethnicity on DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders among Mexican Americans in California. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 188(2), 90–100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J. L., Rapee, R. M., & Sandberg, S. (2008). Severe life events and chronic adversities as antecedents to anxiety in children: A matched control study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 1047–1056.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • APA Task Force on Immigration. (2012). Crossroads: The psychology of immigration in the new century. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Attar, B. K., Guerra, N. G., & Tolan, P. H. (1994). Neighborhood disadvantage, stressful life events, and adjustment in urban elementary-school-children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23, 391–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bird, H. R., Canino, G. J., Davies, M., Zhang, H., Ramirez, R., & Lahey, B. B. (2001). Prevalence and correlates of antisocial behaviors among three ethnic groups. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 465–478.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cabassa, L. J. (2003). Measuring acculturation: Where we are and where we need to go. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 25, 127–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canino, G., Shrout, P. E., Rubio-Stipec, M., Bird, H. R., Bravo, M., Ramirez, R., et al. (2004). The DSM-IV rates of child and adolescent disorders in Puerto Rico—Prevalence, correlates, service use, and the effects of impairment. Archives of General Psychiatry, 61(1), 85–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd Ed.). Hillsdale:Erlbaum.

  • Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analyses for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costello, E. J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 837–844. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.60.8.837.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eitle, D., & Turner, R. J. (2002). Exposure to community violence and young adult crime: The effects of witnessing violence, traumatic victimization, and other stressful life events. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 39(2), 214–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, J. P., Broyles, S. L., Brennan, J. J., de Nuncio, M. L. Z., & Nader, P. R. (2005). Acculturation, parent-child acculturation differential, and chronic disease risk factors in a Mexican-American population. Journal of Immigrant Health, 7, 1–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eley, T. C., & Stevenson, J. (2000). Specific life events and chronic experiences differentially associated with depression and anxiety in young twins. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28(4), 383–394.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ennis, S. R., Ríos-Vargas, M., & Albert, N. G. (2011). The Hispanic Population: 2010. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fergusson, D. M., Woodward, L. J., & Horwood, L. J. (1999). Childhood peer relationship problems and young people’s involvement with deviant peers in adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 357–369.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia Coll, C., & Marks, A. K. (2011). The immigrant paradox in children and adolescents: Is becoming american a developmental risk?. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gfoerer, J. C., & Tan, L. L. (2003). Substance use among foreign-born youths in the United States: Does the length of residence matter? American Journal of Public Health, 93, 1892–1895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64–105.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, J. P., & Cerbone, F. G. (1999). Stressful life events and delinquency escalation in early adolescence. Criminology, 37, 343–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, J., Cohen, P., Gould, M., Kasen, S., Brown, J., & Brook, J. (2002). Childhood adversities, interpersonal difficulties, and risk for suicide attempts during late adolescence and early adulthood. Archives of General Psychiatry, 59, 741–749.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. P., Whisman, M. A., Corley, R. P., Hewitt, J. K., & Rhee, S. H. (2012). Association between depressive symptoms and negative dependent life events from late childhood to adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40, 1385–1400.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ko, L. K., & Perreira, K. M. (2010). “It turned my world upside down”: Latino youths’ perspectives on immigration. Journal of Adolescent Research, 25, 465–493.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lara, M., Gamboa, C., Iya Kahramanian, M., Morales, L. S., & Hayes Bautista, D. E. (2005). Acculturation and Latino health in the United States: A review of the literature and its sociopolitical context. Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 367–397.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsiglia, F. F., & Waller, M. (2002). Language preference and drug use among Southwestern Mexican American school students. Children and Schools, 24, 145–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maschi, T. (2006). Exploring the link between trauma and delinquency: The cumulative versus differential risks. Social Work, 1, 59–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, K. A., Hilt, L. M., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2007). Racial/ethnic differences in internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 801–816. doi:10.1007/s10802-007-9128-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 674–701.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nielson, A. L., & Ford, J. A. (2001). Drinking patterns among Hispanic adolescents: Results from a national household survey. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 62, 448–456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ortega, A. N., Rosenheck, R., Alegría, M., & Desai, R. (2000). Acculturation and the lifetime risk of psychiatric and substance use disorders among Hispanics. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 188, 728–735.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Padilla, A. M., Alvarex, M., & Lindholm, K. J. (1986). Generational status and personality factors as predictors of stress in students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 8, 275–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Passel, J., & Cohn, D. (2008). U.S. Population Projections: 2005–2050. Washington, D.C: Pew Research Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prelow, H. M., & Guarnaccia, C. A. (1997). Ethnic and racial differences in life stress among high school adolescents. Journal of Counseling and Development, 75, 442–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (2008). Manual for the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roosa, M. W., Burrell, G. L., Nair, R. L., Coxe, S., Tein, J. Y., & Knight, G. P. (2010). Neighborhood disadvantage, stressful life events, and adjustment among Mexican American early adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 30(4), 567–592. doi:10.1177/0272431609338177.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roosa, M. W., Liu, F. F., Torres, M., Gonzales, N. A., Knight, G. P., & Saenz, D. (2008). Sampling and recruitment in studies of cultural influences on adjustment: A case study with Mexican Americans. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(2), 293–302. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.22.2.293.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, S. J., Murphy, B. S., & McKnight, K. (2003). Traumatic stress and gender differences in relationship to substance abuse, mental health, physical health, and HIV risk behavior in a sample of adolescents enrolled in drug treatment. Child Maltreatment, 8, 46–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swearingen, E. M., & Cohen, L. H. (1985). Measurement of adolescents’ life events: The Junior High Life Experiences Survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13, 69–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tseng, V., & Fulgini, A. J. (2000). Parent-adolescent language use and relationships among immigrant families with East Asian, Filipino, and Latin American backgrounds. Journal of Marriage and the family, 62, 465–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Unger, J. B., Cruz, T. B., Rohrbach, L. A., Ribisl, K. M., Baezconde-Garbanati, L., Chen, X., et al. (2000). English language use as a risk factor for smoking initiation among Hispanic and Asian American adolescents: Evidence for mediation by tobacco-related beliefs and social norms. Health Psychology, 19, 403–410.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census Bureau. (2011). Current Population Survey 2010 and 2011 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). Mental health: Culture, race, and ethnicity—A supplement to Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.

  • Varela, R. E., & Biggs, B. K. (2006). Reliability and validity of the RCMAS across samples of Mexican, Mexican American, and European American children: A preliminary investigation. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping: An International Journal, 19, 67–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varela, R. E., & Hensley-Maloney, L. (2009). The Influence of culture on anxiety in Latino youth: A review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 12, 217–233. doi:10.1007/s10567-009-0044-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Varela, R. E., Sanchez-Sosa, J. J., Biggs, B. K., & Luis, T. M. (2008). Anxiety symptoms and fears in Latin American and European American children: Cross-cultural measurement equivalence. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 30, 132–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vega, W. A., Sribney, W. M., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., & Kolody, B. (2004). 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders among Mexican Americans: Nativity, social assimilation, and age determinants. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 192, 532–541.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warheit, G. J., Vega, W. A., Khoury, E. L., Gil, A. G., & Elfenbein, P. R. (1996). A comparative analysis of cigarette, alcohol, and illicit drug use among an ethnically diverse sample of Hispanic, African American, and non-Hispanic White adolescents. Journal of Drug Issues, 26, 901–922.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, C. L., & Berry, J. W. (1991). Primary prevention of acculturative stress among refugees: Application of psychological theory and practice. American Psychologist, 46, 632–641.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Ave, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Sonia L. Rubens, Paula J. Fite, Joy Gabrielli, Spencer C. Evans, Michelle L. Hendrickson & Casey A. Pederson

Authors
  1. Sonia L. Rubens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paula J. Fite
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Joy Gabrielli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Spencer C. Evans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Michelle L. Hendrickson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Casey A. Pederson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sonia L. Rubens.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rubens, S.L., Fite, P.J., Gabrielli, J. et al. Examining Relations Between Negative Life Events, Time Spent in the United States, Language Use, and Mental Health Outcomes in Latino Adolescents. Child Youth Care Forum 42, 389–402 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-013-9205-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-013-9205-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation