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Exploring the Complexities of Familism and Acculturation: Central Constructs for People of Mexican Origin

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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

We examined the relationships between three dimensions of familism: importance of family, family support, and family conflict with acculturation, assessed orthogonally (Mexican and American cultural contributions assessed independently), and the relative contribution these factors make to psychological adjustment among 248 (124 women, 124 men) adults of Mexican origin. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, positive associations were found between importance of family and the biculturalism of Mexican and American cultural identity; family support and Mexican cultural identity; but no associations between family conflict and level of acculturation. Psychological well-being was positively associated with Mexican cultural identity and family support, whereas psychological distress was associated with greater family conflict and lower family support. The greater relative contribution of Mexican cultural identity to familism and well-being, and the importance of assessing acculturation orthogonally are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Pitzer College, 1050 N. Mills, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA

    Norma Rodriguez

  2. School of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Consuelo Bingham Mira

  3. The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN, USA

    Nancy Denise Paez

  4. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Hector F. Myers

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Consuelo Bingham Mira & Hector F. Myers

Authors
  1. Norma Rodriguez
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  2. Consuelo Bingham Mira
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  3. Nancy Denise Paez
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  4. Hector F. Myers
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Correspondence to Norma Rodriguez.

Additional information

This research was supported in part by a Minority Supplement to National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH47193 to the Research Center on the Psychobiology of Ethnicity, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and by a research award from Pitzer College to Norma Rodriguez.

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Rodriguez, N., Mira, C.B., Paez, N.D. et al. Exploring the Complexities of Familism and Acculturation: Central Constructs for People of Mexican Origin. Am J Community Psychol 39, 61–77 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-007-9090-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-007-9090-7

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