Anxiety reporting and culturally associated interpretation biases and cognitive schemas: a comparison of Mexican, Mexican American, and European American families.
This study examined whether Mexican (n = 53), Mexican American (n = 50), and European American (n = 51) children differed in their reporting of anxiety symptoms and whether parental influence and specific cognitive schemas associated with Mexican culture were related to differences in anxiety reporting. As expected, Mexican and Mexican American children reported significantly more physiological and worry symptoms than the European American children. Mexican and Mexican American children endorsed collectivism as a cultural value more strongly than European American children, and the Mexican children evidenced greatest use of social strategies reflecting simpatia. In family discussions of ambiguous, potentially anxiety-arousing situations, Mexican and Mexican American parents verbalized a greater percentage of somatic interpretations than the European American parents. Results indicate potential linkages between cultural values, socialization practices, and anxiety reporting.
Varela
R Enrique
RE
Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA. evarela@tulane.edu
Vernberg
Eric M
EM
Sanchez-Sosa
Juan Jose
JJ
Riveros
Angelica
A
Mitchell
Montserrat
M
Mashunkashey
Joanna
J
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015982:Bias; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003469:Culture; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*