title: Acculturation, internalizing mental health symptoms, and self-esteem: cultural experiences of Latino adolescents in North Carolina.
abstract: This investigation examined acculturation risk factors and cultural assets, internalizing behavioral problems, and self-esteem in 323 Latino adolescents living in North Carolina. Multiple regression analyses revealed two risk factors-perceived discrimination and parent-adolescent conflict-as highly significant predictors of adolescent internalizing problems and low self-esteem. Adolescents who were highly involved in Latino culture and who experienced high parent-adolescent conflict were found particularly at risk for internalizing problems. Biculturalism and familism were cultural assets found associated with fewer internalizing problems and higher self-esteem. For internalizing problems, familism's protective effect was mediated by parent-adolescent conflict. Implications were discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 301 Pittsboro Street, CB 3550, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550, USA. smokowsk@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Smokowski
authors.forename: Martica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bacallao
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D009657:North Carolina; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires