title: Mother-Youth Acculturation Gaps and Health-Risking/Emotional Problems among Latin-American Adolescents.
abstract: Second-generation Latin-American adolescents tend to show higher levels of various health-risking behaviors and emotional problems than first-generation Latin-American adolescents. This cross-sectional study of 40 mother-adolescent dyads examined the association of mother-youth acculturation gaps to youth adjustment problems. Intergenerational acculturation gaps were assessed as a bidimensional self-report component and a novel observational measurement component. The Latin-American adolescents were predominantly second-generation of Mexican descent (M age = 13.42 years, SD = 0.55). Most of the mothers were born in Mexico (M age = 39.18 years, SD = 5.17). Data were collected from mothers, adolescents, and coders, using questionnaires, structured interviews, and videotaped mother-youth interaction tasks. Findings revealed generally weak support for the acculturation gap-distress hypothesis. In addition, stronger relative adherence to their heritage culture by the adolescents was significantly (p < .05, ES = 0.15) related to less engagement in early health-risking sexual behaviors, possibly reflecting selective acculturation processes. Mother-youth acculturation gaps in orientation to the heritage culture were the most salient dimension, changing the focus on the original formulation of the acculturation gap-distress hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: University of Houston (USA).
authors.forename: Margit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiesner
authors.affiliation: University of Houston (USA).
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arbona
authors.affiliation: Oregon Social Learning Center (USA).
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Capaldi
authors.affiliation: Oregon Social Learning Center (USA).
authors.forename: Hyoun K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California (USA).
authors.forename: Charles D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000208:ethnology*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D000066553:Problem Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D012917:Social Adjustment
keywords: acculturation; adolescents; emotional problems; health-risking behaviors; latin-american