BACKGROUND: Latinos are the largest, fastest growing ethnic minority population in the U.S. Despi... more BACKGROUND: Latinos are the largest, fastest growing ethnic minority population in the U.S. Despite the fact that Mexican Americans (MAs) are the largest Latino subgroup, and that research demonstrates high prevalence of mental health problems among MAs, little is known about risk and protective factors for mental illness within this group. Further, children of depressed parents are at increased risk for a range of mental illnesses and more Latino families have children, making it especially important to examine the risk and protective factors associated with depression among MA parents. METHODS: Data come from the first full wave of an ongoing longitudinal studying investigating the role of culture and context in the lives of MA families (n=750 families; 1,996 individuals). MA parents' risk for depression is assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that 26% of fathers and 46% of mothers are at risk for...
National reports identify Mexican American adolescents, specifically, and Latino adolescents gene... more National reports identify Mexican American adolescents, specifically, and Latino adolescents generally at greater risk than the majority population for experiencing mental health difficulties. A concise understanding of the patterns of risk among Mexican American adolescents is imperative to the development of effective prevention. This study will test a culturally relevant theoretical stress process model to investigate mediating and moderating roles of support in the prospective relations between cultural stressors and psychopathology in a heterogeneous sample of 616 Mexican American adolescents and mothers. Data for this study come from an ongoing longitudinal studying investigating the role of culture and context in the lives of Mexican American families. Preliminary results indicate main effects in expected directions for cultural stressors. In addition, we find significant moderation by gender and supportive context. Among females in high support homes the model explained 10%,...
... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent wit... more ... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent with empirical evidence of increased child aggressiveness as a function of levels of interparental conflict (eg,Cummings et aL, 1985, 1989), and with the notion that paternal violence would ...
This study, using secondary data analysis, examined prospectively a mediation model of the relati... more This study, using secondary data analysis, examined prospectively a mediation model of the relationship between acculturation and problem behavior proneness among 330 Hispanic children and adolescents from an urban school district in the southwest region of the United States. Acculturation was predicted to have an indirect, but positive, relationship to problem behavior proneness through parental involvement and self-esteem. The results partially supported the model and indicated that parental involvement, but not self-esteem, played a significant mediational role in children's problem behavior proneness. The individual indicators of problem behavior proneness among Hispanic youth were significantly interrelated, which is consistent with problem behavior theory as conceptualized by R. Jessor (1984) and R. Jessor and S. L. Jessor (1977). Findings from this study provide implications for future research and intervention designs.
Despite the rapid growth of research on neighborhood influences on children, little of this resea... more Despite the rapid growth of research on neighborhood influences on children, little of this research may be useful to prevention scientists. Most studies have ignored processes by which neighborhood conditions influence individual outcomes. To encourage neighborhood research that can better guide the development of preventive interventions, we propose a model that focuses attention on mediating and moderating processes, is appropriate for studies interested in individual differences in outcomes, acknowledges the transactions between residents and neighborhoods, and is sensitive to how neighborhood influences may differ for children at different developmental stages. Furthermore, we argue that greater attention to several methodological issues also can make neighborhood research more useful for the next generation of prevention programs to help low-income urban families and children cope successfully with the challenges posed by their neighborhoods.
Drawing on García Coll et al.&amp... more Drawing on García Coll et al.'s integrative framework and the risk and resilience model, this study examined the relationships between adolescents' perceived discrimination and psychosocial adjustment and the moderating roles of adolescents', mothers', and fathers' cultural orientations and values, and adolescent gender in a sample of 246 Mexican-origin families. Using multilevel modeling with data from mothers, fathers, seventh graders (M (age) = 12.8 years; SD = .57 year) and older siblings (M (age) = 15.7 years; SD = 1.5 years), findings revealed that perceived discrimination was positively related to depression, risky behaviors, and deviant peer affiliations. In addition, parents' cultural orientations and values and adolescent gender moderated the relationships between perceived discrimination and some indicators of adjustment. These findings suggest that parents' cultural orientations and values can serve as protective and vulnerability factors in the associations between Mexican-origin adolescents' perceived discrimination and their psychosocial adjustment.
Mexican American youth are at greater risk of school failure than their peers. To identify factor... more Mexican American youth are at greater risk of school failure than their peers. To identify factors that may contribute to academic success in this population, this study examined the prospective relationships from 5th grade to 7th grade of family (i.e., human capital [a parent with at least a high school education], residential stability, academically and occupationally positive family role models, and family structure) and individual characteristics (i.e., externalizing symptoms, bilingualism, gender, and immigrant status) to the academic performance of 749 Mexican American early adolescents (average age = 10.4 years and 48.7% were girls in 5th grade) from economically and culturally diverse families as these youth made the transition to junior high school. Results indicated that while controlling for prior academic performance, human capital and positive family role models assessed when adolescents were in 5th grade positively related to academic performance in 7th grade. Further, being a girl also was related to greater 7th grade academic success, whereas externalizing symptoms were negatively related to 7th grade academic performance. No other variables in the model were significantly and prospectively related to 7th grade academic performance. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.
Page 1. The Journal of Sex Research Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 54-61 February 1993 Family, Individual, a... more Page 1. The Journal of Sex Research Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 54-61 February 1993 Family, Individual, and Social Correlates of Early Hispanic Adolescent Sexual Expression F. Scott Christopher, Diane C. Johnson, and Mark W. Roosa ...
Neighborhood conditions are related to children's externalizing behavior, although few proce... more Neighborhood conditions are related to children's externalizing behavior, although few processes that help explain this association have been identified. With data from 189 primarily low-income Anglo and Mexican American families, we tested a stress process model that included 3 ...
... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent wit... more ... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent with empirical evidence of increased child aggressiveness as a function of levels of interparental conflict (eg,Cummings et aL, 1985, 1989), and with the notion that paternal violence would ...
Research examining how cultural factors affect adjustment of ethnic minority individuals would be... more Research examining how cultural factors affect adjustment of ethnic minority individuals would be strengthened if study samples better represented the diversity within these populations. To recruit a representative sample of Mexican American families, the authors implemented a multiple-step process that included sampling communities to represent diversity in cultural and economic conditions, recruiting participants through schools, using culturally attractive recruitment processes, conducting interviews in participants' homes, and providing a financial incentive. The result was a sample of 750 families that were diverse in cultural orientation, social class, and type of residential communities and were similar to the census description of this population. Thus, using culturally appropriate adaptations to common recruitment strategies makes it possible to recruit representative samples of Mexican Americans.
Path analysis was used to determine whether the effects of interparental conflict on children&... more Path analysis was used to determine whether the effects of interparental conflict on children's depression and conduct disorder are mediated by 3 dimensions of parenting: acceptance, inconsistent discipline, and hostile control. The study extends the literature by testing this mediational model with a low-income, predominantly ethnic minority sample of preadolescent children and by examining the effects of multiple dimensions of interparental conflict from the child's perspective. Results supported the mediational model when analyses were based on child's reports of all variables but not when mother's reports were used to assess child depression and conduct problems. Exploratory analyses revealed unique mediational paths associated with conflict frequency and resolution, which were examined along with intensity as distinct dimensions of interparental conflict.
... States. Children may have difficulty in school if competition and individual awards are used ... more ... States. Children may have difficulty in school if competition and individual awards are used to encourage learning. Although ... European Americans. Social class mayinfluence family socialization just as ethnicity may. In his ...
BACKGROUND: Latinos are the largest, fastest growing ethnic minority population in the U.S. Despi... more BACKGROUND: Latinos are the largest, fastest growing ethnic minority population in the U.S. Despite the fact that Mexican Americans (MAs) are the largest Latino subgroup, and that research demonstrates high prevalence of mental health problems among MAs, little is known about risk and protective factors for mental illness within this group. Further, children of depressed parents are at increased risk for a range of mental illnesses and more Latino families have children, making it especially important to examine the risk and protective factors associated with depression among MA parents. METHODS: Data come from the first full wave of an ongoing longitudinal studying investigating the role of culture and context in the lives of MA families (n=750 families; 1,996 individuals). MA parents' risk for depression is assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that 26% of fathers and 46% of mothers are at risk for...
National reports identify Mexican American adolescents, specifically, and Latino adolescents gene... more National reports identify Mexican American adolescents, specifically, and Latino adolescents generally at greater risk than the majority population for experiencing mental health difficulties. A concise understanding of the patterns of risk among Mexican American adolescents is imperative to the development of effective prevention. This study will test a culturally relevant theoretical stress process model to investigate mediating and moderating roles of support in the prospective relations between cultural stressors and psychopathology in a heterogeneous sample of 616 Mexican American adolescents and mothers. Data for this study come from an ongoing longitudinal studying investigating the role of culture and context in the lives of Mexican American families. Preliminary results indicate main effects in expected directions for cultural stressors. In addition, we find significant moderation by gender and supportive context. Among females in high support homes the model explained 10%,...
... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent wit... more ... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent with empirical evidence of increased child aggressiveness as a function of levels of interparental conflict (eg,Cummings et aL, 1985, 1989), and with the notion that paternal violence would ...
This study, using secondary data analysis, examined prospectively a mediation model of the relati... more This study, using secondary data analysis, examined prospectively a mediation model of the relationship between acculturation and problem behavior proneness among 330 Hispanic children and adolescents from an urban school district in the southwest region of the United States. Acculturation was predicted to have an indirect, but positive, relationship to problem behavior proneness through parental involvement and self-esteem. The results partially supported the model and indicated that parental involvement, but not self-esteem, played a significant mediational role in children's problem behavior proneness. The individual indicators of problem behavior proneness among Hispanic youth were significantly interrelated, which is consistent with problem behavior theory as conceptualized by R. Jessor (1984) and R. Jessor and S. L. Jessor (1977). Findings from this study provide implications for future research and intervention designs.
Despite the rapid growth of research on neighborhood influences on children, little of this resea... more Despite the rapid growth of research on neighborhood influences on children, little of this research may be useful to prevention scientists. Most studies have ignored processes by which neighborhood conditions influence individual outcomes. To encourage neighborhood research that can better guide the development of preventive interventions, we propose a model that focuses attention on mediating and moderating processes, is appropriate for studies interested in individual differences in outcomes, acknowledges the transactions between residents and neighborhoods, and is sensitive to how neighborhood influences may differ for children at different developmental stages. Furthermore, we argue that greater attention to several methodological issues also can make neighborhood research more useful for the next generation of prevention programs to help low-income urban families and children cope successfully with the challenges posed by their neighborhoods.
Drawing on García Coll et al.&amp... more Drawing on García Coll et al.'s integrative framework and the risk and resilience model, this study examined the relationships between adolescents' perceived discrimination and psychosocial adjustment and the moderating roles of adolescents', mothers', and fathers' cultural orientations and values, and adolescent gender in a sample of 246 Mexican-origin families. Using multilevel modeling with data from mothers, fathers, seventh graders (M (age) = 12.8 years; SD = .57 year) and older siblings (M (age) = 15.7 years; SD = 1.5 years), findings revealed that perceived discrimination was positively related to depression, risky behaviors, and deviant peer affiliations. In addition, parents' cultural orientations and values and adolescent gender moderated the relationships between perceived discrimination and some indicators of adjustment. These findings suggest that parents' cultural orientations and values can serve as protective and vulnerability factors in the associations between Mexican-origin adolescents' perceived discrimination and their psychosocial adjustment.
Mexican American youth are at greater risk of school failure than their peers. To identify factor... more Mexican American youth are at greater risk of school failure than their peers. To identify factors that may contribute to academic success in this population, this study examined the prospective relationships from 5th grade to 7th grade of family (i.e., human capital [a parent with at least a high school education], residential stability, academically and occupationally positive family role models, and family structure) and individual characteristics (i.e., externalizing symptoms, bilingualism, gender, and immigrant status) to the academic performance of 749 Mexican American early adolescents (average age = 10.4 years and 48.7% were girls in 5th grade) from economically and culturally diverse families as these youth made the transition to junior high school. Results indicated that while controlling for prior academic performance, human capital and positive family role models assessed when adolescents were in 5th grade positively related to academic performance in 7th grade. Further, being a girl also was related to greater 7th grade academic success, whereas externalizing symptoms were negatively related to 7th grade academic performance. No other variables in the model were significantly and prospectively related to 7th grade academic performance. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.
Page 1. The Journal of Sex Research Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 54-61 February 1993 Family, Individual, a... more Page 1. The Journal of Sex Research Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 54-61 February 1993 Family, Individual, and Social Correlates of Early Hispanic Adolescent Sexual Expression F. Scott Christopher, Diane C. Johnson, and Mark W. Roosa ...
Neighborhood conditions are related to children's externalizing behavior, although few proce... more Neighborhood conditions are related to children's externalizing behavior, although few processes that help explain this association have been identified. With data from 189 primarily low-income Anglo and Mexican American families, we tested a stress process model that included 3 ...
... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent wit... more ... Steve Spaccarelli, l Irwin N. Sandier, l and Mark Roosa 1 ... This emphasis is consistent with empirical evidence of increased child aggressiveness as a function of levels of interparental conflict (eg,Cummings et aL, 1985, 1989), and with the notion that paternal violence would ...
Research examining how cultural factors affect adjustment of ethnic minority individuals would be... more Research examining how cultural factors affect adjustment of ethnic minority individuals would be strengthened if study samples better represented the diversity within these populations. To recruit a representative sample of Mexican American families, the authors implemented a multiple-step process that included sampling communities to represent diversity in cultural and economic conditions, recruiting participants through schools, using culturally attractive recruitment processes, conducting interviews in participants' homes, and providing a financial incentive. The result was a sample of 750 families that were diverse in cultural orientation, social class, and type of residential communities and were similar to the census description of this population. Thus, using culturally appropriate adaptations to common recruitment strategies makes it possible to recruit representative samples of Mexican Americans.
Path analysis was used to determine whether the effects of interparental conflict on children&... more Path analysis was used to determine whether the effects of interparental conflict on children's depression and conduct disorder are mediated by 3 dimensions of parenting: acceptance, inconsistent discipline, and hostile control. The study extends the literature by testing this mediational model with a low-income, predominantly ethnic minority sample of preadolescent children and by examining the effects of multiple dimensions of interparental conflict from the child's perspective. Results supported the mediational model when analyses were based on child's reports of all variables but not when mother's reports were used to assess child depression and conduct problems. Exploratory analyses revealed unique mediational paths associated with conflict frequency and resolution, which were examined along with intensity as distinct dimensions of interparental conflict.
... States. Children may have difficulty in school if competition and individual awards are used ... more ... States. Children may have difficulty in school if competition and individual awards are used to encourage learning. Although ... European Americans. Social class mayinfluence family socialization just as ethnicity may. In his ...
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