Language Brokering–Stress Transition Profiles and Marijuana Use in Mexican-Origin Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Although Mexican-origin adolescents experience multiple contextual stressors (e.g., discrimination, economic stress, and foreigner stress) that may result in increased marijuana use, they actively engage in cultural practices (e.g., language brokering) that may protect them from adverse developmental outcomes. Yet, the joint influence of contextual stressors and language brokering on marijuana use has rarely been studied from a developmental perspective. Using a sample of 604 Mexican-origin adolescent brokers (54% female, M_age.Wave1 = 12.41), we examined how stability and change of language brokering–contextual stress (i.e., broker–stress) profiles across three waves are related to adolescent marijuana use. We hypothesized that adolescents with positive brokering experiences and lower contextual stress across three waves (i.e., those in the Stable Protective profile) would be the least likely to use marijuana. For brokering for mothers, the Stable Protective and the Change to Protective groups were less likely than other groups to use marijuana. For brokering for fathers, the Stable Protective group was the least likely to use marijuana and the Change to Protective group was less likely than the Risk at Any Wave group to use marijuana. Interventions could foster brokering-related positive feelings across the course of adolescence to reduce marijuana use among Mexican-origin adolescents.

KEYWORDS:

• Language brokering
• contextual stress
• profiles
• marijuana use
• Mexican-origin adolescents

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences [0956123, 1651128]; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [2P2CHD042849-19, 5R03HD060045-02]; Hogg Foundation for Mental Health [JRG-102]; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities [1R21MD012706-01A1, 3R21MD-012706-02S1]; Russell Sage Foundation [2699]; Spencer Foundation [10023427]; University of Texas at Austin.