The Role of Parents’ Ethnic-Racial Socialization Practices in the Discrimination–Depression Link among Mexican-Origin Adolescents

Abstract

The present study investigated the moderating role of parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices (T1) in the link between adolescents’ discrimination experiences (T1–T3) and adolescent anxiety and depression, respectively (T1–T3). Using a 3-wave longitudinal design with multiple informants (adolescent, mother, father) reporting on parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices, the data analytic sample comprised a total of 251 (T1) Mexican-origin families from the midwestern United States. Mother and father reports of their own ethnic-racial socialization practices (i.e., cultural socialization, preparation for bias, promotion of mistrust) were entered simultaneously into multilevel moderation models. Results from these multilevel moderation analyses indicated that fathers’ promotion of mistrust was a significant moderator in the adolescent discrimination–depression link over time. Specifically, fathers’ promotion of mistrust exacerbated the youth discrimination–depression association. Moreover, the difference between the moderating effects of fathers’ versus mothers’ promotion of mistrust on the youth discrimination–depression association was significant. Cultural socialization and preparation for bias did not significantly moderate the adolescent association between discrimination and mental health, regardless of parent gender (fathers or mothers) or mental health outcome (anxiety or depression). The results are discussed in light of a socioecological framework, with special emphasis on the importance of including (and differentiating between) both fathers and mothers in the investigation of ethnic-racial socialization and implications for future theory building, research, and clinical practice.

Acknowledgments

We thank the participating families and partnering community-based agencies. We also thank the research team for their assistance in this project: Rosemary Salinas; Misel Ramirez Vasoli; Amarilys Castillo; Jaqueline Martinez; Kristina Martinez; Margaret Schmid; Carlos Uzcategui; Kimberly Widawski; Gilberto Pérez, Jr., M.S.W., ACSW; and Jennifer Burke-Lefever, Ph.D.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Notes

¹ “Residential partner” was defined as a father whose self-report of marital status matched mother’s self-report as being either married (n = 5) or unmarried and living with partner (n = 5) and who could not be categorized as a biological father or stepfather due to missing data (n = 7) or a unique “other” response (n = 3; e.g., “padre” or “no”).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21MH097675 (Irene Park, Principal Investigator). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.