Caregiver-Child Relationship Quality as a Gateway for Suicide Risk Resilience: Don’t Discount the Men in Mexican Descent Youths’ Lives

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to determine if connection with female (FC) and male caregivers (MC) could buffer the negative effects of intergenerational acculturative conflict (IAC) on suicide risk among Mexican descent adolescents and emerging adults. The sample included 722 Mexican descent adolescents and emerging adults (age range: 14–25 years, M = 19.69; SD = 1.75) from a U.S. high school and public university located near the United States-Mexico border. The majority of the sample were women (65.9%) and born in the United States (92.8%). Data were collected via self-report measures. The significant findings of linear regression analyses were: 1) Higher MC-IAC was related to higher levels of past year suicide risk, while higher levels of FC and MC connection were related to lower levels; and 2) Both MC and FC connection protected youth against the negative impact of IAC on suicide risk. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of both the MC and FC relationship quality in the context of IAC on suicide risk among Latinx youth. Suggestions will be made to include both MC and FC caregivers in research, prevention, and intervention efforts.

Keywords:

• acculturation
• conflict
• connection
• Latino adolescents
• suicidal ideation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brandy Piña-Watson

Brandy Piña-Watson, PhD, Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.

Abigail Cruz

Abigail Cruz, MA, Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.

Ashley Neduvelil

Ashley Neduvelil, MA, Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.