Ethnic Racial Socialization, Ethnic Identity, and Internalizing Outcomes in the Context of Stress among Mexican Origin Families

Research demonstrates that it is important to study the impact of cultural factors on child development and well-being (Garcia Coll et al., 1996). Among Latino youth, ethnic racial socialization and ethnic identity have been associated with positive outcomes, such as academic competence and lower reports of internalizing problems (Liu & Lau, 2013; Berkel et al., 2010; Umaña-Taylor & Guimond, 2010). Additionally, there is evidence of ethnic identity mediating the association between ethnic racial socialization and child internalizing symptoms among Mexican-origin adolescents (Umaña-Taylor et al., 2014). However, more research is needed in examining these associations within stressful contexts relevant to Latino youth experiences. For example, there is evidence of immigration related stress and family cultural conflict stress significantly impacting mental health outcomes of Latino children (Romero et al., 2018). Thus, the present study aims to examine longitudinal associations between ethnic racial socialization, child ethnic identity, and child internalizing symptoms, moderated by immigration related stress and family cultural conflict stress among children of Latino immigrant families within middle childhood. Participants were drawn from a larger longitudinal study and data from Time 2, Time 3, and Time 4 will be examined. At Time 2, 95 Latino immigrant families were included with at least one child between the ages of 6-10 years (Mage = 9.03, 61% female), with a family income at or below 150% of the federal poverty line. Researchers will conduct a moderated mediation analysis through PROCESS (Hayes, 2018), to determine whether ethnic identity mediates the association between ethnic racial socialization and child internalizing outcomes, and whether immigration related stress and family cultural conflict stress moderate these associations. With these findings, researchers hope to inform culturally informed interventions for youth at risk of internalizing issues