Citation

Cooper DK, Bachem R, Meentken MG, Aceves L, Perez Barrios AG. J. Latinx Psychol. 2020; 8(3): 202-220.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/lat0000145

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Latinx immigrants are exposed to multiple stressors before, during, and after migration. However, most past research has assumed the effects of these stressors are uniform across Latinx groups despite considerable within-group variation. The purpose of this study was to (a) assess the moderating effects of several risk and protective factors on the association between cumulative lifetime adversity and depression among U.S. Latinx immigrants and (b) examine the extent to which risk and protective processes differed between Latinx subgroups. Data came from a cross-sectional secondary dataset, called the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study. The sample (N = 2,893) was identified using stratified random probability sampling in four of the largest Latinx metropolitan areas: the Bronx, New York; San Diego, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Miami, Florida. We included four Latinx subgroups in our study: Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Mexicans, and Dominicans.

RESULTS from multigroup regression analyses suggested that social support moderated the association between cumulative lifetime adversity and depression. However, further subgroup analyses showed the moderation effect was only present for Cuban and Dominican immigrants. We also found that perceived discrimination moderated the association between lifetime adversity and depression for Cuban immigrants and ethnic identity moderated the relationship between lifetime adversity and depression for Dominican immigrants. Our results provide preliminary evidence for the presence of within-group differences in responses to adverse events among Latinx immigrant groups.

RESULTS can be used to inform the development of mental health interventions tailored to the specific needs of various Latinx immigrant populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en