Pathways from cultural and economic stressors to mental and behavioral health risks in Hispanic youth: The roles of perceived stress and multicultural hassles.

Hispanic youth in the United States, including adolescents and young adults, face significant mental and behavioral health vulnerabilities. This observational study examined pathways through which cultural and economic stressors relate to depressive symptoms, aggressive/rule-breaking behavior, and tobacco and cannabis use among Hispanic youth. In addition to testing direct associations, we evaluate whether stress experiences (i.e., perceived stress, multicultural hassles) function as intervening variables that may help explain how youth internalize and attempt to cope with cultural and economic stressors. The sample is comprised of 198 Hispanic youth residing in the Los Angeles metro area (Mage = 18.38, SD = 1.29; 73% female). We modeled cultural stress as a latent construct composed of discrimination, negative context of reception, bicultural stress, within-group discrimination, and immigration-related stress. Economic stressor was marginally and directly associated with past-month cannabis use and tobacco use and was significantly indirectly linked with depressive symptoms through perceived stress. Cultural stressors, alongside economic stress, predicted multicultural hassles, which in turn were linked to depressive symptoms and aggressive/rule-breaking behaviors. Future research should prioritize culturally responsive interventions that reduce stress exposure and consider the nuanced ways Hispanic youth navigate cultural and economic challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).