Racial Discrimination and Mental Health Among Latine Adolescents: Parenting and Conflict as Potential Moderators.

OBJECTIVES

Our study aimed to understand whether parenting practices, including positive parenting and caregiver involvement, and family conflict, moderated the relationship between experiences of racial-ethnic discrimination and mental health outcomes among Latine adolescents.

METHODS

We used a cross-sectional study design using surveys administered to Latine adolescents ages 13–17 years and their primary caregivers in Indianapolis, Indiana. Data collected included demographics, experiences of racial-ethnic discrimination measured by the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS), conflict (Parent-Child Conflict) and parenting (Parenting Practices), symptoms of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder - GAD-7), depression (Mood and Feelings Questionnaire - MFQ), and internalizing and externalizing symptoms (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – SDQ). Data were analyzed using multivariable linear regressions. Interaction terms were added to these models to test whether parenting practices (positive parenting and caregiver involvement), and caregiver-adolescent conflict, moderated the relationship between adolescents’ experiences of racial-ethnic discrimination and measures of mental health.

RESULTS

Of 127 caregiver-adolescent dyads that responded to the survey, 92 were included in the analyses. Our sample included mostly female adolescents (60.9%) whose mean age was 15 years old. Regression analyses confirmed the negative effects of racial-ethnic discrimination on adolescent’s mental health outcomes. Positive parenting was consistently identified as having a positive effect on mental health. No moderating effects were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results have confirmed that racial-ethnic discrimination has poor implications for Latine adolescents’ mental health, while positive parenting has mental health-promotive effects. However, targeted interventions that build caregivers’ skills, beyond positive parenting, in creating a nurturing and supportive environment for their child may be needed.