Exploring the Mechanism Between Acculturation-Related Stressors and Depressive Symptoms Among Immigrant Adolescents: A Multiple Mediation Analysis

Background and Purpose: Adolescent depression has been linked to adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes, and is marked by ethnic disparities. Latino adolescents report the highest level of depressive symptoms compared with their counterparts of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Acculturative stress theory suggests that exposure to US culture among immigrants may contribute to mental health problems due to conflicts between heritage and host culture and discriminatory experiences. This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms which influence the impact of acculturation-related stressors on depressive symptoms among Latino immigrant youth. The stress process model suggests the stressors may lead to mental health problem by eroding resources. Therefore, we examined the potential mediating roles of resources at individual and social levels. We hypothesized that the longitudinal association between acculturation-related stressors at time 1 (T1)and depressive symptoms at time 2 (T2) would be mediated by decreased self-esteem, future aspiration, satisfaction with maternal relationship and school connectedness.

Methods: Using wave 1 and wave 2 data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), our analytical sample consisted of 1,379 Latino first and second-generation immigrant adolescents in the U.S. The dependent variable, depressive symptoms, was measured at T2 by the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The independent variables, acculturation-related stressors, were measured at T1 by a 3-item scale assessing intergenerational discrepancy: the level of discrepancy between adolescents and their parents regarding values and expectations; and a 2-item scale measuring adolescents’ overall rating of prejudiced school climate. The mediating variables were measured by Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and researcher-constructed scales. These scales were used in previous studies and that had good reliability in our study sample. Social-demographic characteristics are included as covariates. We conducted structural equation modeling (SEM) with full information maximum likelihood estimator using Stata 13.0 to simultaneously estimate multiple mediation effects.

Results: Consistent with our hypotheses, significant mediating effects were observed between acculturation-related stressors and depressive symptoms. The association between prejudiced school climate and depressive symptoms was significantly mediated by decreased self-esteem (b=.14, 95% CI=0.09-0.18) and decreased satisfaction with maternal relationship (b=.04, 95% CI =0.01-0.06). In addition, the association between intergenerational discrepancies and depressive symptoms was significantly mediated by decreased satisfaction with maternal relationship (b=.014, 95% CI=0.001-0.27).

Conclusions/implication: Overall, acculturation-related stressors can adversely influence mental health outcomes among Latino immigrant adolescents by eroding their resources. This study revealed the underlying mechanisms of acculturation-related stressors and depressive symptoms and found that resource is dynamic rather than fixed. Practitioners working with immigrant adolescents should evaluate their resources periodically. There is a need to develop interventions on promoting inclusiveness at school and foster understanding and communication between immigrant youths and their parents. There is also a need to develop ecological interventions that address problems at the family and school at the same time.