Seth Schwartz, Research Associate Professor, University of Miami, Miami, FL
Jennifer Unger, PhD, Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Associate Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Juan Villamar, MSEd, Ce-PIM Executive Coordinator, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Daniel Soto, MPH, University of Southern California, Na, CA
Christopher P. Salas-Wright, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Sabrina Des Rosiers, PhD, Assistant Professor, Barry University, Miami, FL
Elma Lorenzo-Blanco, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Brandy Piña-Watson, PhD, Assistant Professor – Counseling, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Andrea Romero, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Tae-In Lee, MSW, Sr. Research Associate III, University of Miami, Miami, FL
Alan Mecca, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Miami, Miami, FL
Introduction: Alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among youth in the US remain significant public health priorities. Hispanic youth are disproportionately affected. Ecological factors, including perceived discrimination, play an important role in shaping alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among Hispanic youth. For example, perceived discrimination has been associated with increased risk of alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors. These studies are limited, however, such that many have been cross-sectional in nature and/or have relied solely on one reporter (i.e., youth or parent report of perceived discrimination). Although researchers have found that discrepancies, defined as the difference between parents’ and adolescents’ reports, of various ecological factors are associated with youth health risk behaviors, little is known about developmental changes in parent-youth perceived discrimination discrepancies and their effects on recent-immigrant Hispanic youth alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine (1) trajectories of parent-youth perceived discrimination discrepancies, and (2) whether and to what extent these trajectories are linked to alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among Hispanic youth.
Methods: Data are from a longitudinal study on recent-immigrant Hispanic youth and their families and health risk behaviors (Seth J. Schwartz, PI; Grant DA026594). 302 Hispanic youth (152 from Miami and 150 from Los Angeles) and their primary parent were assessed at 6 timepoints over a three-year period. Parents and adolescents completed self-report measures to assess perceived discrimination. Additionally, adolescents completed measures to assess lifetime and recent alcohol and sexual risk behaviors. We conducted latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to examine trajectories of parent-youth perceived discrepancies and whether (and to what extent) these trajectories are related to alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among youth at time point 6.
Results: Preliminary findings of the LCGA yielded a three class solution: High-Increasing Discrepancy (n=48, 15.9%), Low-Stable Discrepancy (n=88, 28.9%), and Medium-Increasing Discrepancy (n=166, 55.1%). In general, relative to the Low-Stable Discrepancy class, youth in both the High-Increasing- and Medium-Increasing Discrepancy classes were at increased risk of engaging in alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors at time point 6.
Conclusions: Findings highlight the effects of developmental changes in parent-youth perceived discrimination discrepancies on alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among Hispanic youth. From an intervention perspective, programs aimed at narrowing parent-youth perceived discrimination discrepancies may be efficacious in preventing and reducing alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors in recent-immigrant Hispanic youth.
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