The Role of Bilingualism in Latino Youth Experiences of Acculturation Stress and Ethnic Identity Development When Living in an Emerging Latino Community

Background: Latino youth experience disparities in health and mental health outcomes, reporting higher rates of substance use initiation and increases in mental health issues compared to other groups. Acculturation stress, or the tension experienced by youth as they navigate two different cultures, is associated with some of these disparities. Bilingualism may serve as a protective factor, allowing youth to develop a stable ethnic identity and function successfully in multiple contexts. Although studies have examined this association among Latino youth living in areas with a high concentration of Latinos, less is known about the experiences of Latino youth living in an emerging Latino community with few social and cultural resources. To address this gap this study aims to: 1) explore Latino youth experiences of acculturation stress and ethnic identity development when living in an emerging Latino community, 2) understand the role of language in these processes and 3) assess their relationship to self-esteem and depression.

Methods: To address aims, a sample of Latino youth (63% first generation, 37% immigrants) age 8-16 (n=30) living in Pittsburgh, PA were recruited to participate in six sessions of Visual Voices, a data collection method in which youth paint pictures based on prompts and discuss the pictures with their peers. Prompts included: 1) What makes you who you are? 2) What does it mean to be Latino? 3) What are some challenges that you face? In addition to dialogue and paintings, youth completed a survey that measured linguistic usage, ethnic identity, acculturation stress, depression, and self-esteem. Paintings were photographed, and the dialogues were audio recorded and transcribed. A thematic analysis of qualitative data was conducted. OLS regressions were estimated to test relationship between acculturation stress/ethnic identity and depression/self-esteem and if they differ based on language use.

Results: Thematic analysis of qualitative data indicated that youth considered bilingualism to be both a risk and protective factor in school, peer, and familial contexts. Youth indicated the language of their country of origin was central to their Latino identity, but also discussed situations in which bilingualism was a source of stress. Some youth noted the language transition from home to school was stressful, and asserted that this transition was the source of perceived bullying that inhibited class participation. In contrast, some youth expressed pride in acquiring skills in two languages, which resulted in a prioritization of school attendance. Additionally, youth described a preference for communicating with other bilingual youth and few opportunities to do so. The quantitative results, however, indicated that youth who primarily spoke English had higher self-esteem when experiencing acculturation stress and affirmed their ethnic identity.

Implications:  The findings suggest that Latino youth in emerging populations experience acculturation stress similar to youth in other location and that language is central to that experience but there were less opportunity to socialize with co ethnic peers. In emerging Latino communities’, interventions may need to focus on creating spaces where Latino youth can socialize with co-ethnic peers in order to facilitate a strong ethnic identity and mitigate acculturation stress.