Abstract: Unraveling Familism and Depressive Symptoms Among Immigrant Latinas: A Multidimensional Analysis (Society for Social Work and Research 28th Annual Conference - Recentering & Democratizing Knowledge: The Next 30 Years of Social Work Science)
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31P Unraveling Familism and Depressive Symptoms Among Immigrant Latinas: A Multidimensional Analysis

Schedule:
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Marquis BR Salon 6, ML 2 (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)
* noted as presenting author
Sonia Mendoza-Grey, MA, MPhil, PhD Candidate, Columbia University, New York, NY
Karen Flórez, DrPH, Associate Professor, City University of New York, New York, NY
Ana Abraído-Lanza, PhD, Vice Dean, Professor, Columbia University, New York, NY
Background and Purpose: Familism is a multidimensional construct that includes familial support. However, limited research examines whether the various components of familism equally contribute to mental health among Latinas, and whether familism protects against depression above and beyond the impact of social support. To address these gaps, this study examines familism as a multidimensional construct, and assesses its independent association with depressive symptoms, adjusting for social support, among immigrant Latinas. We focus on Dominican immigrants, which is the 5th largest group of the Latinx population in the U.S. Very little is known about the mental health and other family related factors within this large subgroup within the Latinx population.

Methods: We test associations between the multidimensional components of familism (familial support, familial obligations, and family as referents) and social support with depressive symptoms among 419 immigrant Dominican women in New York City.

Results: The various components of familism showed different associations with depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analysis indicated that whereas familial support predicted decreases in depressive symptoms (β = -.15), family obligations and family as referents did not. However, the effect of familial support on depressive symptoms disappeared when accounting for social support. Only social support predicted decreased depressive symptoms (β= -.18) when accounting for covariates and familism subscales. Controlling for covariates, age predicted decreased depressive symptoms (β = -.19), whereas self-rated poor health exhibited the inverse effect (β= .17).

Conclusions and Implications: These findings point to the need for a more nuanced understanding of familism, social support, and the association of other cultural and demographic values on Latina mental health. These results illustrate the need for further analysis of social support and the multiple components of the familism construct.

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