Building a nest in a storm: The impact of immigration‐related stress on Latino mothers' parenting

• Published in: Family process Vol. 62; no. 2; pp. 687 - 701
• Main Authors: Fuentes‐Balderrama, Jaime, Vanderziel, Alyssa, Parra‐Cardona, José Rubén
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2023
• Subjects: Adversity; Bayes Theorem; Bayesian analysis; Discrimination; Emigrants and Immigrants; Emigration and Immigration; Emotional support; Emotions; Families & family life; Female; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic or Latino - psychology; Humans; Immigrants; Immigration; Indirect effects; Latin American cultural groups; Latino; Low income groups; Mental health services; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Parent training; Parental stress; Parenthood education; parenting; Parenting - psychology; Parents & parenting; Path analysis; Social support; Stress; Stress, Psychological; United States; Urban population; Urgency; 养育子女; 拉丁裔; 歧视; 母亲; 移民; United States; United States > US; 拉丁裔; immigration; 养育子女; 歧视; mothers; Latino; 母亲; 移民; discrimination; parenting
• ISSN: 0014-7370; 1545-5300; 1545-5300
• DOI: 10.1111/famp.12797

Latina/o immigrant mothers in the United States (U.S.) often experience discrimination, which results in deleterious impacts on their parenting practices. Because of the cumulative impact of immigration‐related stress, there is a need for research aimed at identifying specific contextual stressors that have the greatest impact on Latina/o immigrant parenting. Further, given significant barriers to access mental health services, there is an urgency to comprehend how pre‐existing family strengths might counteract these parenting shortcomings in Latina/o families. Accordingly, we examined in these investigation‐specific pathways through which immigration‐related stress affects maternal parenting practices, and how emotional and relational processes within families might act as predecessors to positive parenting practices within a context of adversity. This study is embedded within a larger program of research aimed at culturally adapting evidence‐based parenting programs for low‐income Latina/o immigrants. Our sample consisted of 71 Mexican‐origin Latina/o mothers, residents of an urban setting in the Midwest. According to Bayesian estimated path analysis, immigration‐related stress was associated with parenting stress and emotional support, while emotional support, parenting stress, and the co‐parenting alliance were associated with positive parenting practices. Indirect effects demonstrate that immigration‐related stress is negatively associated with positive parenting practices when mediated by parenting stress and emotional support. Current findings highlight the need to carefully examine the impact of immigration‐related stress on the parenting practices of Latina/o immigrant families and the need to inform parent training interventions accordingly. 摘要 在美国的拉丁裔移民母亲经常遭受歧视，这对她们的养育方式造成了有害的影响。由于移民相关压力的累积影响，有很多特定环境压力因素对拉丁裔移民养育子女产生巨大影响，针对最大压力源的这一类研究尤其有必要。此外，鉴于他们在获得心理健康服务方面存在重大障碍，迫切需要了解现有的家庭优势如何可能抵消拉丁裔家庭在养育子女方面的缺陷。因此，我们在这项调查中研究了移民相关压力影响母亲方面育儿实践的具体途径，以及在逆境环境下，家庭内的情感和关系过程如何成为积极育儿实践的先行者。这项研究是在一个更大的研究项目中进行的，旨在为低收入拉美裔移民在文化上进行调整，基于证据的育儿方案。我们的样本包括71位墨西哥裔拉丁裔母亲，他们都是中西部城市的居民。根据贝叶斯预测路径分析，移民相关压力与父母教养压力和情感支持相关，而情感支持、父母养育孩子压力和共同教养联盟与积极的父母教养行为相关。间接效应表明，当父母养育压力和情感支持作为调和力量时，与移民相关压力和积极的父母养育行为之间呈负相关关系。本研究的调查结果强调指出，有必要仔细研究与移民有关的压力对拉丁裔移民家庭养育子女做法的影响，并有必要相应地告知父母培训干预措施。