The affective lives of doubled‐up Latinx youth: Influences of school experiences, familism, and ethnic identity exploration

• Published in: Psychology in the schools Vol. 57; no. 12; pp. 1878 - 1895
• Main Authors: Aceves, Lorena, Griffin, Amanda M., Sulkowski, Michael L., Martinez, Griselda, Knapp, Kyler S., Bámaca‐Colbert, Mayra Y., Cleveland, Hobart H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley 01.12.2020; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Caregivers; Cultural factors; Cultural identity; daily diary design; doubled‐up youth; Economic factors; Economic hardship; Emotions; Ethnic groups; Ethnic identity; Ethnicity; Extended family; Familism; Family Relationship; Family support; Friendship; Gender Differences; Gender identity; Gender relations; Health problems; Hispanic American Students; Housing; Latinx; Males; Men; Mental health; Minority groups; Negative emotions; Positive emotions; Prejudice; Relatives; Resilience; Student Experience; Youth; familism; Latinx; daily diary design; doubled-up youth; ecological momentary assessment
• ISSN: 0033-3085; 1520-6807
• DOI: 10.1002/pits.22391

Doubled‐up Latinx youth experience many daily challenges associated with ethnic minority status and residential instability. Doubled‐up youth share housing with noncustodial caregivers such as friends and/or extended family members primarily because of economic hardship and a breakdown in available parental support. Using data from baseline and 10 days of twice‐a‐day surveys, this study examined how in‐school positive experiences, familism (i.e., a perspective that gives precedence to the family), and ethnic identity (i.e., affirmation, exploration, and resolution) influence after school positive (e.g., feeling joyful/happy) and negative (e.g., feeling stressed/anxious) affect among doubled‐up Latinx youth (70% female; Mage = 16.5). Results indicate that in‐school positive experiences were associated with more after school positive affect and less after school negative affect. In addition, youth with higher levels of familism reported experiencing less after school negative affect. However, gender moderated the relation of ethnic identity exploration and experiences of after school positive affect. Specifically, females with higher levels of ethnic identity exploration reported relatively lower levels of after school positive affect compared with males. Overall, study findings highlight the importance of both person‐level and varying contextual influences on the affective lives of doubled‐up Latinx youth. Practitioner Points 1) Doubled‐up Latinx youth (i.e., youth who share housing with a series of friends and/or extended family) encounter complex and challenging experiences in their daily lives, such as prejudice and residential instability, which can place them at a higher risk for emotional difficulties and mental health concerns. 2) The current study's main findings revealed that daily positive school experiences and cultural factors (i.e., familism and ethnic identity) were positively associated with youth's end‐of‐day positive affect and negatively associated with end‐of‐day negative affect. 3) These findings support the notion that culture and context are necessary to consider in supporting Latinx youth to cultivate a pattern of daily resilience in spite of their unstable residential circumstances.