Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The negative effects of discrimination on mental health are well-established. Few longitudinal studies have investigated protective factors that could mitigate these effects for Mexican-origin youth in the U.S. This three-wave longitudinal study examines individual-, family-, peer-, and neighborhood-level protective factors attenuating the effect of discrimination-related stress on youth depressive and anxiety symptoms.
METHOD: We surveyed 344 Mexican-origin youth (aged 12-15) from two Midwestern counties longitudinally over three annual waves. Youth completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and discrimination as well as six potential protective factors: perceived social position, parent-child relationship, peer relationships, perceived social support, school connectedness, and neighborhood collective efficacy. Multilevel models with time-varying variables were used to analyze the effect of the potential protective factors on the association between discrimination and depressive and anxiety symptoms.
RESULTS: Perceived social position, parent-child relationship, peer relationships, and perceived social support significantly attenuated the impact of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms at the between-youth level, but not at the within-youth level. No significant protective factors emerged for racial discrimination and anxiety symptoms at either the between-youth or within-youth level. No cross-moderation effects were observed.
CONCLUSION: Results highlight the importance of self-perceived social position and support in combating the effects of discrimination on Mexican-origin youth's depressive symptoms. Most protective factors centered on interpersonal relationships with caregivers and peers. Findings indicate the need for a greater understanding of school connectedness and neighborhood collective efficacy as non-significant protective factors, perhaps because these continue to be discriminatory rather than supportive contexts.