Parents’ Differential Treatment in Mexican American Families
Open Access
Author:
Padilla, Jenny
Graduate Program:
Human Development and Family Studies
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
October 30, 2014
Committee Members:
Susan Marie Mc Hale, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Mayra Y Bamaca, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Keywords:
depressive symptoms parents’ differential treatment Mexican American families siblings young adulthood
Abstract:
I examined the longitudinal associations between parents’ differential treatment (PDT) and youths’ depressive symptoms, and risky behaviors from early adolescence through young adulthood. I also tested the moderating roles of birth order, dyad gender constellation, and cultural values in these associations. Mothers, fathers, and two siblings in 246 Mexican American families were interviewed on three occasions. Multilevel models revealed that youth who experienced less warmth and more conflict with parents relative to their sibling, reported more depressive symptoms. Youth who experienced more conflict with parents relative to their sibling, also reported more risky behavior. Fathers’ cultural socialization moderated associations, such that youth who experience more paternal warmth and reported high levels of cultural socialization reported less risky behavior compared to those who reported low levels of cultural socialization.
