Research & Resources

Familism, or prioritizing the family over the individual, is a central cultural value endorsed by Latinx youth that has been identified as a promotive factor for their psychological well-being. Researchers tested whether parental alcohol use moderated the association between familism values and youth depressive symptoms and self-esteem among a sample of 167 Latinx youth. Findings showed that youth familism values were associated with greater self-esteem and fewer depressive symptoms among the youth. Parental alcohol use was not associated directly with either outcome, but, consistent with hypotheses, significantly interacted with familism values to predict self-esteem such that the promotive effect of familism on youth’s self-esteem was not evident when parental alcohol use was high.

This paper, “Familism and psychological wellbeing among Latinx youth: The role of parental alcohol use,” was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and published in the Journal of family psychology.