Latina/o adolescent adjustment: understanding the role of adolescent self-disclosure to mothers
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Andrea L. Kulish (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Gabriela Stein
Abstract: Latina/o adolescents experience an increased risk for the development of both internalizing and externalizing problems compared to non-Latina/o white youth (Anderson & Mayes, 2010; Coatsworth, Pantin, & Szapocznik, 2002). Research demonstrates that parent-adolescent communication is one important familial process that influences the development and attenuation of these symptoms (Davidson & Cardemil, 2009). However, little work has investigated how adolescent self-disclosure to mothers may play a role in Latina/o youth adjustment. The current dissertation explored correlates of behavioral and emotional self-disclosure in Latina/o adolescents using an emic approach. This study had two specific aims: (1) To investigate the relation between two types of adolescent self-disclosure—behavioral and emotional—and two types of adolescent adjustment—internalizing and externalizing problems. (2) To identify predictors of both behavioral and emotional self-disclosure, incorporating both universal and cultural factors. These aims were tested in a sample of 217 second generation Latina/o adolescents ages 13-17 (mean age = 15.22; 78.8% female) across the U.S. Adolescents completed an online survey including questionnaires about self-disclosure, adjustment, relationship quality with their mother, maternal reactions to disclosure, cultural values, and language gaps with mothers. Results indicated that behavioral and emotional self-disclosure differentially predict youth adjustment, and relationship quality is an important predictor of Latina/o youth frequency of disclosure. Post-hoc analyses suggested that cultural factors do indeed impact Latina/o youth disclosure and adjustment, and that relationship quality is indirectly related to youth adjustment through self-disclosure.
Latina/o adolescent adjustment: understanding the role of adolescent self-disclosure to mothers
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Created on 8/1/2020
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2020
- Keywords
- Acculturation, Adolescent self-disclosure, Externalizing problems, Internalizing problems, Latina/o adolescents
- Subjects
- Hispanic American teenagers $a Psychology
- Adjustment (Psychology) in adolescence
- Self-disclosure in adolescence
- Emotions in adolescence
- Mother and child