Familial Cultural Values, Depressive Symptoms, School Belonging and Grades in Latino
Adolescents: Does Gender Matter?
By: Alexandra M. Cupito, Gabriela L. Stein, Laura M. Gonzalez
Cupito, A., Stein, G. L., & Gonzalez, L. M. (2014). Familial cultural values, gender, and
psychological and academic risk and resilience. Journal of Child and Family Studies. DOI:
10.1007/s10826-014-9967-7
The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-
9967-7
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Abstract:
Past studies document that Latino familial cultural values (i.e. familism, affiliative obedience and
filial obligation) protect against depressive symptoms and promote academic resilience in
adolescence. However, some studies suggest that familial cultural values differ across gender,
with females reporting greater obligations and fewer freedoms compared to their male
counterparts. We examined the relationship between familial cultural values, gender, depressive
symptoms and school outcomes in a sample of 179 Latino adolescents (52.9 % female; mean age
= 14). Females reported greater levels of familism and greater filial obligations. We also found
greater familism to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater sense of school
belonging for both genders. Similarly, moderate levels of filial obligations were associated with
better grades across genders. In contrast, filial obligation and affiliative obedience were
associated with fewer depressive symptoms only for females. While these values serve an
equally protective function in the academic adjustment of both females and males, familial
cultural values may be uniquely protective for females against depressive symptoms. Effective
interventions for Latino youth should capitalize on the protective and resilient effects of familial
cultural values and be cognizant of the role gender plays in the relationship between these values
and outcomes.
Keywords: Familial cultural values | Latinos/Latinas | Academic achievement | Depressive
symptoms | Adolescence
Article:
Introduction
Gender socialization and family cultural values have been extensively researched in the lives of
Latino youth, but surprisingly few studies have examined the intersection of these two constructs
(Esparza and Sánchez 2008; Fuligni et al. 1999; Raffaelli and Ontai 2004). The limited research
on gender and familial cultural values has found that females tend to report fewer freedoms and