Gabriela Stein - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Gabriela Stein

Social Sciences

Racial-ethnic socialization is a process where parents pass beliefs and behaviors to their childr... more Racial-ethnic socialization is a process where parents pass beliefs and behaviors to their children, including critical reflections on race and racism. Currently, it is not well known across racial/ethnic groups in the U.S how parents’ socialization competency (confidence, skills, and stress surrounding the delivery of racial-ethnic socialization) coalesces with the frequency with which they deliver different types of socialization messages (socialization content). The current study utilizes latent profile analysis to examine racial-ethnic socialization content and competency patterns among 203 Black, 194 Latinx, and 188 Asian American parents (n = 585, Mage = 44.46, SD = 9.14, 59.70% mothers) with children 10–18 years old (Mage = 14.30, SD = 2.49, 50.3% female). Furthermore, we relate profiles to sociodemographic and relevant factors posited to impact socialization competency and content delivery, namely, discrimination and critical consciousness dimensions (reflection, motivation,...

Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 2019

Objectives: Latina mothers in emerging immigrant communities experience heightened risk for depre... more Objectives: Latina mothers in emerging immigrant communities experience heightened risk for depressive symptoms because of the convergence of multiple risk factors rooted in economic, cultural, and familial experiences. Previous research with Latina/o adolescents has found that discrimination, and not acculturative stress, predicts depressive symptoms; however, no research to our knowledge has examined the relative impact of both discrimination and acculturative stress in Latina mothers. Method: The present study expands this literature by examining how both universal (i.e., economic hardship and parent-child conflict) and cultural stressors (i.e., discrimination and acculturative-based family conflict) predict maternal depressive symptoms in a sample of 169 Latina mothers in an emerging immigrant context. Results: Results found that the presence of universal stressors for Latina mothers does indeed significantly predict depressive symptoms, and that uniquely, 1 type of cultural stressor (i.e., acculturative-based family conflict) predicts depressive symptoms above and beyond the universal stressors. Conclusions: These findings indicate that it is important to examine how cultural stressors may have differential impact for youth and their parents; thus, more work should examine the impact of acculturative-based family conflict for Latina mothers.

Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, Jan 4, 2018

Cultural value endorsement and ethnic-racial identity promote Latino/a adolescent positive adapta... more Cultural value endorsement and ethnic-racial identity promote Latino/a adolescent positive adaptation and mitigate the negative impacts of perceived ethnic-racial discrimination. This study explored the intergenerational process of how adolescents develop these cultural characteristics in concert with their experiences of discrimination, focusing on the role of youth-reported maternal ethnic-racial socialization processes. Participants included 175 Latino/a adolescent-mother dyads recruited from the 7th and 8th grades in an understudied emerging immigrant destination. We tested the effects of maternal cultural characteristics (i.e., familism, private regard, and perceived discrimination) on the same adolescent outcomes through youth-reported maternal ethnic-racial socialization practices (i.e., cultural socialization, preparation for bias, promotion of mistrust, and familism socialization, a novel construct introduced in this study). Three significant indirect pathways were identifi...

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2013

Socioeconomic stress has long been found to place youth at risk, with low family income conferrin... more Socioeconomic stress has long been found to place youth at risk, with low family income conferring disadvantages in adolescents' school achievement and success. This study investigates the role of socioeconomic stress on academic adjustment, and pinpoints family obligation as a possible buffer of negative associations. We examined direct and interactive effects at two time points in the same sample of Asian American adolescents-early high school (N = 180 9th-10th graders; 60 % female) and 2 years later in late high school (N = 156 11th-12th graders; 87 % of original sample). Results suggest that socioeconomic stress is indeed associated with poor academic adjustment, measured broadly through self-reported GPA, importance of academic success, and educational aspirations and expectations. Family obligation was positively related to adjustment, and also was found to buffer the negative effects of socioeconomic stress, but only during adolescents' later high school years. Adolescents reporting more family obligation experienced less of the negative effects of financial stress on academic outcomes than those reporting lower obligation. Cultural and developmental implications are discussed in light of these direct and moderating effects.

Qualitative Social Work, 2012

Parents are gatekeepers for their children’s mental-health treatment, yet many are unclear about ... more Parents are gatekeepers for their children’s mental-health treatment, yet many are unclear about what behaviors warrant intervention. Seeking treatment is further complicated for immigrant parents whose cultural backgrounds may influence their understanding of mental health. This analysis uses qualitative data from [MASKED], which is a representative study of newly immigrated youth (12–18 years) and their parents, to examine parental perceptions of mental health and to determine patterns of help seeking and service use. Sixteen parents participated in semistructured qualitative interviews that used vignettes to elicit parental beliefs about adolescent behavior and mental health. Findings suggest parents 1) identify behavior that meets diagnostic criteria as problematic; 2) ascribe those behaviors to a range of etiologies; and 3) desire to intervene. Two areas of service delivery emerged as problematic: many parents expect services delivered in ways that conflict with current practic...

Adolescent friendships have traditionally been defined as involving a reciprocal intimate bond, b... more Adolescent friendships have traditionally been defined as involving a reciprocal intimate bond, but little research has examined the implications of the lack of affection reciprocity for adolescent positive adjustment. Further, past research suggests that self-and peer- reported intimacy are only modestly correlated, indicating meaningful variability in affection reciprocity within adolescent friendships. Friendships that lack affection reciprocity may be conflict-ridden and imbalanced, leading to adolescent maladaptive outcomes including alcohol use and negative affect. The current study examined the effects of affectionately discrepant friendships in a sample of 94 adolescents. Results indicate that affective discrepancies friendships are psychologically meaningful and within adolescent friendships can be differentiated from (non-discrepant) high intimacy friendships. The lack of affection reciprocity places adolescent at risk for imbalanced friendships and negative affect, althou...

Journal of Family Psychology, 2022

As the research on familism values, or cultural values relating to support, interconnectedness, a... more As the research on familism values, or cultural values relating to support, interconnectedness, and obligations has blossomed, scholars are increasingly interested in the applicability and impact of familism values across diverse racial/ethnic youth. However, existing measures of familism tend to be long, posing potential practicality issues and have not been validated for use across youth from different racial/ethnic groups. Through a series of conceptual steps and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we developed the Short Attitudinal Familism Scale, a 6-item, shortened, unidimensional version of Lugo Steidel and Contreras's (2003) 18-item Attitudinal Familism Scale. This measure was created and validated in a sample of 671 Black, Latinx American, Asian American, and Multiracial youth (Mage = 17.23, 73.6% female). Multigroup measurement invariance testing indicated that the Short Attitudinal Familism Scale was almost wholly noninvariant and may be used reliably across racial/ethnic groups. Finally, we established construct validity by demonstrating negative associations with depressive symptoms in all but Asian American youth and positive associations between familism and ethnic-racial identity (ERI) for all youth. In conducting these tests using regressions using observed mean scores and structural equation modeling (SEM) using latent variables, we demonstrated that using a mean score of this scale led to small and negligible amounts of attenuation in estimates and similar statistical conclusions compared to those derived from SEM. Our study adds to the field by introducing a practical, unidimensional measure of familism values that may be used across racial/ethnic groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Emerging adulthood, 2021

Asian and Latinx emerging adults in the United States typically hold stronger values and expectat... more Asian and Latinx emerging adults in the United States typically hold stronger values and expectations regarding their duty to support and respect their families than their White peers. Yet, research has not fully explored how meeting familial expectations is associated with psychological well-being in these populations. This study examined ethnic-racial differences in perceptions of meeting familial expectations and their relation to depressive symptoms and self-esteem (i.e., positive and negative self-image) in Latinx, Asian, and White emerging adults. Participants were 1,223 students (51% female, mean age = 19.2) recruited from a state university in southern California. Results found that meeting familial expectations regarding personal responsibility was negatively associated with depressive symptoms only for Asian youth, and with negative self-image for all groups; however, the association was stronger for Asians. Further, meeting familial academic expectations was positively as...

Race and Social Problems, 2021

This study investigated the main and interactive effects of identity-based challenges, discrimina... more This study investigated the main and interactive effects of identity-based challenges, discrimination, and Multiracial pride on psychological distress in Biracial emerging adults. Additionally, we examined whether these associations may differ by Biracial sub-group (e.g., black–white, Asian–white, Latinx–white, and minority–minority) given their unique racial experiences. Participants were 326 Biracial emerging adults ( M age = 19.57 years old; 75.2% female) recruited from three public universities in the United States for an online survey. For all Biracial groups, identity-based challenges were associated with greater psychological distress. After testing a series of competing multi-group regression models, results indicated that the relations between distress and our predictors: identity-based challenges, discrimination, and Multiracial pride do indeed differ across Biracial sub-group. The most apparent and unique differences were displayed by the black–white Biracial sub-group. ...

Journal of Family Issues, 2021

Building on the Behavioral Process Model of Familism, the current study examined the longitudinal... more Building on the Behavioral Process Model of Familism, the current study examined the longitudinal association between public and private ethnic regard and familial support, and familism values in a...

Journal of Family Psychology, 2021

Familism is a central cultural value endorsed by Latinx youth that has been identified as a promo... more Familism is a central cultural value endorsed by Latinx youth that has been identified as a promotive factor for their psychological wellbeing (Stein et al., 2014). However, in the context of familial stress, familism values may instead serve to increase risk, but this research has not been extended to consider parental alcohol use as a risk context. Using a sample of 167 Latinx youth (Mage = 12.86, SD = 0.68, 52% female) from an immigrant community in the Southeast, we tested whether parental alcohol use moderated the association between familism values and youth depressive symptoms and self-esteem. Youth familism values were associated with greater self-esteem and fewer depressive symptoms. 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. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Journal of Family Psychology, 2021

Coping in the context of racial-ethnic discrimination is often framed as an individualistic proce... more Coping in the context of racial-ethnic discrimination is often framed as an individualistic process, where the focus is on how the individual deals with the racialized stressor to mitigate its negative effects. However, individuals exist within social contexts including the family and coping processes may operate interdependently as well. Further, racialized stressors have the potential to disrupt the entire family system, regardless of whether the experience in that moment is shared among all its members. Despite these realities, few studies have considered how Latinx youth and their parents may cope together in the face of racial-ethnic discrimination. To address this gap, we analyzed focus group data from Mexican-origin adolescents (n = 17; Mage = 12.8; 71% girls) and their parents (n = 17; Mage = 42.8; 82% mothers) to explore the coping strategies used in response to racial-ethnic discrimination. An inductive thematic analysis identified a broad range of coping strategies representing both individualistic and interdependent approaches to deal with racial-ethnic discrimination. Strategies included (a) reframing (with pride) and ignoring an encounter, (b) standing up for oneself, (c) talking issues out, (d) problem-solving together, and (e) protection tactics. These findings provide evidence for the ways in which Mexican-origin families help adolescents cope with racial-ethnic discrimination and offer a glimpse as to how adolescents may help their families cope as well. Future research is needed to further explore the interdependent nature of coping as Latinx family members protect and support one another in the face of pervasive racialized stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2020

Race-related biases and discrimination and easily observable race-related characteristics, such a... more Race-related biases and discrimination and easily observable race-related characteristics, such as skin color, appear to go hand and hand, but it remains unclear how these factors work together to shape youth development. The current study addresses this gap by investigating skin color satisfaction as a mediator between perceptions of discrimination and adjustment. Data are from a cross-sectional sample of Latinx youth ( N = 175; M age = 12.86; 51.4% female; 86.9% US-born) who completed measures of foreigner-based objectification, peer discrimination, adult discrimination, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and the importance or value attributed to academic success. Evidence of significant indirect effects of skin color satisfaction in the links between foreigner-based objectification and self-esteem as well as academic importance was found. Skin color satisfaction did not mediate links between either peer or adult discrimination and self-esteem, depression, and academic importance. The results provide support that being perceived as a foreigner has negative implications for Latinx youth adjustment through skin color satisfaction. The present study expands understanding of how different forms of differential treatment may affect minoritized youth. Implications and future research ideas are discussed.

Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 2012

Although immigrant adolescents typically have high hopes for their futures, educational and caree... more Although immigrant adolescents typically have high hopes for their futures, educational and career outcomes often do not match aspirations. The future aspirations of 17 Latina/o adolescents in an emerging immigrant community were explored. Qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed using consensual qualitative research methodology (CQR). Interviews focused on goals for education/career and supports and barriers to reaching those goals. Overall, students expressed high aspirations but were unclear on how to achieve them. Family members and school personnel were seen as supportive, but with limitations. Barriers mentioned by most participants included early pregnancy, finances, and circumstances beyond their control; they declined to endorse other barriers when prompted. Students also held less optimistic views of the educational and career possibilities of an “average” Latina/o/a as compared to their own goals, which is framed in terms of stereotypes. A clear theme emerged wh...

Many children have mental illnesses such as depression. These illnesses can affect a child's phys... more Many children have mental illnesses such as depression. These illnesses can affect a child's physical health and overall well-being. Children with mental illnesses may also struggle to do well in school. Latino children with mental illnesses are half as likely to get mental health care as white non-Latino children. Latino families often report that they have a hard time getting care. When they do get care, they may be unhappy with it. The research team created an education program to teach Latino parents and caregivers skills to help their children get the mental health care they need. Researchers call these skills parent activation skills.