Acculturation and internalizing behaviors among immigrant youth in Los Angeles

Background: Examining differences in psychological well-being by ethnicity and immigrant generation can help to uncover factors associated with elevated psychological distress. This study examined racial and ethnic and acculturation differences, measured by immigrant generation and language preference, in youth's internalizing behaviors. Study Questions: (1) Are there disparities in internalizing scores among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of youth living in Los Angeles?; (2) Are differences found by race and ethnicity explained by immigrant generation?; (3) Racial and ethnic and immigrant generation differences persist after controlling for child and family and maternal characteristics (e.g., economic resources, maternal education, and marital status) including maternal depression?; and (4) Does acculturation as measured by language explain differences in youth internalizing outcomes, after controlling for all other child and family/maternal characteristics? Methods: The analysis was based on 1,352 ethnically diverse youth and used linear regression models that appropriately account for sample design. Results: Results indicated that after controlling for key covariates, youth language preference was significantly correlated with internalizing scores. Specifically, adolescents who chose Spanish as their language of preference had significantly higher internalizing behaviors compared to those who chose English (ß = 2.28, p <. 001). Additionally, adolescents of depressed mothers had significantly higher internalizing scores compared to youth of nondepressed mothers (ß = 1.81, p <. 001). Conclusions: Our study illustrates the consequences that result from a language gap among youth in Los Angeles and this gap in language acquisition and acculturation has clear implication for mental health outcomes. Understanding how this gap translates into behavioral outcomes is vital and requires further investigation.