College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

Summer 8-20-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Antonio Polo, PhD

Second Advisor

Jocelyn Carter, PhD

Abstract

Depressive symptoms disproportionately affect the burgeoning U.S. population of Latinx youth and adolescents. Peer victimization in school settings is a particularly pervasive stressor among youth, and it can have detrimental effects on mental health. Literature highlights multiple cultural factors unique to Latinx youth that could impact their experiences with peer victimization. The current study analyzed data from 297 Latinx youth (Mage = 11.4; 55.6% female) to examine three domains of acculturative stress (language conflicts, cultural conflicts, and discrimination) and ethnic identity as moderators of the relation between peer victimization and depressive symptoms. A series of two- and three-way interaction analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses, and gender was included as a covariate. While ethnic identity was not found to be a significant moderator, one domain within acculturative stress – cultural conflicts – was found to significantly moderate the relation between peer victimization and depressive symptoms [β = -.12, 95% C.I. (-.04, -.002), p = .03]. Suggestions for interventions, implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

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