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Schedule:
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Columbia A/B (Hyatt Regency Washington, Washington, DC)
* noted as presenting author
Introduction: Cambodian refugees in the U.S. have had to adjust to a culture that is very different from their own. These refugees suffer from high rates of mental health problems due to their history of war trauma, genocide, and migration stress. Cambodian American (CA) youth also are at high risk for mental health problems and other negative life outcomes. Previous research suggests that acculturative factors may play a particularly important role in the lives of CA youth as they are exposed to two different cultures and the challenges involved in the cultural adjustment process. More research is needed to examine the effects of cultural variables on outcomes of well-being among CA youth, especially the mediating effects of social attachments in the lives of these youth.
Method: This study investigated a mediation model of the relationship of acculturation, enculturation, and intergenerational cultural conflict to outcomes of well-being among 222 CA youth. The mediators were mother-child, father-child, peer, and school attachments. Outcomes of well-being included internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, and general physical health problems. We employed structural equation modeling to test the mediation model, including multi-group SEM to examine gender differences. We used the bias-corrected bootstrapping model to examine the significance of mediated effects.
Results: SEM analysis indicated that the model fit the data adequately, using the maximum likelihood estimation. The results showed that among the mediators, only school attachment was statistically significant in the relationship of intergenerational cultural conflict to internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, and general physical health problems. Specifically, intergenerational cultural conflict was negatively associated with school attachment, which in turn, was negatively associated with internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and general physical health problems. The multi-group SEM results showed significant gender differences in specific paths between cultural variables, mediators, and well-being outcomes.
Conclusion: Results highlight the importance of mediating effects of school attachment in the relationship between intergenerational cultural conflict and outcomes of well-being among CA adolescents. The cultural conflict between parents and children suggests the additional challenges faced by these youth and the impact it has on their sense of connection to the school community, and consequently to their mental and physical health. Prevention programs focusing on the health needs of CA youth should include components that address the stress associated with the acculturative experience, encompassing adjustment within the family and school contexts. Prevention programs also need to attend to potential gender differences in the life experiences of CA youth.
Method: This study investigated a mediation model of the relationship of acculturation, enculturation, and intergenerational cultural conflict to outcomes of well-being among 222 CA youth. The mediators were mother-child, father-child, peer, and school attachments. Outcomes of well-being included internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, and general physical health problems. We employed structural equation modeling to test the mediation model, including multi-group SEM to examine gender differences. We used the bias-corrected bootstrapping model to examine the significance of mediated effects.
Results: SEM analysis indicated that the model fit the data adequately, using the maximum likelihood estimation. The results showed that among the mediators, only school attachment was statistically significant in the relationship of intergenerational cultural conflict to internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, and general physical health problems. Specifically, intergenerational cultural conflict was negatively associated with school attachment, which in turn, was negatively associated with internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and general physical health problems. The multi-group SEM results showed significant gender differences in specific paths between cultural variables, mediators, and well-being outcomes.
Conclusion: Results highlight the importance of mediating effects of school attachment in the relationship between intergenerational cultural conflict and outcomes of well-being among CA adolescents. The cultural conflict between parents and children suggests the additional challenges faced by these youth and the impact it has on their sense of connection to the school community, and consequently to their mental and physical health. Prevention programs focusing on the health needs of CA youth should include components that address the stress associated with the acculturative experience, encompassing adjustment within the family and school contexts. Prevention programs also need to attend to potential gender differences in the life experiences of CA youth.