Cultural socialization practices among Latino immigrant families within a restrictive immigration socio-political context

Abstract

Cultural socialization has been linked to positive ethnic identity development and found to serve as a buffer to discrimination. The current restrictive immigration political climate may hinder parents' abilities to transmit their culture of origin to children, and impact child health outcomes and development. Fifty-two in-depth interviews with Mexican immigrant parents were used to learn how they culturally socialize their children within an anti-immigrant political climate. Findings revealed two underlying themes in parents' narratives; family context and storytelling. Parents described multiple strategies used to connect their children with their culture of origin; contando mis historias, food, religious practices, traveling to their country of origin, community events and celebrations, and the Spanish language. Parents used photos and web resources to facilitate the cultural socialization process. Parents also described negotiating how to integrate two cultures (country of origin and U.S. American host culture) with their children and within themselves. Recommendations are made for engaging families in culturally informed practice and interventions.