Familial Cultural Values, Depressive Symptoms, School Belonging and Grades in Latino Adolescents: Does Gender Matter?

Abstract

Past studies document that Latino familial cultural values (i.e. familism, affiliative obedience and filial obligation) protect against depressive symptoms and promote academic resilience in adolescence. However, some studies suggest that familial cultural values differ across gender, with females reporting greater obligations and fewer freedoms compared to their male counterparts. We examined the relationship between familial cultural values, gender, depressive symptoms and school outcomes in a sample of 179 Latino adolescents (52.9 % female; mean age = 14). Females reported greater levels of familism and greater filial obligations. We also found greater familism to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater sense of school belonging for both genders. Similarly, moderate levels of filial obligations were associated with better grades across genders. In contrast, filial obligation and affiliative obedience were associated with fewer depressive symptoms only for females. While these values serve an equally protective function in the academic adjustment of both females and males, familial cultural values may be uniquely protective for females against depressive symptoms. Effective interventions for Latino youth should capitalize on the protective and resilient effects of familial cultural values and be cognizant of the role gender plays in the relationship between these values and outcomes.