Mexican Immigrant Families: Relating Trauma and Family Cohesion

Abstract

This article applies structural equation modeling techniques to explore the relationships between constructs related to family strength and cohesion, acculturation, and trauma symptoms. The study uses a purposive sample comprised of 122 immigrant men and women from the Mexican community based in a large midwestern metropolitan Area. The data were collected using standardized instruments: Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV), The Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI), and the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH). A factor analysis was conducted with three scales and the modified versions were found to be a better fit for this sample. The model reporting good fit indices is presented in this article. Cohesion and anxiety were found to be significantly and inversely related (.574), in other words family cohesion explained 57% of the variance in TSI. The indicators of the latent variable FACES shared variance of more than 47% with the underlying latent factor. Although the latent factor of TSI informed the latent factor of intrusive thoughts and the indicators of anxiety from 36% to 83%, the model found a significant inverse relationship between the constructs of family strengths and trauma. Level of acculturation (as measured by the Acculturation Scale) did not report a significant relationship with the other two constructs. The implications for research, public policy, and clinical practice with Mexican immigrant families are discussed.