The Family Process Model: Predicting Youth Behavior Problems in Mexican American, African American, and European American Families

Abstract

The Family Process Model: Predicting Youth Behavior Problems in Mexican American, African American, and European American Families Rita Gabriela Barajas Research in developmental psychology suggests that economic hardship affects youth indirectly via its negative impact on several family processes. Specifically, parents‘ mental wellbeing, family relations, and ultimately parenting, can be adversely affected by the strain of economic hardship and can lead to deleterious consequences on adolescent well-being. While considerable progress has been made in documenting whether these processes account for the adverse effects of economic hardship on family functioning in European American and African American families, less is known about the processes mediating the effects of economic hardship on Latino families. The lack of research on the applicability of the family process model to Latino families is surprising as Latinos are disproportionately affected by economic