142-01: Stress and U.S. Latino/a College Students’ Aspirations and Adjustment: The Protective Role of Family Relationships

Using data from 208 U.S. Latino/a college students, we examined academic stress as a possible intervening mechanism for the associations between acculturative stress and future aspirations, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. We also examined support from mothers, fathers, and siblings, as potential moderators of the associations between acculturative stress and academic stress. Findings revealed that acculturative stress predicted increased academic stress, which, in turn, predicted decreased future aspirations, and increased anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, findings revealed that high levels of sibling support is a protective factor for the associations between acculturative stress and future aspirations and depressive symptoms among U.S. Latino/a college students.

Objectives

- Evaluate the associations between acculturative stress, academic stress, future aspirations, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among U.S. Latino/a college students.
- Explore the role of supportive relationships with mothers, fathers, and siblings, for the associations between acculturative stress and academic stress.
- Explore a conditional process model testing under what conditions familial support is protective for the associations between acculturative stress, academic stress, future aspirations, and adjustment outcomes.

Keywords: Hispanic/Latino/a/Latinx, stress, well-being

142-02: Latina Females’ Academic Motivation: Individual, Family and Cultural Predictors

With a sample of Mexican-origin females (N=337), the current study used structural equation modeling to examine the associations among participants’ report of parental support and family ethnic socialization (Wave 1) with self-esteem, ethnic-identity (Wave 2), and academic motivation (Wave 3). Additionally, self-esteem and ethnic-identity were examined as potential mediating factors. Results indicated that the model was a good fit to the data. Findings supported the associations between family ethnic socialization and adolescent academic motivation, parental support and self-esteem, and self-esteem and academic motivation. No mediational results emerged. This study highlights the importance of concurrently investigating the contribution of cultural, family, and individual factors for promoting academic motivation.

Objectives

- To examine the longitudinal association among parental support and family ethnic socialization on academic motivation.
- To test the potential meditational role of self-esteem and ethnic-identity for the longitudinal association among parental support and family ethnic socialization on academic motivation.
- To understand the implications of cultural, familial, and individual level factors for the promotion of Latina females' academic motivation.

Keywords: Hispanic/Latino/a/Latinx, parents / parenting, adolescence

142-03: Effect of Minority, Low-Income, and First-Generation Status on the Financial Capabilities of Undergraduate College Students

Studies on college student populations have examined the relationship between family financial socialization and financial capability, but few have considered the influence of minority, low-income, and first-generation status. Therefore, the current study integrated the Gudmunson and Danes’ (2011) family financial socialization framework with Sherraden’s (2013) multi-dimensional financial capability model to explore whether financial socialization mediates the relationships between personal characteristics (e.g., internal locus of control) and financial capability. This study also explored potential differences between college students with minority, low-income, or first-generation college student status to students without these risk factors. Results suggest financial socialization mediates the relationship between personal characteristics and financial attitudes for both groups, but only mediates the relationship with financial knowledge for at-risk groups. Implications are discussed.

Objectives

- To examine whether family financial socialization processes mediate the relationships between personal characteristics (i.e., non-avoidant tendencies, internal locus of control, and positive self-esteem) and financial capability (i.e., financial attitudes, financial knowledge, access to financial resources, and financial actions/behaviors).
- To develop a family financial socialization model which compares college students with risk factors (minority, low-income, and first-generation) those without these risk factors.
- To discuss factors to consider when developing programs to promote financial capability among at-risk college students.

Keywords: mediation/indirect effects, young adulthood, parent-child relationships

142-04: Latino/a College Students: Examining the Role of Familism Support in Associations Among Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, and Discrimination

Latino/a college students comprise the largest ethnic minority group enrolled in U.S colleges and universities (Stepler, 2016). However, attending college may be stressful for Latinos/as who may experience acculturative stress (Castillo et al., 2015) while also being exposed to experiences of discrimination (Falcon & Tucker, 2000). Acculturative stress –the challenges of the acculturation process (Berry, 2003) –may help explain the relation between acculturation and perceived discrimination among Latino/a college students. Findings showed that acculturative stress mediated the relation between acculturation and perceived discrimination. Although no significant moderated-mediation was found, findings highlighted the inverse relation between familism support and acculturative stress.

Objectives

- To examine the indirect effect of acculturation on Latino/a college students’ perceived discrimination via acculturative stress.
- To explore the moderating role of familism support on the link between acculturation and acculturative stress.
- To examine if the indirect effect is moderated by familism support.

Keywords: stress, Hispanic/Latino/a/Latinx, discrimination