4 - (IOP 10) Stressful Life Events and the Mental Health of Latine Youth: The Moderating Role of Racial/ethnic Identity

Stressful life events (SLE) are increasingly common among Latine youth, with approximately 78% of Latine youth experiencing at least one SLE by the time they are 18 years old (Suarez-Morales et al., 2017). At the same time, SLEs are a well-established transdiagnostic risk factor for youth mental health concerns (McLaughlin et al., 2020). Emerging research has highlighted racial/ethnic identity (REI) as an important protective factor against mental health concerns for racial/ethnic minority youth (e.g., Bath & Meza, 2023); yet, no research has examined the dimensions of REI (i.e., exploration, resolution, and affirmation; Umaña-Taylor et al., 2004) as a potential protective factor influencing the relation between SLEs and mental health risk in an exclusive sample of Latine youth. To that end, this study will examine if the three dimensions of REI moderate the relation between SLEs (i.e., number of SLEs, type of SLEs) and Latine youths’ mental health risk (i.e., anxiety, depressive, and post-traumatic stress symptoms). Hierarchical linear regression analyses will test the models of interest with simple slope analyses probing significant interactions. Preliminary analyses with 90 Latine adolescents demonstrated that as the number of SLEs reported increased, so too did Latine youths’ anxiety (r = .32, p = .001), depressive (r = .35, p < .001), and post-traumatic stress (r = .48, p < .001) symptoms. Further, while SLEs were not significantly related to Latine youths’ REI, Latine youths’ feelings about their racial/ethnic identity (i.e., REI affirmation) were. Specifically, Latine youth who reported feeling negatively about their racial ethnic identity were at increased risk for depressive (r = -.45, p <.001) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (r = -.32, p <.001), but not anxiety symptoms (p =.23). Lastly, Latine youth’s REI affirmation significantly moderated the relation between Latine youths’ depressive (β = .35, p < .001) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (β = .32, p < .001) such that those who reported feeling more positive about their REI were at decreased mental health risk in the context of a higher number of SLEs. No other significant results were found. Building on these preliminary results, this paper will also explore how these relations vary as a function of the type of SLE (i.e., threat vs. deprivation; interpersonal vs. non-interpersonal; migration-related SLEs in immigrant youth). Of note, data collection efforts are ongoing, and we expect that our sample size will increase to at least 100 participants by the time of presentation. Results of this work are critical for informing future, strength-based interventions that can be used to mitigate mental health risk for Latine youth exposed to SLEs.