RESUMEN
The current study tested elements of the theoretical model of Portes and Rumbaut (1996), which proposes that parent-child differences in English fluency in immigrant families affect various family processes that, in turn, relate to changes in academic success. The current study of 674 Mexican- origin families provided support for the model in that parent-child fluency in a common language was associated with several dimensions of the parent-child relationship, including communication, role reversal, and conflict. In turn, these family processes predicted child academic performance, school problems, and academic aspirations and expectations. The current findings extend the Portes and Rumbaut (1996) model, however, inasmuch as joint fluency in either English or Spanish was associated with better parent-child relationships. The findings have implications for educational and human service issues involving Mexican Americans and other immigrant groups.
Asunto(s)
Escolaridad , Americanos Mexicanos/psicología , Multilingüismo , Relaciones Padres-Hijo/etnología , Adulto , Anciano , Niño , Familia/etnología , Familia/psicología , Conflicto Familiar/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Americanos Mexicanos/estadística & datos numéricos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Factores SocioeconómicosRESUMEN
Dispositional optimism is believed to be an important psychological resource that buffers families against the deleterious consequences of economic adversity. Using data from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin families (N = 674), we tested a family stress model specifying that maternal dispositional optimism and economic pressure affect maternal internalizing symptoms, which, in turn, affects parenting behaviors and children's social adjustment. As predicted, maternal optimism and economic pressure had both independent and interactive effects on maternal internalizing symptoms, and the effects of these variables on changes over time in child social adjustment were mediated by nurturant and involved parenting. The findings replicate and extend previous research on single-parent African American families (Taylor, Larsen-Rife, Conger, Widaman, & Cutrona, 2010), and demonstrate the generalizability of the positive benefits of dispositional optimism in another ethnic group and type of family structure.