Discrimination In Latino Adolescents

Studying the development of minority ethnic groups is vital if researchers want to understand how they may differ from the majority. Personal and environmental factors interact to either leave a positive or negative effect on adolescents of all ethnicities. However, ethnic minorities, such as Latinos, deal with certain stressors and risk factors more often the majority ethnic group. One particularly high risk factor is discrimination, which is very prevalent in minorities and can be highly stressful and leave lasting effects on those who experience it. This study focused on Latino adolescents, and wanted to find out whether social support provided in schools could offset discrimination. In particular, it looked at the consequence of different

All participants were Latino and in 7th through 10th grade. After seeing out parental consent, 191 students from two middle schools and one high school were able to participate, and 179 students were able to have their outcomes be used in the analysis of the results. The average age of the participants was 14.1, 53% were female, and the majority were of Mexican origin. Additionally, the majority of the participants had at least one parent who was foreign-born, and the entire school district was 34% Latino. Surveys were used to conduct the research. The participants gathered in one school’s cafeteria, and were given a choice of an English or Spanish survey. Only one participant chose the Spanish version. The researchers were available to answer any questions, and also checked each survey as it was turned it to make sure the results were of value. The surveys used were

Non-parental adult support was only helpful in students’ school belonging, while peer support contributed greatly to a more positively perceived school environment, college-going self-efficacy, and decreased depressive symptoms. Peer support even offset the negative effects of discrimination. Interestingly, all participants gave their school a good supportive rating, despite around 80% of them reporting they have experienced at least one discrimination act in school. However, students said that these discrimination acts did not happen often. Additionally, males were found to have more adult discrimination and less adult support. Age did not seem to make a significant difference in any of the factors. The study also discovered that low peer support and high levels of discriminatory acts would lead to more depressive symptoms. Again, adult support had little effect on depressive symptoms in students who have experienced