ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Racial/ethnic discrimination is a common and salient stressor for many individuals. Although discrimination can impair personal and relational well-being, little is known about its influences on the process of considering dissolution (i.e., relationship instability). In two studies of Latino/a young adults, we examined associations among discrimination, psychological distress, relational uncertainty, and relationship instability. METHOD: Study 1 assessed self-reports of 475 participants aged 18-29 (60.2% female, Mage = 24.8, SD = 3.22). Study 2 examined self-reports of 462 participants aged 18-29 (40.9% female, Mage = 25.9, SD = 2.72). Structural equation models evaluated direct and indirect associations among study variables. RESULTS: Discrimination was associated with relationship instability, both directly and indirectly via its associations with psychological distress and, in Study 1, relational uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: Overall results suggest that racial/ethnic discrimination is associated with romantic relationship instability through its associations with psychological distress and uncertainty about the future of a relationship. Prior research demonstrates the resilience of Latino/a communities, and our findings reinforce the need for policies and clinical resources that reduce discrimination and support mental health and relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
ABSTRACT
Using the sociocultural model and risk and resilience theory, we examined the moderating role of Latinas' family relationship quality on the associations between negative eating and weight messages from fathers, mothers, and sisters, and Latinas' body image shame. Utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk, we recruited a sample of 195 Latina young adults (Mage = 23.24, range = 18 -25; SD = 1.95; 67.4 % Mexican-origin) who reported retrospectively on negative appearance-related messages from each family member (i.e., fathers, mothers, and sisters), positive (e.g., parental warmth and sibling intimacy) and negative (i.e., parental psychological control and sibling negativity) relationship quality with parents and sisters, and current body image shame. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that negative eating and weight messages from fathers, mothers, and sisters and sibling negativity were positively and significantly associated with Latinas' body image shame. Further, we found that under conditions of high paternal psychological control but not low, the associations between fathers' messages and Latinas' body image shame were strengthened. For mothers, under conditions of low maternal psychological control but not high, the associations between mothers' messages and Latinas' body image shame were strengthened. Our findings reveal that family members' negative comments are harmful for Latinas' body image.
