Discrimination and Internalizing Symptoms in Rural Latinx Adolescents: an Ecological Model of Etiology

Introduction: There is a well-documented relationship between perceived discrimination and internalizing symptoms among Latinx adolescents. However, few studies have examined how this psychosocial stressor relates to multiple domains of functioning in rural Latinx adolescents simultaneously. This study tested a spillover model of internalizing symptom development, where the negative effects of perceived discrimination are experienced through peer and family relationships. Methods: Rural Latinx adolescents (n = 639; Mage = 15.62, SDage = 1.09; 53% female) provided information on social, familial, and individual risk and resilience factors that affect adolescents' mental health. A serial mediation model was conducted using structural equation modeling. Exploratory analyses examined whether these effects varied based on adolescents' age, gender, and acculturation level. Results: Perceived discrimination was significantly associated with peer victimization. In turn, higher peer victimization was significantly associated with lower familism, where higher familism was significantly associated with lower internalizing symptoms. The serial indirect effect (i.e., perceived discrimination -* peer victimization -* familism -* internalizing symptoms) was statistically significant, indicating a pathway through which perceived discrimination affects peer and family domains of functioning. Age emerged as a significant moderator of the indirect effect specifically by moderating the discrimination -* peer victimization path. Conclusions: The results are consistent with a spillover model where perceived discrimination increases risk for peer victimization, which in turn erodes protective family-oriented values such as familism, especially among older adolescents. These findings highlight a potential etiological model by which experiences of discrimination may lead to the development of internalizing symptomatology.