Abstract
Hispanic immigrants experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depressive symptom chronicity/severity than non-Hispanic peers. Acculturation stress relates to both depressive symptoms and ACEs, but the mechanism is not well-understood. We conducted a secondary data analysis of baseline data, from an ongoing longitudinal study to test theoretically-based mediating and moderating effects of acculturation stress on the relationship between ACEs and depression in a sample of young adult Hispanic immigrants (N = 391). Results indicated ACEs predicted depressive symptoms. Mediation and moderation effects were significant for cumulative and distinct facets of acculturation stress. Implications for mental health nurses are discussed.
Notes
1 Depressive disorders are diagnosed when an individual meets the threshold of a specific illness category as defined by a classification system such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (American Psychiatric Association, Citation2013). Depressive disorders, as defined by the DSM-5, include but are not limited to major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
2 Symptom severity refers to the burden or impact of specific symptoms on functioning, often ranging from “mild” to “severe”.
3 Symptom chronicity refers to the length of time an individual is impacted by specific symptoms, which can range from days to years.
4 Intergenerational gaps refers to family members acculturating at distinct paces, often children acculturating at a rate faster than parents, thereby increasing conflict within the family unit.