Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depressive Symptoms among Young Adult Hispanic Immigrants: Moderating and Mediating Effects of Distinct Facets of Acculturation Stress

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, 2013). 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.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01MD012249: SER Hispano: Salud/Health, Estrés/Stress, y/and Resiliencia/Resilience among Young Adult Hispanic Immigrants (PI: R. Gonzalez-Guarda). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Lilian Bravo was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Nursing Research under award number T32NR007091-24: Interventions for Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness (MPIs: S. Santacroce/J. Leeman). Gabriela A. Nagy was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities under award number R01MD012249-03S1: Acculturation Stress, Biomarkers, and Psychopathology among Hispanic Immigrants (Project PI: G. Nagy, Parent Grant PI: R. Gonzalez-Guarda) and she is an awardee of a career development award through the Duke University REACH Equity Center; funded through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 5U54MD012530-04.