Mental health among Latinx emerging adults: Examining the role of familial accusations of assimilation and ethnic identity

Objective: The aims of this study are to investigate (1) how family response to acculturation (e.g., accusations of assimilation) is related to anxiety and depressive symptomatology for Latinx emerging adults. This study's goal is also to analyze (2) the extent to which ethnic identity components and gender moderate the respective associations. Method: Cross-sectional survey was completed by 200 Latinx emerging adults. Inclusion criteria involved reading English, ages 18–25, currently reside in Maricopa or Miami-Dade Counties and self-identify as Latinx. Analysis used hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses. Results: Findings indicate that higher familial accusations of assimilation were associated with higher symptoms of depression and anxiety. Moderation analyses indicate that gender had a statistically significant interaction with accusations of assimilation in relation to symptoms of both depression and anxiety. A significant three-way interaction between ethnic identity exploration, gender, and intracultural accusations of assimilation in relation to symptoms of depression interaction among men was found. Conclusion: Findings from the study add to literature on the effect of intragroup marginalization on Latinx mental health and highlight gender differences. The ethnic identity component of exploration is found to be a protective factor for men which wanes over increasing levels of accusation of assimilation.