Do Mothers’ Experiences Count? An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of Language Brokering Experiences in Mexican Immigrant Families

Jiaxiu Song, Yang Hou, Nancy L. Hazen, Elma I. Lorenzo-Blanco, Su Yeong Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Language brokering is a shared parent-child experience with implications for parent-child relationships and, in turn, individuals’ psychological well-being; however, few studies recognize the role of parents. This study took a dyadic approach to investigate the association between brokering experiences and internalizing symptoms, and the mediating role of parent-child alienation. Participants were 604 Mexican-origin adolescents (54% female, Mage = 12.41) and their mothers (N = 595). Both adolescents’ and their mothers’ brokering experiences were related to their own internalizing symptoms via their self-reported parent-child alienation. Mothers’ brokering experiences also affected adolescents so that when mothers experienced more negative brokering experiences, adolescents perceived greater parent-child alienation, and in turn more internalizing symptoms, suggesting the necessity of considering language brokering’s influence on members involved as a dyadic process.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)888-903
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Youth and Adolescence
Volume51
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords

  • Actor-partner interdependence model
  • Internalizing symptoms
  • Language brokering
  • Mexican-origin adolescents and mothers
  • Parent-child alienation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Education
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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