Family Contextual Effect on Bicultural Competence Development among Mexican American Youth

Family context shapes migrant youths’ dual-cultural adaptation (acculturation/enculturation; Motti-Stefanidi et al., 2012), including the development of bicultural competence, or the ability to navigate two cultures. Changes in family context across time result in migrant youth experiencing shifting affordances across development (Masten & Obradovic, 2006). Specifically, migrant youths’ parents also undergo dual-cultural adaption and, relatedly, engage in dual-culture socialization processes to teach their children about cultural scripts from two cultures (Romero et al., 2000). However, there is no research directly addressing how parents’ dual-cultural adaptation changes across their youths’ development relate to development of bicultural competencies among migrant youth.

We examined how mothers’ dual-cultural adaptation trajectories related to the development of youth behavioral (facility in navigating bicultural demands) and affective (comfort in doing so) bicultural competencies. We estimated linear growth trajectories of 749 Mexican-American mothers’ acculturation (endorsement of American values) and enculturation (endorsement of Mexican values) processes over 5 years, and examined relations between acculturation and enculturation trajectories. Next, we tested whether mothers’ dual-cultural adaption processes predicted youths’ bicultural competencies two years later. Results suggested mothers’ acculturation levels when their youths were 10 years old predicted youths’ behavioral bicultural competence at age 17 (ß = .108, p = .032), controlling for mothers’ enculturation trajectories. No effects were found for youths’ affective bicultural competence. Multiple-group models will be estimated to investigate nativity differences. Models for fathers will also be estimated.

Youth bicultural competence development is predicted by mothers’ dual-cultural adaptation processes. Understanding how parents’ dual-cultural adaptations relate to youth’s biculturalism is critical.