Bicultural: Examining Teenage Latinas' Perspectives on Technologies for Emotional Support

Abstract

Latina adolescents are one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the USA and have been found to experience higher levels of emotional distress than their non-Latino counterparts. Reliance on emotional support from the teens' social network is a common coping mechanism. While digital media is increasingly used by Latinas to communicate and express themselves, few, if any, studies have explored the perspectives of Latinas on the role of technology in helping the enactment of emotional support. In this paper, we share the perspectives of thirteen Latina adolescents (15-18 years old) that emerged through a series of participation design workshops. Our findings suggest that bicultural aspects of Latina identity can influence perspectives on the role of technology, and provide insights into attitudes towards bicultural conflicts in emotional health. We also share our participatory design technique that incorporated an ecological framework and suggestions for future use of such an approach.