Associations of neighborhood contexts and family-level hair cortisol concentration within Mexican immigrant families

Abstract

Many Mexican American immigrant families live in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, which are recognized as risk factors influencing residents’ stress. However, how neighborhood contexts can impact physiological stress at the family level, as indicated by hair cortisol concentration (HCC), particularly among Mexican immigrant family members remains unclear. Using a person-centered approach, the current study identified distinct patterns of family-level HCC and examined their associations with neighborhood contexts (i.e., Hispanic/immigrant concentration, socioeconomic disadvantage, affluence). Participants included 398 adolescents (56.5 % female, M_age = 13.26) and their mothers and fathers. Two profiles emerged and suggested that families living in neighborhoods with higher Hispanic/immigrant concentration and lower affluence were more likely to be in the high family-level HCC group compared to the low family-level HCC group. No group differences were found for neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage. These results highlight the importance of including multiple family members (child and parents) to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how biological stress crossover within families. Our findings also emphasize the importance of integrating neighborhood contexts in shaping the physiological stress levels of Mexican American immigrant families.