Family ethnic socialization practices longitudinally associated with cultural assets, civic responsibility, and prosocial behaviors in rural U.S. Latino/a youth

Abstract

Given the increasing number of Latino/a youth in the United States who reside in rural locations and who might be prone to race- and immigrant status-related threats, more research attention is needed that focuses on cultural strengths and positive development. Ecocultural developmental theorists and prior research have postulated and found that family ethnic socialization practices, ethnic identity, and familism values are linked to a variety of positive developmental outcomes in U.S. Latino/a youth. The present longitudinal study addresses the relative dearth of cultural strength-based research among rural U.S. Latino/a youth and examines the relations among family ethnic socialization practices, ethnic identity, familism, civic responsibility, and care-based, responsive prosocial behaviors in these youth. Participants were a sample of 307 rural, U.S. Midwest, Latino/a youth (M_age = 12.21 years; 46.5% girls). Youth completed measures of family ethnic socialization practices, ethnic identity affirmation, and familism values at Time 1 and civic responsibility and youth care-based, responsive prosocial behaviors 1 year later. Significant indirect associations between family ethnic socialization and youth's care-based prosocial behaviors via ethnic identity, familism, and civic responsibility were found. There were additional direct associations among family ethnic socialization, familism, ethnic identity, civic responsibility, and care-based prosocial behaviors. The findings highlight the central role of culture-group- related mechanisms (ethnic identity and familism) and civic responsibility in understanding the links between family ethnic socialization practices and care-based, responsive prosocial behaviors in rural Midwest U.S. Latino/a youth. These findings are generally in accord with ecocultural strength-based and parental socialization models and have important implications for policy and program interventions aimed at fostering civic and prosocial development in rural ethnic/racial minoritized populations.