This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Love, J. A. Articles by Buriel, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Language Brokering, Autonomy, Parent-Child Bonding, Biculturalism, and Depression

A Study of Mexican American Adolescents From Immigrant Families

Claremont Graduate University, julialove503{at}gmail.com

Raymond Buriel

Pomona College

This study examines the relationship between language brokering, parent-child bonding, perceived autonomy, biculturalism, and depression for Mexican American adolescents. It was hypothesized that adolescent language brokers who reported a strong parent-child bond and high levels of psychological autonomy, privilege, and responsibility would also report lower levels of depression. Unlike previous research with language brokers, no gender differences were found in language brokering activity. For girls (n = 141) and boys (n = 105), language brokering for more people is positively related to depression. For girls, responsibility moderates the relationship between language brokering in different places and depression, that is, girls who language broker in more places, and also receive more responsibilities, report less depression. For boys, parent-child bonding and biculturalism are negatively related to depression. Results are discussed in the context of immigrant Latino family socialization.

Key Words: language brokering • autonomy • depression • immigration • Latinos

References

• Acoach, C.L., & Webb, L.M. (2004). The influence of language brokering on Hispanic teenagers' acculturation, academic performance, and nonverbal decoding skills: A preliminary study. Howard Journal of Communications, 15, 1-19.[CrossRef]
• Arbona, C., & Power, T.G. (2003). Parental attachment, self-esteem, and antisocial behaviors among African American, European American, and Mexican American adolescents. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50, 40-51.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Baptiste, D.A. (1993). Immigrant families, adolescents and acculturation: Insights for therapists. Marriage & Family Review, 19, 341-363.[CrossRef]
• Barona, A., & Miller, J.A. (1994). Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanic Youth (SASH-Y): A preliminary report. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 16, 155-162.[Abstract]
• Buriel, R., Love, J.A., & De Ment, T.L. (2006). The relationship of language brokering to depression and parent—child bonding among Latino adolescents. In M. B. Bornstein & L. R. Cote (Eds.), Acculturation and parent—child relationships: Measurement and development (pp. 249-270). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Buriel, R., Perez, W., De Ment, T.L., Chavez, D.V., & Moran, V.R. (1998). The relationship of language brokering to academic performance, biculturalism, and self-efficacy among Latino adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 20, 283-297.[Abstract]
• Chao, R.K. (2002, April). The role of children's linguistic brokering among immigrant Chinese and Mexican families. In Families of color: Developmental issues in contemporary sociohistorical contexts. Symposium conducted at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, MN.
• Clarke-Stewart, A., Friedman, S., & Koch, J. (1985). Child development: A topical approach. New York: John Wiley.
• De Ment, T.L. (1998). Age expectations of autonomy and parental bonding in Mexican American, Vietnamese American and Euro American adolescents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Claremont Graduate University, California.
• De Ment, T.L., Buriel, R., & Villanueva, C. (2005). Children as language brokers: A narrative of the recollections of college students. In R. Hoosain & F. Salili (Eds.), Language in multicultural education (pp. 255-272). Greenwich, CT: Information Age.
• Diaz-Lazaro, C.M. (2002). The effects of language brokering on perceptions of family authority structure, problem solving abilities, and parental locus of control in Latino adolescents and their parents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo.
• Eccles, J.S., Buchanan, C.M., Flanagan, C., Fuligni, A., Midgley, C., & Yee, D. (1991). Control versus autonomy during early adolescence. Journal of Social Issues, 47, 53-68.[Web of Science]
• Feldman, S.S., & Rosenthal, D.A. (1990). The acculturation of autonomy expectations in Chinese high schoolers residing in two western nations. International Journal of Psychology, 25, 259-281.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Feldman, S.S., & Wood, D.N. (1994). Parents' expectations for preadolescent sons' behavioral autonomy: A longitudinal study of correlates and outcomes. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 4, 45-70.[CrossRef]
• Field, T., Lang, C., Yando, R., & Bendell, D. (1995). Adolescents' intimacy with parents and friends. Adolescence, 30, 133-140.[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Fuligni, A.J. (1998). Authority, autonomy, and parent—adolescent conflict and cohesion: A study of adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, and European backgrounds. Developmental Psychology, 34, 782-792.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Fuligni, A.J., Tseng, V., & Lam, M. (1999). Attitudes toward family obligations among American adolescents with Asian, Latin American, and European backgrounds. Child Development, 70, 1030-1044.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Ge, X., Lorenz, F.O., Conger, R.D., Elder, G.H., & Simons, R.L. (1994). Trajectories of stressful life events and depressive symptoms during adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 30, 467-483.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Hunt, D.E. (1975). Person-environment interaction: A challenge found wanting before it was tried. Review of Educational Research, 45, 209-230.[Free Full Text]
• Juang, L.P., Lerner, J.V., McKinney, J.P., & von Eye, A. (1999). The goodness of fit in autonomy timetable expectations between Asian-American late adolescents and their parents. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 23, 1032-1048.
• Kim, S. ( 1989). Acculturation of Korean-American college students: Implication for mental health. Unpublished master's thesis, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA.
• Kovacs, M. (1985). The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 995-998.[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Kovacs, M. (1992). The Children's Depression Inventory manual. Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.
• Love, J.A., Villanueva, C., & Buriel, R. (2005, April). Developmental trends of language brokering. Poster session presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Atlanta, GA.
• McQuillan, J., & Tse, L. (1995). Child language brokering in linguistic minority communities: Effect of cultural interaction, cognition, and literacy. Language and Education, 9, 195-215.
• Nucci, L., Camino, C., & Sapiro, C.M. (1996). Social class effects of northeastern Brazilian children's conceptions of areas of personal choice and social regulation. Child Development, 67, 1223-1242.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Orellana, M.F. (2003). In other words: Learning from bilingual kids' translating/interpreting experiences. Evanston, IL: School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University.
• Orellana, M.F., Dorner, L., & Pulido, L. (2003). Accessing assets: Immigrant youth's work as family translators or "para-phrasers." Social Problems, 50, 505-524.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
• Ramirez, M., & Castaneda, A. (1974). Cultural democracy, bicognitive development, and education. New York: Academic Press.
• Roer-Strier, D., & Rivlis, M. (1998). Timetable of psychological and behavioral autonomy expectations among parents from Israel and the former Soviet Union. International Journal of Psychology, 33, 123-135.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Rueschenberg, E., & Buriel, R. (1989). Mexican American family functioning and acculturation: A family systems perspective. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 11, 232-244.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• Smetana, J.G., & Asquith, P. (1994). Adolescents' and parents' conceptions of parental authority and personal autonomy. Child Development, 65, 1147-1162.[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Steinberg, L. (1990). Autonomy, conflict, and harmony in the family relationship. In S. S. Feldman & G. R. Elliott (Eds.), At the threshold: The developing adolescent (pp. 225-276). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Storch, E.A., Phil, M., Nock, M.K., Masia-Warner, C., & Barlas, M.E. (2003). Peer victimization and social-psychological adjustment in Hispanic and African-American children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 12, 439-452.[CrossRef]
• Szapocznik, J., Scopetta, M., Kurtines, W., & Aranalde, M. (1978). Theory and measurement of acculturation. Revista Interamericana de Psicologia, 12(2), 113-130.
• Trickett, E.J., & Jones, C.J. (2007). Adolescent culture brokering and family functioning: A study of families from Vietnam. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13, 143-150.[Web of Science]
• Tse, L. ( 1995). Language brokering among Latino adolescents: Prevalence, attitudes, and school performance. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 17, 180-193.[Abstract]
• Valdez, G. (2003). Expanding definitions of giftedness: The case of young interpreters from immigrant communities. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Valenzuela, A. (1999). Gender roles and settlement activities among children and their immigrant families. American Behavioral Scientist, 42, 720-742.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• Weisskirch, R.S., & Alva-Alatorre, S. (2002). Language brokering and the acculturation of Latino students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 24, 369-378.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• Whiting, B.B., & Edwards, C.P. (1988). Children of different worlds: The formation of social behavior. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Yau, J., & Smetana, J. (1996). Adolescent—parent conflict among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Child Development, 67, 1262-1275.[CrossRef][Web of Science]

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 29, No. 4, 472-491 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0739986307307229


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Love, J. A. Articles by Buriel, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?