Ethnic–Racial Socialization Practices Among Latino Immigrant Families: A Latent Profile Analysis

• Author: Alisia G. T. T. Tran,Tanya Nieri,Cecilia Ayón
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12356
• Published date: 01 April 2019
• Date: 01 April 2019

C AUniversity of California, Riverside

A G. T. T. TArizona State University

T NUniversity of California, Riverside

Ethnic–Racial Socialization Practices Among Latino

Immigrant Families: A Latent Prole Analysis

Objective: To examine proles of Latinx immi-

grant parents’ use of ethnic–racial socializa-

tion (ERS) strategies, as well as demographic,

cultural, and sociopolitical factors associated

with those proles.

Background: Few studies have examined

ethnic–racial socialization strategies beyond

cultural socialization among Latinx immigrant

families. This study was designed to assess

6 ERS strategies: cultural socialization,

promotion of mistrust, adapt (preparation

for bias, avoidant coping), advocate (prepa-

ration for bias, active coping), promoting

the value of diversity, and educating about

nativity and documentation status.

Method: Using a cross-sectional design and a

sample of 300 immigrant parents (80% of whom

were mothers; overall mean of 3 children). A

new validated ERS measure was used along

with measures of familismo, social support,

and discrimination.

Results: Prole analysis revealed 3 ERS pro-

les: Low ERS, Moderate ERS, and High

ERS. Although parents in the sample used all

the ERS strategies, they used adapt and pro-

motion of mistrust with less frequency relative

University of California, Riverside, School of Public

Policy, 900 University Avenue, Riverside CA, 92521

(cayon@ucr.edu).

Key Words: cultural practices, ethnic–racial socialization,

Latinx immigrant families.

to other strategies across the 3 proles. Four

demographic variables and 2 cultural variables

predicted prole membership.

Conclusion: This study advances understand-

ing of how Latinx immigrant parents socialize

their children in the context of resurgent anti-

immigrant sentiment and policy and illuminates

the complexities in the ERS process.

Implications.: Practitioners should assess

for strategies parents use to prepare their chil-

dren for racial interactions and the support

structures parents have in place. In addition,

future interventions need to account for ERS

strategies, which are a particularly critical

aspect of parenting among immigrants given

current attitudes toward immigration in the

United States.

In efforts to reduce the number of undocu-

mented immigrants in the United States, many

states have passed restrictive, state-level immi-

gration policies that reduce immigrants’ access

to education, health and other support services,

and employment opportunities (Gulasekaram

& Ramakrishnan, 2015). These policies also

foster anti-immigrant sentiment and create

hostile environments for immigrants and their

children (Ayón & Becerra, 2013; Ayón etal.,

2018). Subsequently, parents nd themselves

having difcult conversations with their chil-

dren in response to incidents, such as their child

being called a “wetback” or told to “go back to

246Family Relations 68 (April 2019): 246–259

DOI:10.1111/fare.12356