Research Paper Summaries
In-depth Studies and Scholarly Contributions by Dr. Su Yeong Kim.
Perceived Parenting Discrepancy Profiles, Feelings about Language Brokering, and Internalizing Symptoms among Mexican-Origin Adolescents in Immigrant Families
Su Yeong Kim
This research, conducted by Han Wen, Katharine H. Zeiders, and Lindsay T. Hoyt, delves into how various sociocultural stressors like foreigner stress, language brokering stress, and economic stress impact the psychological well-being of Mexican-origin adolescents. The study specifically looks at whether conflicts between mothers and their adolescent children play a role in how these stressors relate to internalizing symptoms (such as anxiety and depression) and externalizing behaviors (like aggression and rule-breaking). Using longitudinal data from 604 adolescents and their mothers in Mexican-origin families across the southwestern U.S., the researchers apply Family Systems Theory to better understand how stress operates within family dynamics. At the first point of data collection, adolescents shared their experiences with sociocultural stress and conflicts with their mothers, while their mental health symptoms were evaluated a year later. The findings reveal that both foreigner stress and economic stress are significantly linked to increased mother-adolescent conflict, which is associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Language brokering stress also correlated positively with mother-adolescent conflict, although its indirect impact on adolescent adjustment was less pronounced. Notably, mother-adolescent conflict was found to partially mediate the relationship between each type of sociocultural stressor and the mental health outcomes of...
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Download PDFAcculturation and daily cigarette use among Mexican-origin youth: The moderating role of executive functions
Su Yeong Kim
This mixed-methods study conducted by Han Wen, Kristine M. Molina, and Katharine H. Zeiders delves into how parental opioid use disorder (OUD) impacts Mexican-origin adolescents living in the United States. With the rising rates of opioid misuse among Latino communities, the research zeroes in on the effects of parental OUD on adolescent adjustment and family dynamics, all within a culturally relevant framework. The study combines quantitative survey data from 282 participants with qualitative interviews from 30 individuals to explore the emotional and behavioral outcomes for adolescents who have been exposed to parental opioid misuse. Some of the key outcomes examined include internalizing symptoms like anxiety and depression, externalizing behaviors, and academic performance. The quantitative results revealed that adolescents with a parent struggling with OUD reported significantly higher levels of both internalizing and externalizing symptoms, along with poorer academic performance. These issues were partly influenced by conflicts between parents and adolescents and a decrease in parental involvement, emphasizing how family relational stress can impact adolescent well-being. The qualitative insights added depth to these findings, uncovering themes such as stigma, secrecy, and emotional strain. Adolescents shared their challenges with the unpredictability of their parents’ behavior, feelings of shame about revealing the addiction,...
Parental Discriminatory Experiences and Ethnic Minority Adolescent Adjustment: A Systematic Review of Family Perspectives
Su Yeong Kim
This meta-analytic review dives into how family cultural socialization influences the development of ethnic–racial identity (ERI) during adolescence. Cultural socialization involves the ways parents teach their kids about their cultural roots, traditions, and values. For adolescents of color, developing ERI is a crucial part of growing up, which includes both exploration, actively seeking out information, and commitment, feeling a connection to one’s ethnic or racial group. The review pulled together findings from 46 studies involving over 29,000 adolescents from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, such as African American, Latinx, Asian American, and multiracial youth. By using random-effects models, the analysis showed a positive relationship between family cultural socialization and both ERI exploration and commitment, with moderate effect sizes. The moderation analyses revealed that the developmental stage and the type of measurement used are important factors. The connection between cultural socialization and ERI exploration was stronger in early adolescence compared to later stages, indicating that family influence might wane as peers and outside environments become more significant. Moreover, studies that relied on youth self-reports (as opposed to parent reports) and used multidimensional ERI measures showed even stronger associations. Interestingly, the study found no significant differences in effect sizes among different racial/ethnic...
Cultural Stress, Parenting Practices, and Mental Health Among Mexican-Origin Mothers and Adolescents: A Dyadic Approach
Su Yeong Kim
This study by Yan et al. (2025) investigates the effects of cultural stress on mental health as well as on parenting behavior in Mexican-origin mother–adolescent dyads based on a two-wave longitudinal design with an actor partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). Based on the Family Stress Model and Family Systems Theory, researchers explored individual ("actor") and reciprocal ("partner") effects of cultural stress on mental health as well as on parenting. There were 595 mother-adolescent pairs (Mage = 38 for mothers, Mage = 12 for adolescents) who were predominantly low-income residents in Central Texas. Cultural stress as a multidimensional construct consisting of ethnic discrimination, group discrimination, cultural estrangement, and foreigner stress was theorized. Parenting was measured in terms of maternal warmth and hostility, each rated by the mother and adolescent, respectively. Major findings showed that in Wave 1 (W1), cultural strain in mothers and adolescents significantly predicted poor mental health outcomes (depressive and anxiety symptoms) in Wave 2 (W2), mediated through negative parenting styles such as maternal hostility. Teens with lower maternal warmth or higher hostility in Wave 1 were found to manifest high levels of mental health issues in the long run. Conversely, mothers with higher cultural strain also exhibited higher...