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Symposia

Culture / Ethnicity / Race

Engaging Stakeholders in Hispanic/Latino Child Mental Health Services Across Systems of Care

5 - (SYM 9) Caregiver-child Relationship, Trauma Symptoms, and Resilience in Latinx Youth Involved in the Child Welfare Systems

Friday, November 15, 2024
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
Location: Franklin Hall 10, Level 4, Downtown Marriott
Abstract Body
Latinx youth are overrepresented in the child welfare system with Latinx youth more likely than their same-aged peers to experience barriers that lead to longer reunification periods (John, 2024). Child welfare involvement is a well-established risk factor post-traumatic stress symptoms (Barboza & Dominguez, 2017; Sokol et al., 2020). The presence of a supportive and nurturing caregiver-child relation can, however, buffer the detrimental impacts of child welfare involvement on youth mental health (Yoon et al., 2023; Yoon et al., 2015). Unfortunately, little is known about the impact of the caregiver-child relation on the mental health of Latinx youth involved in the child welfare system. To that end, this presentation will review the results of a longitudinal study examining the impact of the caregiver-child relation on the post-traumatic stress symptoms of Latinx youth involved in the child welfare systems. It will also review the role that the caregiver-child relation plays in promoting resilience in this population. Data for this study came from a nationally representative, longitudinal study of families involved in the child welfare system in the United States. Given the study’s focus, the sample size was limited to Latinx youth who remained with their biological caregiver and had complete data on the variables of interest (n = 828). The study utilized latent growth curve modeling to examine the relations at the heart of this study. Preliminary results indicated that Latinx youth with perceptions of a more positive caregiver child-relation at the initial baseline was associated with lower post-traumatic stress symptoms and higher resilience score 18 months later. Additionally, the degree of change in youth’s perceptions of their relationship with their caregiver over time significantly predicted Latinx youth’s post-traumatic stress symptoms and resilience scores at the 18th month follow up. This presentation will conclude with the clinical implications of this study including how the caregiver-child relation can be leveraged by mental health professionals to reduce psychological distress and promote resilience in Latinx youth involved in the child welfare system.

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