Family relationships and familism among Mexican Americans on the U.S.-Mexico border during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a disproportionately negative impact on communities of color across the U.S., including Mexican Americans. The present study examined the influence of the pandemic on family relationships among individuals living in the U.S.-Mexico border region and how changes in family relationships were related to both familism values and mental health.

METHOD

Two hundred ninety-one college Latino students participated in a survey that asked about changes in family relationships and mental health since the beginning of the pandemic.

RESULTS

Contrary to our initial hypothesis, the majority of respondents indicated their family relationships had not changed since the beginning of the pandemic. However, those who reported negative changes in their family relationships also reported worse mental health whereas those who reported positive changes reported higher familism values. Mediational models revealed an indirect effect of familism support values on depression via changes in family relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Although cross-sectional, these results provide preliminary evidence of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Mexican Americans in the border region, as well as cultural factors that promote resilience in times of stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).