How do supportive family relationships contribute to stress regulation in response to racial/ethnic discrimination among Hispanics?

Hannah Volpert-Esmond, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Texas at El Paso, is using an MRI grant to better understand the relationship between family support and resilience in the face of discrimination related stress.  Experiencing racial or ethnic discrimination is related to poor mental and physical health outcomes. And it is clear that discrimination is a chronic stressor. Although much of the research on discrimination as a stressor has been done with African Americans some studies have shown this effect with Hispanic and Latinx individuals as well.

Several protective factors have been identified that are particularly important to Hispanics, including the cultural values of familism, the cultural emphasis of one’s family as the main source of instrumental social support. Familism has been shown to have a protective effect and promote resilience among those experiencing acculturative conflict and to be related to lower levels of internalizing symptoms especially, depression and suicidality. However, it is unclear whether and how strong family relationships attenuate the negative effects of discrimination on mental and physical health. This study is addressing this gap in the research literature.

To test this possibility, Dr. Volpert-Esmond has study participants complete a Discrimination Speaking Test (DST), where they describe racial/ethnic discrimination they have experienced which elicits a strong emotional response. Participants describe their experience either to a supportive family member that they bring with them or to a gender-matched research assistant, while mental and physical stress is recorded. Participants additionally rate the perceived supportiveness of their partner during the test. Dr. Volpert-Esmond hypothesizes that 1) the presence of a supportive family member will reduce stress responses during the DST relative to the research assistant with whom they have no previous relationship, and 2) stress reactivity will be attenuated as a function of perceived supportiveness during the recall of the experience. Cultural elements of familism and ethnic identity within these relationships will also be explored.