Community Disadvantage and Academic Achievement among Hispanic Adolescents: The Role of Familism

Hispanic adolescents experience disproportionately higher dropout rates at the secondary level, and their efforts tend to be further compounded by economic adversity. In considering how to meet the challenges facing this bolstering population, prior research suggests that parental investment, or familism, may increase their academic success. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to examine the association between community disadvantage, measured at the community level, and Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement, in addition to identifying the underlying mechanisms and interactive effects of familism on this association. Based on theories and previous literature, the following hypotheses were tested: (1) that community-level community disadvantage will negatively impact Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement, (2) that familism will mediate the association between community disadvantage and Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement and (3) that familism will also moderate the association between community disadvantage and Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement. Results supported the proposed hypotheses and shed light on the importance of considering the unique needs of Hispanic adolescents in the classroom. Implications and future directions are discussed.