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Parent–Adolescent Acculturation Profiles and Adolescent Language Brokering Experiences in Mexican Immigrant Families

  • Empirical Research
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Abstract

Language brokering is a special form of interpersonal communication that is affected by the cultural and relational settings in which it occurs. The current study explores whether parent–adolescent acculturation status may influence Mexican American adolescent language brokers’ translation experiences, including brokering frequency and attitudes. Using data from a two-wave longitudinal study (Nwave1 = 604; Nwave2 = 483; Mwave1.age = 12.91; 54.3% female), latent profile analyses were conducted, resulting in four mother–adolescent acculturation profiles as well as three father–adolescent profiles. The adolescent integrated–parent (moderately) separated profiles emerged as the most effective for brokers, as adolescents in this profile generally experienced more positive and less negative brokering attitudes, regardless of their brokering frequency. Parent–adolescent acculturation profiles may be a useful construct in capturing the interplay of cultural and relational settings and their effects on multifaceted language brokering experiences.

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Authors’ Contributions

M.Z. created the design of the study, performed the statistical analysis and drafted portions of the manuscript; S.Y.K. drafted portions of the manuscript, provided critical review and editing of the manuscript; Y.H. provided constructive ideas to the design of the study, provided critical review and editing of the manuscript; and Y.S. provided critical review and editing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

Support for this research was provided through awards to S.Y.K. from (1) National Science Foundation, Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, 1651128 and 0956123 (2) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 5R03HD060045-02 (3) Office of the Vice President for Research and Creative Grant and Special Research Grant from the University of Texas at Austin, and (4) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 5P2CHD042849-17 grant awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to M.Z., Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton St., Stop A2702, Austin, Texas 78712-1248. E-mail: zhangminyu@utexas.edu.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton St., Stop A2702, Austin, TX, 78712-1248, USA

    Minyu Zhang

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Su Yeong Kim

  3. Department of Family Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Yang Hou

  4. School of Family and Consumer Scienes, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA

    Yishan Shen

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  1. Minyu Zhang
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Correspondence to Minyu Zhang.

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Zhang, M., Kim, S.Y., Hou, Y. et al. Parent–Adolescent Acculturation Profiles and Adolescent Language Brokering Experiences in Mexican Immigrant Families. J Youth Adolescence 49, 335–351 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01064-5

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