(PS11-C65) Que Creo, Creo: The Role of Latino Cultural Construct Beliefs and Acculturation and the Development of Post-traumatic Psychological Symptomatology in a Sample of Victimized Latino College Students

This is the 1^st study to examine the role of cultural variables, juvenile victimization (including intimate partner violence), and symptom endorsement in a sample of Latino college students. The aim of this study was to examine whether endorsement of cultural variables predicted reported psychological symptoms after victimization experiences in a sample of 477 college students. Participants were aged 18-25 years and self-identified as Latino (almost exclusively Mexican-American). Participants completed surveys assessing: (a) levels of juvenile victimization as well as intimate partner violence at any age, (b) self-report symptoms checklists assessing anxiety, depression, dissociative experiences, and emotional dysregulation, (c) cultural variables (including levels of acculturation, machismo, caballerismo, and marianismo): and, (d) demographic variables including age and sex.

Because prior research has suggested that individuals of Latino ethnicity may endorse higher levels of certain posttraumatic symptoms, especially persistent dissociative symptoms, when compared to other racial-ethnic groups, our aim was to test the hypothesis that cultural variable endorsement would predict levels of reported psychological symptoms severity beyond victimization history, while controlling for demographic variables, and while holding ethnicity constant (every participant being Latino). Regression analyses (both step-wise and GLM) demonstrated significant relationships between juvenile victimization, sex, machismo, and marianismo, and psychological symptomatology, most notably persistent dissociative and emotional dysregulation symptoms. Significant inverse (protective) relationships were demonstrated between caballerismo and certain psychological symptomatology. Level of acculturation to U.S. majority culture was non-significant.

 
These results suggest a potential relationship between cultural variables and cognitive-behavioral responses to victimization that may both significantly increase and decrease risks for post-traumatic psychological symptoms.  Specifically, rigid gender role beliefs such as machismo and marianismo increase psychological risks whereas caballerismo (a putatively more positive form of masculinity) was protective. Our results suggest the importance of re-examining whether certain cultural modifications to standard evidence-based practices (EBPs) such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT) or prolonged exposure (PE) may be appropriate for Latino patients, as well as whether providing standalone educational/psycho-educational interventions to alter these attitudes may aid treatment and mitigate psychological symptoms. Study limitations and other clinical and research implications are also discussed.