Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Examining the Roles of Familism, Social Support, and Stigma in Latinx Ca
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Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Examining the Roles of Familism, Social Support, and Stigma in Latinx Caregivers Alfonso Mercado 1 & Frances Morales 1 & Andy Torres 1 & Roy K. Chen 2 & Kim L. Nguyen-Finn 2 & Gabriel Davalos-Picazo 3 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Those caring for someone diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder are at risk of experiencing depression and anxiety. However, limited research has examined risk and predictive factors associated with internalizing symptomatology in caregivers from ethnic and culturally diverse backgrounds. We aimed to identify predictive factors for internalizing symptomatology. Using standardized scales, anxiety and depression levels were measured in a predominantly Latinx sample along with their endorsed levels of familism, perceived social, and support affiliate stigma. Multivariate regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses that familism, perceived social support, and affiliate stigma are associated with self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms, separately. The results indicated a significant effect of perceived social support and affiliate stigma on depression and anxiety symptoms, but no such effect of familism. Findings indicate that higher perceived social support scores predicted lower rates of anxiety and depression in caregivers. Conversely, higher affiliate stigma scores predicted higher rates of anxiety and depression. Results provide important clinical implications when working with Latinx families and caregivers of a family member diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Keywords Caregiver . NDD . Stigma . Social support . Depression . Anxiety
Current estimates by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2019) reveal that within the U.S. nearly 20% of all children under the age of 18 have special health * Alfonso Mercado [email protected]
1
Department of Psychological Science, School of Medicine Psychiatry Department, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 1201 W. University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
2
School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 1201 W University Dr, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
3
Universidad CEU-San Pablo, Madrid, Spain
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities
care needs. These health care needs are mainly due to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), which constitute a group of heterogeneous disorders, including intellectual developmental disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, among others (American Psychiatric Association 2013). These conditions have their onset in the developmental period and limit the children’s ability to independently function in everyday life, affecting areas such as communication, learning, and mobility, and resulting in impairment of personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning (National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities 2019). A diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder or an
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