The Role of Familism in Food Insecurity, Role Overload, and Depressive Symptoms Among Latinx Youth

Food insecurity is a growing problem for families in the United States, specifically low-income households. Latinx youth are more likely to experience economic hardship as illustrated by the upward of 6 million Latinx children currently living in poverty. Given the link between food insecurity and economic hardship, more responsibility in the household can be placed on adolescents, which can lead to adolescents feeling a sense of role overload. Regarding Latinx adolescents, this manifests itself commonly as a form of family obligations. Family obligation is a core factor of a Latinx cultural value referred to as familism. This study evaluated the relationships between food insecurity, role overload, familism, and depressive symptoms among 193 Latinx youth (M-age = 15.90 years, 54.4% female) from the southeast United States. The present study was guided by the family stress model. Hierarchal linear regression was used to test hypotheses. Results indicated that both food insecurity and role overload were positively related to depressive symptoms. While familism did not significantly moderate the relationships between food insecurity, role overload, and depression, respectively, there was a significant three-way interaction between these variables, showing potential protective factors.