(PS3-B36) Relative Importance of Perceived Contextual Stressors in Relation to Latinos’ Depressive Symptoms, Delinquent Behaviors, and Verbal Hostility

Latino youth often experience risks associated with high-risk neighborhoods, ethnic discrimination, peer victimization, and adverse school environments. Perceived family stressors (e.g., family disengagement, harsh parenting) are also detrimental. Stressors can result in frustrations that manifest in maladaptive coping and modeling of detrimental behaviors. This study extends previous research by investigating which perceived contextual stressors are the most important in explaining Latino adolescents’ maladaptation through dominance analysis (DA). DA addresses the failure of multiple regression and path analysis to predict reliably and accurately the relative importance/contribution of each predictor when multicollinearity exists (Braun et al., 2019). Specifically, DA determines the average contribution to R² for each contextual stressor across all possible subsets of the regression models. Self-report survey data were collected from 9^th and 10^th graders in seven schools in Los Angeles. Data from 996 Latino students were used: 13-18 years of age (M = 15); 46% boys, 54% girls; 62% 9th graders, 38% 10th graders; 28% 1st generation, 66% 2nd generation, 6% 3^rdgeneration). The dominance analyses results indicated each contextual stressor contributed to all three maladaptive outcomes and accounted for 31% of girls’ and boys’ depressive symptoms, 14% (girls) and 26% (boys) of delinquency, and 13% (boys) and 16% (girls) of verbal hostility. Peer victimization demonstrated the most relative importance to depression and verbal hostility for boys and girls. Ethnic discrimination was 2^nd most important to depression and hostility. Also, ethnic discrimination was most important to boys’ delinquency. However, neighborhood risks were most important to girls’ delinquency. Adverse school climate was 2^nd most important to boys’ and girls’ delinquency. The results suggest mental health practitioners have multiple routes for helping Latino youth cope with depressive symptoms, delinquency, or verbal hostility. Practitioners could help Latino youth who experience peer victimization and discrimination develop coping strategies to minimize the negative feelings (e.g., cognitive reframing, stress inoculation, writing self-statements to counteract negative thoughts). Practitioners may want to help Latino youth (especially girls) develop strategies to avoid or change perceptions of risk factors in their neighborhoods. Similarly, these same techniques could be incorporated when dealing with adverse school environments, harsh parenting, or family disengagement. Other findings and more specific implications will be discussed.