Mental health stigma, community support, and somatic complaints among Latinx youth. (December 2022) - Der Sarkissian, Alissa
Highlights: Somatic complaints are physical symptoms, such as stomachaches or headaches, that are a form of mental illness expression. While research shows that somatic complaints are common form of expression among Latinx adults, studying the unique experience of Latinx adolescent youth is less studied and should include the consideration of acculturation and immigration status. A hierarchical linear regression revealed that being a third-generation immigrant and female were more likely to present with somatic complaints. A supportive relationship with an adult in the community reduced the chance of somatic complaints among youth. Abstract: Latinx youth comprise the largest growing ethnic group in the United States and contend with several, oftentimes overlapping, environmental stressors. Researchers have noted the importance of identifying mechanisms that allow for a fuller picture of mental health distress in Latinx youth, including somatic complaints. In this exploratory study, 212 Latinx youth across the Central Coast of California were sampled to identify risk factors (which would correspond with more vulnerable or negative outcomes) and protective factors (which would correspond with better health outcomes) associated with somatic complaints. A hierarchical linear regression revealed that being a first-generation immigrant had the strongest negative association with somatic complaints ( b = -1.43) followed by a supportive relationship with an adult in the community ( b = -0.83), and that girls reported higher prevalence of somatic complaints ( b = 1.00) than males. While mental health stigma was significant in the first two models, it lost significance when adding supportive adult relationships to the regression. Our findings highlight that demographic differences and socioecological contexts are key to understanding how somatic complaints present across diverse Latinx youth.