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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Family stress and coping for Mexican origin adolescents
Freda F Liu1, Nancy A Gonzales, Aida Cristina Fernandez
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. freda.liu@asu.edu
Abstract:
Family-related stressors pose special challenges for adolescents of Mexican origin, given traditional cultural norms that compel youths to get involved with family problems despite their limited ability to effect change. The current study examines the prospective effects of coping strategies (i.e., active, distraction, avoidance, support-seeking, and religious coping) on psychological symptoms in the context of family stress with a sample (N = 189) of Mexican Origin adolescents (11-14). Hypotheses on the limits of coping were partially supported. Stress-coping interaction effects were further moderated by gender. Stress-buffering effect of active coping for internalizing symptoms was only found for girls and only at low levels of family stress for boys. Support-seeking and distraction coping both increased internalizing symptoms for boys at high levels of family stress.
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