Document Type
Article
Keywords
mental health, Latina, adolescence, young adulthood, family, socialization
Disciplines
Social Work
Abstract
Latina young people report high levels of mental health problems and low levels of help-seeking compared with their white peers, but little research has examined factors influencing their mental health views. Inductive analysis of 25 participants’ narratives revealed that Latina young people described three stages in the development of their mental health-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors: undergoing a process of family mental health socialization, suffering in silence, and attaining a new perspective. Within each of these phases, participants shared stories that attest to their agency and resilience. This research uncovers a novel theoretical construct, “family mental health socialization,” which elucidates how young people internalize mental health-related beliefs, behaviors, and norms within their cultural and family context. Implications for social work practice include the need for culturally sensitive, family-centered interventions that promote open communication about mental health.
Publication Title
Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services
Article Number
1028
Publication Date
2024
First Page
1
Last Page
23
DOI of Published Version
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10443894231218298
Language
English
Peer Reviewed
1
Recommended Citation
Lilly, Jenn M., "“I Learned to Bottle Up My Feelings From a Young Age”: A Narrative Analysis of Latina Young People’s Family Mental Health Socialization" (2024). Social Service Faculty Publications. 22.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/gss_facultypubs/22
Version
Published
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
