Risk and protection for social deviation in immigrant adolescents: Personality, family, and acculturation.

Abstract

This study analyzes levels of antisocial behavior in Latino immigrant adolescents who are living in Spain. The results are integrated within a wide explanatory framework, defined by the relationships between acculturation strategies and personality variables and family functioning. The results allow us to underline configurations of high risk (and, alternatively, strongly protective) in terms of social deviation: particularly, a separation style linked to low cognitive and affective empathy, poor self-control, low parent supervision, low family adaptability and cohesion. Differences of sex/gender are considered for all the assessed variables. The results are discussed from a psychosocial viewpoint, suggesting the need of promoting patterns of bidirectional flexible integration for immigrants. These patterns would only be feasible when the receiving society favors acculturation attitudes contrary to ethnocentrism, prejudice, discrimination and xenophobia. Throughout the article, the dangers of approaches that hold immigrants exclusively responsible for their adaptive success are pointed out.