Stigma, Stress, and Developmental Assets in the Lives and Educational Experiences of Latinx Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents

Abstract

This two-paper dissertation explores the relationship between adolescent parents' reports of stigma and stress and their psychological and educational outcomes using quantitative analytic techniques. Guided by the integrative model (García Coll et al., 1996), study 1 examines associations among stigma, social support, familism, and self-esteem. It was hypothesized that there would be a negative relationship between stigma and self-esteem, and social support and familism would be positively associated with self-esteem. Moreover, social support and familism were hypothesized to moderate the stigma-self-esteem relationship. Study 2 utilized both the integrative model (García Coll et al., 1996) and life course theory (Elder, 1998) to explore the relationship between parental stress (i.e., rewards, stressors, and lack of control) and adolescents’ academic aspirations and expectations. In line with theoretical assumptions, ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and grit, as adaptative assets were hypothesized to be positively associated with students’ academic outcomes and moderators of the relationship between the subscales of parental stress and respondents' academic aspirations and expectations. Data for both studies are drawn from an ongoing school-program partnership serving pregnant and parenting adolescents in one southwestern region of the United States. The sample includes 314 (mothers: n = 259; fathers: n = 55), who were on average 16 years old (M = 16.88, SD = 1.27; range 14-21 years). Findings provided mixed support across studies. Findings specific to study 1 revealed that stigma was negatively associated with self-esteem, whereas social support was positively associated with self-esteem; however, familism was not associated with self-esteem. Neither social support nor familism emerged as significant moderators. Study 2 results were more nuanced; no significant direct effects between parental rewards, stress, and lack of control on adolescents’ academic outcomes were revealed. Similarly, ERI was not linked with academic aspirations or expectations. Consistency of interest was not associated with either outcome of interest; however, perseverance of effort was associated with academic expectation. Moderation hypotheses were partially supported by the significance of two interaction terms: lack of control X consistency of interest, and stress X perseverance of effort. Lack of control was only associated with adolescents’ academic aspirations at the highest-level of consistency of interest. Inversely, the effect of stress on adolescents' academic expectations was only significant at the lowest levels of perseverance. Implications for this work include the advancement of two theoretical frameworks, the integrative model (García Coll et al., 1996) and life course theory (Elder, 1998) by demonstrating how parenting factors intersect with broader discriminatory contexts to shape adolescent parents’ perceptions of stigma and stress during a critical developmental period. It extends understanding of adaptive assets by examining the direct and moderating roles of individual, familial, and cultural mechanisms, including social support, ERI, and grit, in influencing psychological and educational outcomes. The findings highlight the need for future longitudinal and mixed-methods research to explore additional parenting factors, institutional supports, and culturally sensitive measures. Practically, results underscore the importance of creating supportive school, program, and community environments that promote positive development while addressing structural barriers. In sum, this work emphasizes that adaptive assets operate contextually and may have thresholds, reinforcing the need for interventions that combine asset-building with reductions in stigma and stress.