Open AccessFamily Violence Exposure and Sexual Risk-Taking Among Latino Emerging Adults: The Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptomology and Acculturative Stress
Author(s) -
Peter M. Rivera,
Melinda A. GonzalesBacken,
Jennifer Yedlin,
Elissa J. Brown,
Seth J. Schwartz,
S. Jean Caraway,
Robert S. Weisskirch,
Su Yeong Kim,
Lindsay S. Ham
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of family violence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.682
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1573-2851
pISSN - 0885-7482
DOI - 10.1007/s10896-015-9735-5
Subject(s) - acculturation , mediation , psychology , clinical psychology , sexual violence , moderated mediation , human factors and ergonomics , legal psychology , posttraumatic stress , injury prevention , poison control , developmental psychology , medicine , social psychology , environmental health , ethnic group , criminology , sociology , anthropology , political science , law
This study proposes that posttraumatic stress symptomology and acculturative stress may further explain the relationship between family violence exposure and sexual risk-taking behaviors among Latino emerging adults ( N =1,100). A moderated mediation analysis indicated that lifetime rates of family violence exposure were positively associated with sexual risk-taking via posttraumatic stress symptomology, and this mediation significantly varied as a function of acculturative stress. Overall, the findings of the current study underscore a need for a better understanding of how family violence exposure puts Latino emerging adults at risk for aversive health outcomes and suggest the use of an ecological systemic framework that examines the interactions between family, individual, and cultural systems in relation to health risk-taking behaviors.