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. 2020 Sep 1;45(8):848-857.
doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa047.

Familism, Self-Esteem, and Weight-Specific Quality of Life Among Latinx Adolescents With Obesity

Marvyn R Arévalo Avalos  1 , Stephanie L Ayers  2 , Donald L Patrick  3 , Justin Jager  4 , Felipe González Castro  5 , Yolanda P Konopken  6 , Micah L Olson  5   7 , Colleen S Keller  5 , Erica G Soltero  5 , Allison N Williams  5 , Gabriel Q Shaibi  2   5   7
Affiliations

Familism, Self-Esteem, and Weight-Specific Quality of Life Among Latinx Adolescents With Obesity

Marvyn R Arévalo Avalos et al. J Pediatr Psychol. .

Abstract

Objective: Obesity is a critical public health condition affecting Latinx adolescents and contributes to health disparities across the lifespan. Childhood and adolescent obesity is associated with reduced quality of life (QoL) and decreased self-esteem. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of cultural (e.g., familism) and psychosocial (e.g., self-esteem) factors as predictors of weight-specific QoL among Latinx adolescents with obesity.

Methods: Baseline data from 160 Latinx adolescents (ages 14-16 years) with obesity (BMI > 95th percentile for age and sex) who were recruited for a diabetes prevention intervention were used. Structural equation modeling tested the relationships between four latent constructs (familism, positive self-esteem, self-deprecation, and weight-specific QoL).

Results: The model tested paths from familism to positive self-esteem, self-deprecation, and weight-specific QoL, and paths from positive self-esteem and self-deprecation to weight-specific QoL. Higher familism was positively associated with positive self-esteem but not self-deprecation. In turn, positive self-esteem was positively associated with higher weight-specific QoL, whereas self-deprecation was negatively associated. Furthermore, there was an indirect effect of familism on QoL via positive self-esteem.

Conclusions: These data shed light into specific cultural and psychosocial constructs that influence QoL among Latinx adolescents with obesity. This study suggests that familism and positive self-esteem can operate as protective factors associated with higher weight-specific QoL in Latinx adolescents with obesity; whereas self-deprecation may operate as a risk factor for lower weight-specific QoL.

Keywords: Latinx adolescents; familism; quality of life; self-esteem.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Conceptual framework. Expanded ecodevelopmental model adapted from Castro et al. (2009).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Measurement model. Model fit statistics: CFI = 0.952; SRMR = 0.071; RMSEA = 0.048, RMSEA 90% CI = [0.031, 0.064]. CFI = comparative fit index; CI = confidence intervals; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; SRMR = standardized root mean squared residual.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Structural model. Solid path indicate statistically significant associations at p < .001. Dashed lines are not significant. Model fit statistics: CFI = 0.949; SRMR = 0.064; RMSEA = 0.051, RMSEA 90% CI = [0.035, 0.066]. CFI = comparative fit index; CI = confidence intervals; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; SRMR = standardized root mean squared residual.
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