27:T485,

Studies of transnational family formation and care relationships suggest that, while family forms and care values are idealized, they are also negotiated, enacted, and fluid constructs. Strategies of resilience and mechanisms of flexible care achieved by transnational families are fine-tuned under multiple influences. Among these influences are well-known sources such as social networks, as well as less well-understood sources such as religious teachings. We report findings of a 4-month, ethnographic study among Latinx immigrants to the U.S. whose (n = 14) narratives of family “care” reflect their ideals and simultaneously work to linguistically produce role continuity. Thematic results address three key strategies for achieving this continuity: (1) valuations of flexibility; (2) family-like care by non-family and church members; and (3) commitments to and reliance on new networks, particularly through church relations. We conclude by suggesting how family-like care, such as that from church relations, informs the flexible relational obligations, resources, resiliencies, and values of transnational migrants.

28:T480,

Depressive disorders may cause significant impairment in social, occupational, and academic areas of functioning. This research aims to analyze the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Spanish version of the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) in a sample of 494 Puerto Rican adults. We analyzed the Cronbach alpha internal consistency, construct validity, discriminant validity, and factor structure of the instrument. The findings of the study revealed that the PHQ-8 obtained an excellent internal consistency of .92. Pearson’s r correlation analysis showed a high and statistically significant association between PHQ-8 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) providing evidence of concurrent validity. We conducted confirmatory factor analyses to examine the factor structure of the PHQ-8. The two models (unidimensional and multidimensional) showed an adequate adjustment to the data, but the unidimensional model was recommended. The PHQ-8 is a plausible adaptation of the PHQ-9 that may be used in any study directed to explore depressive symptoms without considering suicidal thoughts.

29:T542,

Previous research has found mixed results regarding the association between acculturation and substance use in Hispanic populations. Additional research is warranted to examine relations among facets of acculturation, particularly acculturative stress, and marijuana use. The purpose of this study was to examine whether self-esteem mediates the relation between acculturative stress and a lifetime history of marijuana use among a sample of Hispanic college students. Hispanic college students (N = 204; Mean age = 20.3 years) from a large southwestern university participated in an online study and reported on lifetime marijuana use, self-esteem, and acculturative stress. We evaluated the hypothesis that self-esteem would mediate the relation between acculturative stress and the likelihood of reporting a history of marijuana use, utilizing Hayes’ SPSS macro, which provides estimates of boot-strapped confidence intervals for the indirect effect. Results showed that self-esteem did not significantly mediate the relation between acculturative stress and likelihood of marijuana use [b = .157, 95% CI (−.003, .017)]. Future studies might examine other facets of acculturation in relation to substance use, utilizing a longitudinal approach to better understand these associations.

2a:T555,Provocative and Informative For more than thirty years, researchers, educators, mental health professionals, sociologists, and policymakers have turned to the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences (HJBS) for the latest research and analysis on Hispanic issues. Each quarterly issue of HJBS <