Child Maltreatment in Foreign-Born Hispanic Families: The Role of Acculturation and Parental Stress

This study examines the roles of acculturation and parenting stress in child maltreatment among foreign-born Hispanic families. Self-reported data from 288 foreign-born Hispanic mothers in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study were used. Mediation path models revealed that none of indicators of acculturation were associated with child maltreatment among foreign-born Hispanic families. However, parenting stress was associated with both child physical assault and psychological aggression among foreign-born Hispanic families. The relationship between foreign-born Hispanic mothers’ traditional gender norms and child psychological aggression was significantly mediated by parenting stress. These findings suggest that interventions designed to help foreign-born Hispanic mothers manage parenting stress, particularly that related to gendered family roles, may be effective in preventing child psychological aggression.