Bullying tops Latino parents’ worries

It’s more than your abuelita — many Hispanic parents worry a lot According to Pew Research Center, parents know more about certain topics than their children.

The big picture It was difficult enough to be a parent. Social media and the pandemic make parenting difficult.

Details: Last fall, Pew conducted an online survey of 3,757 U.S. parents — 872 of whom identified as Hispanic — with children younger than 18.

• Hispanic parents expressed concern about their children’s mental health as much as other parents. Pew found that this was the top concern.
• They worry twice as much about their children getting into trouble with the police, getting pregnant or getting shot, or having problems with drugs and alcohol.

The numbers: 48% of Hispanic parent said that they worry about bullying, as opposed to 35% for all parents.

• 43% of Hispanic parent said they are worried about their child being kidnapped or taken away, compared to 28% for all parents.

There are many options. Astrid is told by experts that there are many reasons for these differences.

• One is that Latinos tend to practice collectivism rather than individualism. This leads to a lot more worrying.
• “We’re loving, we are warm, we express solidarity — that can go the other way,” says Layla Sarquis, Affiliate faculty at Chicago School of Professional Psychology. “And we are prone to worry. We take on responsibilities that aren’t ours. This collectivistic nature makes us fixers.
• Manuel X. Zamarripa is the co-founder of Institute of Chicana/o/x Psychology, Austin, Texas.

• Zamarripa mentions that violence by police against Latinos is one factor that could affect a parent.

Yes, but: Hispanic parents find their parenting roles fulfilling and feel that being a parent is an important part of their identity.

• 39% of Hispanics surveyed said parenting is always enjoyable, and 45% said it’s all rewarding.
• 25 percent of parents said that it was fun all the time, while 36% said that it was rewarding all the time.

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