Maladaptive Eating-Depression Symptom Networks across Mexican American Children's Cultural Development

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Project Abstract: Research demonstrates that maladaptive eating (e.g., overeating, food restriction) and persistent depressive symptoms often co-occur and may reinforce each other over time. However, little is known regarding the etiology of early maladaptive eating and depressive symptoms among Mexican American children and how variations in cultural moderators impact the development of transdiagnostic dysfunctional mechanisms. Previous research suggests that Mexican American children who develop a stronger cultural orientation to Mexican practices (i.e., enculturation) may have better outcomes than those who develop a stronger orientation to U.S. practices (i.e., acculturation). This study aims to map early dysfunctional mechanisms between maladaptive eating and depressive symptoms across Mexican American child development, identify which specific symptoms are most influential to mechanisms driving dysfunction, and explore how enculturation (protective) and acculturation (risk) influence functional domains across childhood. My long-term research goal is to explore mental and physical illness trajectories among Hispanic populations to predict onset and course of illness and increase the effectiveness of mainstream interventions. Consistent with this goal, the current project proposes to use symptom network analysis to examine the development of maladaptive eating behaviors and depressive symptoms across a sample of 240 low-income Mexican American children assessed at ages 6, 7.5, and 9 years old. Grounded in the existing literature, I hypothesize that the association between maladaptive eating behaviors and depressive symptoms will become stronger across time. I also hypothesize that the symptoms most influential to dysfunctional mechanisms will remain consistent across time. Finally, I hypothesize that more enculturated Mexican American children will have less dysfunctional connections than more acculturated Mexican American children. This will be the first study to examine maladaptive eating–depression symptom networks among Mexican American children and the first to consider cultural development as a potential protective (enculturation) and risk (acculturation) factor of early dysfunction. Results will inform important etiological questions and identify optimal symptoms to target in treatment that can yield the most treatment gains for improving connections between maladaptive eating and depression in children. Completion of this research project and training plan will set the foundation for my early career program of research and provide clear next steps for important mechanisms and their corresponding environmental context to explore. The psychological, cultural, and statistical rigor of my training plan will prepare me to meet my goal of conducting research to predict onset and course of illness among Hispanic populations. I strongly believe that with the training from this fellowship, I will be an asset to the field of minority psychology and behavioral health.