Communal Coping Among Spanish-Speaking Mother–Child Dyads Engaging in Language Brokering: A Latent Class Analysis

Utilizing self-reported survey data from 120 low-income, Spanish-speaking mother–child dyads, this study examined different types of classes (i.e., subgroups) based on the ways in which mothers and adolescent children coped with language brokering, particularly when they found it stressful. Four classes emerged, listed from largest to smallest class: (a) communal coping mothers, (b) shared communal copers, (c) independent communal coping children, and (d) communal coping children. Mothers’ parent–child closeness predicted class membership, but adolescent children’s reported closeness was not a significant predictor. Nevertheless, adolescent children’s respect for family significantly predicted class membership, whereas mothers’ respect for family was not a significant predictor. Mothers who were members of the communal coping children class reported less frequent depressive symptoms, whereas children who were independent communal coping children reported more frequent depressive symptoms.