Cultural values as a resilience resource for Latino/a adolescents and young adults coping with parental cancer.

Although research on how adolescents and young adults (AYAs) cope with their own cancer is expanding, there is little knowledge on how AYAs cope with a parent's cancer. And, thus, little evidence-based knowledge for how to deliver services. Moreover, most research has been with majority White populations. To fill this gap, we examined whether the cultural values of (familism) and (spirit) moderate the association between stress appraisals and coping with psychological distress among Latino/AYAs facing a parent's cancer. Cross-sectional, observational. Thirty eight adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25 whose mother had breast cancer. Participants completed standardized measures. Generalized estimating equation analysis was used to analyze the nested data. There was a protective pattern of and against symptoms of depression. AYAs experienced psychological distress, but those with higher levels of and fared better than those with lower levels, regardless of the coping strategies they used. Psychosocial interventions for Latino/a AYAs coping with parental cancer should incorporate or strengthen these values.