Within the United States, Latinx urban teens often experience high rates of
community violence exposure (CVE). Yet, there is little research that ties
the cultural value of Familismo-a commonly held value in the Latinx
population which may act as a protective factor in the context of CVE-with
symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, we
examine if greater Familismo moderates the relationship between CVE and
PTSD symptoms using mixed-methods. We recruited 416 Latinx teens
(Mage=15.5) from the Midwest urban U.S. Quantitative results indicated that
higher levels of CVE were associated with greater PTSD symptoms and higher
Familismo was associated with lower PTSD symptoms. However, Familismo did
not moderate the association between CVE and PTSD symptoms. Yet, while the
quantitative data did not test the relationship between CVE and Familismo,
qualitative data shows that teens with greater Familismo are impacted more
by CVE. Instead of protecting, familismo may intensify the relationship
between CVE and PTSD. Though Familismo can be protective, our results
suggest that the influence of context on Familismo is important as a
potential point of intervention.