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Presenter: Fernando Rivera, Ph.D., University of Central Florida
Discussant / Mentor: Margarita Alegria, Ph.D., Harvard University

Perceived Discrimination and Antisocial Behaviors among Mainland and Island
Puerto Rican Youth

Authors: Fernando Rivera, Irene López, Rafael Ramírez, Peter Guarnaccia, Glorisa Canino,
    Hector Bird

Background:
Disruptive Behavior disorders are characterized by antisocial behavior patterns that usually begin in childhood or adolescence. Early onset has been associated with psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Cross-culturally the epidemiological evidence points to lower rates of antisocial behaviors among island and mainland Puerto Rican children and adolescents. In this paper we tested how perceived discrimination was related to antisocial behaviors.

Methods:
The present study is part of a larger longitudinal probability sample that assessed level of psychopathology among Puerto Rican children residing in either Puerto Rico or the Bronx. Data for this portion of the study include children who are 10 years and over and are from the first wave of interviews conducted.  To assess discrimination we used a modified version of Hispanic Stress Inventory. Antisocial behaviors were assessed by a composite measure of the four following scales measuring oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and self-reported delinquency scale. All measures were translated into Spanish and  yielded comparable reliabilities with the English original  Data was weighted using SUDAAN to take into account the complex sampling frame of the study and to make comparable with the 2000 Census.

Results:
Logistic regressions run separately by site indicated that perceived discrimination is by far the strongest predictor of antisocial behaviors even when controlling for other variables (e.g. gender, maternal education, age, household composition, stressful life events, and exposure to violence).  By site we found that for Island Puerto Rican children perceiving discrimination increased the odds of reporting antisocial behaviors (Odds ratio: 11.32, p. 001). Similarly, but to a lesser extend we found the same pattern for the Bronx sample (Odds ratio: 4.23; p. 010).

Conclusion:
Regardless of site and well know predictors of antisocial behaviors; perceived discrimination was a robust predictor of antisocial behavior. This finding supports previous research on the detrimental effects of perceived discrimination while simultaneously highlighting the cross-cultural differences in this experience.