Cultural Strength Mechanisms: Family Ethnic Socialization, Ethnic Identity, Familism Links to Rural US Latino/a Youth Prosocial Behaviors Across Time.

INTRODUCTION: Cultural strength-based models propose that family ethnic socialization promotes prosocial development in Latino/a youth through cultural values such as ethnic identity and familism. However, longitudinal research testing these serial pathways remains scarce, and prosocial behavior is understudied in rural, emerging immigrant destinations where adversity is heightened, and prosocial behaviors may be differentially shaped. This study examined whether ethnic identity exploration, commitment, and familism at Time 2 sequentially mediate the associations between family ethnic socialization at Time 1 and public and altruistic prosocial behaviors at Time 3 among rural US Latino/a youth. METHODS: This study included 307 US Latino/a youth from rural Midwestern communities (Mage at Time 1 = 12.21 years; 52.1% male), followed across three-waves with 1-year intervals. Structural equation modeling was used to test the serial mediation model, controlling for baseline prosocial behaviors and demographic covariates. RESULTS: Family ethnic socialization at Time 1 was positively associated with Time 2 ethnic identity, but commitment was more strongly associated with familism than exploration. In turn, Time 2 familism was positively associated with Time 3 public prosocial behavior and negatively with altruistic prosocial behavior. Ethnic socialization was indirectly associated to public prosocial behavior primarily through the commitment-familism path (with weaker associations through exploration path). For altruistic prosocial behaviors, both the commitment-familism and exploration-familism indirect paths were significant but negative. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the family's central role in cultivating cultural assets and highlight the need to differentiate ethnic identity dimensions and prosocial forms to refine ecocultural models of positive development.