Thread: Unique social and cultural pressures Hispanic teen girls

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Lost in Translation
Unique social and cultural pressures Hispanic teen girls face cause many to contemplate suicide
BY MAUREEN SIMPSON, The Island Packet
Published Tuesday, September 19, 2006
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At times, Linda Chavez feels like a citizen without a country.

The 17-year-old Bluffton senior was born in the United States and English is her first language. But America has never felt like home to her.

"I can say I'm American, because I was born here," Chavez said. "But I have nothing American. My whole blood is Mexican."

As the first generation in her family to be born in the United States, she faces the unique challenge of establishing an identity that somehow melds her strong connection to her Hispanic heritage with her desire to fit in socially as an American teenager.

She said it's a middle ground that often leaves her feeling misunderstood by both her parents and peers, battling to be heard above the clash of opposing cultures, only to get lost in the translation.

The pressure is so great, Chavez said, that at one time she considered suicide.

"People just don't know what Latinas go through," she said. "I hear a lot of comments at school like 'Go back to Mexico' and things like that, and it kind of hurts. I'm not going to say it doesn't. ... You get rejected sometimes. And people don't really understand what we go through at home. It's not easy being here."

The teen years are difficult for everyone, whether prom king or social outcast. But Hispanic teenage girls have unique social and cultural pressures that make life for them even more challenging -- and studies show those pressures are taking a terrible toll.

According to statistics gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between the years 1991-2003, Hispanic teenage girls in grades 9-12 seriously considered or attempted suicide more often than any other group. In fact, the study showed one in six high school age Latinas had attempted suicide, making them twice as likely as non-Hispanic teenage girls to try to kill themselves.

Dr. Luis Zayas, a licensed psychologist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said it's a puzzling phenomenon that, until recently, went largely unresearched. Through federal funding provided by the National Institute of Mental Health, he is leading a five-year study that will seek to understand the reasons behind these attempts.

"Once you understand something, you're in a better position to change it," Zayas said. "That's when you can develop programs of intervention. This has been going on way too long."

Research is limited, but Zayas said studies suggest that the problem is more prevalent among Hispanic female youths born in the United States to immigrant parents than those who were born outside the country. Both demographics, however, are at risk.

"It's hard to tell at this point how pervasive it is in more recent immigrant groups," Zayas said. "But, for a (Hispanic) girl born in the U.S., it may be the friction between what she encounters here and what she is expected to do according to her parents. She might want to maintain the traditional values of her family, yet she is exposed to more social freedoms here."

Other possible factors, dependent upon the individual, include socioeconomic status, teen pregnancy and stress brought on by acculturation issues.

Cinthia Guzman, 18, moved to the United States from Honduras more than two years ago and had to get a job to help pay the rent and buy groceries for her family within two weeks of arriving in the country, despite the fact that she knew little English and had to attend school.

"I remember when I came here, I just learned the ABC's, numbers, and that's it," Guzman said.

After a long day of struggling to learn the language and adapt to the culture at school, she'd head straight to work at a fast food restaurant until 2:30 a.m., then start the grueling process all over again.

It was emotionally draining for the teenager, who said depression is a problem among Latinas that is handled in varying ways.

"I think it's common," she said. "But, it depends how people deal with it. ... I tried to fill my days with work, friends and going to church, but it just depends on how you take it. I lived with my brother for four months. Just him and me and that's it. You learn a lot about responsibility."

Kim LaMotte-Tovar, a bilingual liaison at Bluffton High School, attributes the prevalence of depression among young Latinas like Guzman to the adult responsibilities they are suddenly forced to take on upon arriving here. Older siblings end up having to care for their younger siblings, because mom and dad are working two jobs just to get by.

"When the kids come, they don't come because they want to. They're brought here. They don't have an option," LaMotte-Tovar said. "Trying to speak another language at the same time that they're trying to deal with teenage hormones and issues, it does get overwhelming. ... It's almost like they go into survival mode instead of actually having a life."

Inevitably, she said, it brings on a frustration that can spiral into a number of poor decisions for the sake of an escape, from talk of suicide to teen pregnancy.

"(Those choices) are just a cry for 'somebody listen to me,' " LaMotte-Tovar said. "... And if some guy that's 25 is going to say 'Oh honey, you're pretty' and they're paying attention to them at 15 and 16, oh yeah they latch on. ... They think this person is going to stay around forever, and they don't realize that as soon as that baby is born, they're not looked at as a fun thing anymore."

According to Mike Walsh, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Beaufort-Jasper Counties, this form of trying to "solve" their problems is much more common than Latinas seeking actual professional help.

"The one thing that we know is that culturally, Latinos are among the least likely to seek treatment," he said. "This could be for a variety of reasons, chief of which is there's a real strong feeling of independence within the Latino culture. Seeking help is sometimes seen as a weakness."

Though LaMotte-Tovar wishes she had an answer to the ever-growing issue, she admits a quick fix doesn't exist. Change will only come through patience, communication and education, she said, which also means providing more bilingual resources to the community.

"It's not trying to let them speak Spanish instead of English. It's trying to get pertinent information to the people who need it as quickly as possible, so there's not a misunderstanding," she said. "Because a lot of the Latin community doesn't realize what their rights and obligations are."

Zayas said this need for more bilingual resources is even more challenging and crucial for areas like Beaufort County that, traditionally, have not been typical gateway communities for immigrants coming to the United States.

"That's a situation where we really need to keep our eyes open in terms of needs," he said. "As the Hispanic population continues to grow in the United States, we're beginning to be faced with places that have few bicultural agencies specializing in taking care of Hispanic families. They do require special attention."

Recognizing this need, the Mental Health Association of Beaufort-Jasper Counties has started involving the Latin American Council on Hilton Head Island in its efforts to make information regarding health issues more readily available to Hispanics. It's a partnership that Walsh hopes will be one of many in this area in years to come.

"There's never enough, but we're working on it," he said. "I believe the future of the community relies on more communication and collaboration."

As does -- more specifically -- the future of Hispanic teenage girls like Chavez.

After returning to South Carolina from a summer in Mexico, Chavez said the sense of isolation she felt from arguing with her parents about their strict rules and trying to make friends at school began to weigh heavily on her mind. She became depressed and felt suicidal.

"I couldn't take it anymore or decide what to do. I couldn't go out and think about it, because I wasn't allowed (out of the house)," Chavez said. "I had to keep it inside of me."

Finally, she hit an all-time low emotionally, skipping school one day and considering suicide. But before she could act on the thought, her mother found her at home. When Chavez told her she wanted to kill herself, the pair went to the hospital, where the teen underwent a psychiatric evaluation.

Now, Chavez visits a psychologist once a week.

"Things are getting better," she said. "Opening up to my parents helped. But, I know I'm not the only Latina who struggles with this."

Contact Maureen Simpson at 706-8134 or msimpson@islandpacket.com. To comment on this story, please go to islandpacket.com.

Cinthia Guzman, 18, moved to the United States from Honduras more than two years ago and had to get a job to help pay the rent and buy groceries for her family within two weeks of arriving in the country, despite the fact that she knew little English and had to attend school.

"I remember when I came here, I just learned the ABC's, numbers, and that's it," Guzman said.

After a long day of struggling to learn the language and adapt to the culture at school, she'd head straight to work at a fast food restaurant until 2:30 a.m., then start the grueling process all over again.

Is it just me? Coz I find this to be a tad stretched.

Seeking help is sometimes seen as a weakness."

Funny, they don't have any problem seeking 'help' from welfare, medicaid, drivers liscense, etc. but I guess stealing is a strength where asking for help is considered a weakness.