As the eldest daughter in her family, it is Maria Sanchez's responsibility to care for her siblings and do the housework while her parents work several jobs to make ends meet.
Every day, Maria, 15, juggles those tasks with her schoolwork and her participation in a Costa Mesa after-school program that mentors other girls like her. The demands on the bubbly Estancia High School sophomore try her patience sometimes, but when things get tough, she relies on her sly sense of humor to see her through it.
"When you're the oldest girl, you do it all and the guys don't do anything," Maria said. "My brother likes his pants ironed with a perfect crease. He complains if they're not exactly how he wants them. The other day, I did three lines in them. He left with them on like that."
The U.S.-born daughter of Mexican immigrants who want her to grow up with their traditions and values, Maria says it is sometimes difficult to communicate with her parents about the American influences in her life.
Although Maria is managing her dual roles with a smile, the cultural contradictions in her life sometimes take a psychological toll on other Latino teenagers, especially U.S.-born Latinas who are at a high risk of feeling depressed, seriously considering suicide and attempting suicide, according to the latest national study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Teen suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people in the United States, but taking some specialists in the field and teenagers themselves by surprise is the extent of suicidal behavior among Latino adolescents revealed in the 1997 research.
According to the CDC study, one in three high school Latinas report having seriously considered suicide, compared to one in every five African American girls and one in four white girls. The study is puzzling to researchers because it uncovers high rates of behavior related to depression and suicide in Latinos, even though the actual suicide rates in Latino teens are lower than for African Americans and white teens.
Although experts still cannot fully explain the discrepancy--mostly because there is a dearth of research in the area of adolescent mental health--some believe that suicide-related behavior among Latinos constitutes a cry for help, particularly among children of immigrant parents. For some of these teenagers, researchers believe, growing up between two cultures is taking a toll on their psychological well-being.
