UC Santa Barbara

The authors examined traditional Mexican/Mexican American and perceived U.S. mainstream cultural values as predictors of thriving. One hundred twenty-four (37 men, 87 women) self-identified Mexican/Mexican American college students participated in the study. The traditional Mexican/Mexican American cultural values of family support and religion were significant positive predictors of thriving. In addition, the perceived U.S. mainstream cultural value of competition negatively predicted thriving, and the perceived U.S. mainstream cultural value of material success positively predicted thriving. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.