Intergenerational Dynamics and Coping Strategies from Workshopping Games on Acculturative Stress with First-Generation Latine Communities

This study examines acculturative stress among first-generation Latine young adults in the United States, with particular attention to intergenerational family dynamics and the potential of games as culturally relevant coping tools. Its central argument is that strong family bonds, grounded in trust, communication, and support, help buffer the stresses of acculturation, while communication barriers and societal or family pressures create difficulties. The work positions itself at the intersection of human-computer interaction and mental health, responding to a gap in research on how games and intergenerational interaction might inform digital resources for this population.

The empirical basis is a set of virtual focus groups and workshops involving twelve participants aged 18 to 27, predominantly female, who contributed qualitative responses through a collaborative online board covering family relationships, communication, and recreational activities. Participants described coping through seeking external support, direct communication, compromise, and incremental disclosure. Their game preferences centered on customization, exploration, narrative depth, and strategic play, while they rejected excessive complexity, pay-to-win monetization, and negative social interactions.

The authors recommend culturally relevant, intergenerational, and communication-supportive game design as a path forward. They are candid about limitations, including the small and self-selected sample and the constraints of an online format. Accordingly, they call for longitudinal studies, in-person workshops, testing of culturally tailored games as interventions, cross-cultural comparisons, and investigation of non-gaming strategies such as art and music. Taken together, the findings suggest games hold promise as engaging coping resources, though their effectiveness depends on design choices that avoid complexity and hostile social dynamics.