Latina Girls Research Articles

Alcohol and Marijuana Use Behaviors among Latinx Adolescents: The Interplay of Intra- and Inter-Personal Predictive Factors Differ by Gender

This cross-sectional study examined the interactive effects of key interpersonal (i.e. parental monitoring) and intrapersonal (i.e. impulsivity) factors on alcohol use frequency, alcohol-related problems, and marijuana use frequency among Latinx youth by gender. It was hypothesized that parental monitoring would moderate the associations between impulsivity and each outcome, and that these findings would differ by gender. For this purpose, a sample of 129 Latinx youth (60% female) completed a series of self-report measures on substance use behaviors and consequences, parental monitoring, and impulsivity. Consistent with hypotheses, parental knowledge moderated the positive association between impulsivity and alcohol-related problems. Consistent with the differential susceptibility model, gender moderated this relation such that, compared to their male counterparts, the relation between impulsivity and alcohol related problems was stronger for female adolescents who reported low levels of parental monitoring and weaker for female teens who endorsed high levels of parental knowledge. This suggests that lack of parental monitoring may be a more important risk factor for Latina girls than Latino boys and that high level of parental monitoring may be more protective for Latina girls than Latino boys. Overall, results highlight the importance of considering the role of gender and gender socialization in our understanding of interpersonal and intrapersonal predictors of substance use among Latinx adolescents. In addition, findings suggest that culturally competent interventions for Latinx youth must also address these key issues.

Authoring Future Identities: Latina Girls Reading and Writing the University

In this article, we describe the campus visit we organized for Latina girls (grades 6–12) that participated in Somos Escritoras/We Are Writers. Somos Escritoras is a creative space that invites Latina girls to explore their lives and examine their worlds through art, writing, and theater. We focus on the writing marathon we designed for our visit and share the ways this activity invited girls to read and write the campus, while re-imagining their stories and authoring their futures. Drawing on figured words, we discuss how a campus visit can support Latina girls in constructing identities as future college students and graduates.

Latina Girls' Sexual Education in the (New) Latinx Diaspora

In 1988, Michelle Fine explored the ways in which damaging patriarchal discourses about sexuality affect adolescent girls, and hinder their development of sexual desire, subjectivities, and responsibility. In this article, I emphasize the durability and pliability of those discourses three decades later. While they have endured, they shift depending on context and the intersections of girls’ race, class, and gender identities. Calling on ethnographic research, I analyze the intersectional nuances in these sexual lessons for Latina girls in one (New) Latinx Diaspora town.

Determinants of pesticide concentrations in silicone wristbands worn by Latina adolescent girls in a California farmworker community: The COSECHA youth participatory action study

Personal exposure to pesticides has not been well characterized, especially among adolescents. We used silicone wristbands to assess pesticide exposure in 14 to 16 year old Latina girls (N = 97) living in the agricultural Salinas Valley, California, USA and enrolled in the COSECHA (CHAMACOS of Salinas Examining Chemicals in Homes and Agriculture) Study, a youth participatory action study in an agricultural region of California. We determined pesticide concentrations (ng/g/day) in silicone wristbands worn for one week using gas chromatography electron capture detection and employed gas chromatography mass spectrometry to determine the presence or absence of over 1500 chemicals. Predictors of pesticide detections and concentrations were identified using logistic regression, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and Tobit regression models. The most frequently detected pesticides in wristbands were fipronil sulfide (87%), cypermethrin (56%), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) (56%), dacthal (53%), and trans-permethrin (52%). Living within 100 m of active agricultural fields, having carpeting in the home, and having an exterminator treat the home in the past six months were associated with higher odds of detecting certain pesticides. Permethrin concentrations were lower for participants who cleaned their homes daily (GM: 1.9 vs. 6.8 ng/g/day, p = 0.01). In multivariable regression models, participants with doormats in the entryway of their home had lower concentrations (p < 0.05) of cypermethrin (87%), permethrin (99%), fipronil sulfide (69%) and DDE (75%). The results suggest that both nearby agricultural pesticide use and individual behaviors are associated with pesticide exposures.

Conducting Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Through a Healing-Informed Approach with System-Involved Latinas

Latina girls are disproportionately represented in the US juvenile justice system (Freiburger and Burke 2011). Almost all girls involved with juvenile justice report some form of emotional, physical or sexual abuse prior to interactions with the juvenile justice system; with over 60% of girls reporting trauma before the age of 5 (Dierkhising et al. 2013). For Latina girls, juvenile detention is associated with early death as Latina girls who have been detained are nine times more likely to die by the age of 29 than the general non-detained population (Teplin et al. 2014). The stark reality faced by system-involved Latinas calls for innovative solutions. In 2015, the National Compadres Network (NCN), with over 30 years of work embedded in the Chicano/Latino and Indigenous communities in California, developed a project to respond to the disparities in the juvenile justice system faced by Latina girls. Through this project, the NCN used a healing-informed curriculum (Xinachtli) and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) to engage Latina system-involved girls as equal partners to inform detention alternatives and reform. This paper will describe these efforts, provide insights from the YPAR facilitators and youth researchers, and provide recommendations for other community-based facilitators who are considering utilizing YPAR through a healing-informed approach within their own work with Latina girls.

‘I blamed this all on moving to Texas’: Fostering Sense of Place through Locative Literature among US Latina Girls

This study explores how US Latina girls, in Central Texas, may develop a stronger sense of place and belonging through the grasping and crafting of locative literature. This work presents the results of a field study, in which training about locative narratives and locative media was provided during two different occasions. Firstly, a four-day workshop was conducted within the context of a summer camp with girls organized by a non-profit organization called Latinitas, based in Austin, Texas, USA. Secondly, the training was provided within the context of an after-school program, in a middle school, given also by Latinitas, to girls age ranging from 11 to 13, during five lessons spanning over five weeks. We found that the process of creating narratives rooted in the concept of place helped the participants to reflect on the location where they live, their locality, and their identity.

Cultivando La Voz Mujer: Latina Adolescent Girls and Their Mothers Rewriting Their Pasts and Imagining Their Futures

This article shares the experiences of Latina adolescent girls (Grades 7–12) and their mothers as participants in Somos Escritoras/We are Writers, a creative writing workshop that invites girls and their mothers to engage in the sharing of stories through art and writing. In the creation of Somos Escritoras, I position Black and Chicana feminist thought as important experiential knowledge to center that of my participants’ experiences as valuable points to begin theorizing. In addition, I weave Gutiérrez’s conceptualization of third space and Anzaldúa’s theorizing of Nepantla to describe the spaces of liminality the girls and mothers navigate and the potential of Somos Escritoras as a site of transformation. Drawing upon field notes, writing, artwork, and interviews, I share how girls and their mothers used writing and artwork to express themselves, define themselves, and learn from one another through their collective sharing of stories and experiences. Somos Escritoras is an example of a family engagement space that centers the cultural and gendered ways of knowing and being of Latina girls and women as important sites of knowledge to cultivate similar spaces with and for families.

Early life obesity increases the risk for asthma in San Francisco born Latina girls.

Previous studies showed that youths who are obese are more likely to have asthma; however, some studies found important sex differences in the risk for asthma. We retrospectively assessed the asthma incidence in a Latino cohort of children recruited from birth and followed up until 9 years of age. We subsequently assessed risk factors for asthma and for an early asthma (defined as <4 years of age) diagnosis in relation to obesity. Asthma was assessed via maternal reports and medical records review of the children at 9 years of age. Each child's weight and height were collected annually. Independent and sex-specific risk factors for asthma diagnosis were assessed by using multivariable logistic regression models. In our cohort, 24.6% (42/164) of the children were diagnosed with asthma by 9 years of age. The mean ± standard deviation age of asthma diagnosis was 29.5 ± 4.5 months; 79.5% had a diagnosis of asthma at <4 years of age. In girls, any breast-feeding at 6 months was associated with a reduced risk of asthma (odds ratio [OR] 0.21 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.05-0.86]) and obesity at 2 years of was associated with increased risk for asthma (OR 12.14 [95% CI 2.79-53.05]). Exposure to environmental toxins and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages were associated with a risk for asthma diagnosis after 4 years of age. In our high-risk Latino cohort, obesity was associated with asthma development in the girls. In addition, an asthma diagnosis after 4 years of age may be related to environmental toxin exposure and early consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages compared with an earlier diagnosis.

No Latina Girls Allowed

This study examined gender-based teasing as a barrier to Latina girls’ participation in school-based sports and physical activity. Focus groups with 78 Latina teens, ages 12 to 15, indicated that they often felt self-conscious and insecure about participating in school-based sports and physical activity because they did not like being the center of attention, were self-conscious about their appearance, and were afraid to make mistakes. Gender-based teasing from male peers—and sometimes female peers—further heightened Latina girls’ feelings of insecurity and made it even less likely they would try out for a sports team. Still, there was evidence of resistance. Latina girls, particularly student athletes, resisted traditional gender-based expectations by calling out the inequities they saw all around them. These young women along with their nonathlete counterparts provided concrete suggestions on how schools can increase the participation of Latina teens in sports and physical activity.

Childhood and adolescent phenol and phthalate exposure and the age of menarche in Latina girls

BackgroundThe age of menarche has been associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disease, as well as cancer risk. The decline in menarcheal age over the past century may be partially attributable to increased exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).MethodsWe assessed the influence of 26 phenol and phthalate biomarkers on the timing of menarche in a longitudinal cohort of Chilean girls. These EDCs were quantified in urine collected prior to the onset of breast development (Tanner 1; B1), and during adolescence (Tanner 4; B4). Multivariable accelerated failure time (AFT) models were used to analyze associations between biomarker concentrations and the age of menarche adjusting for body mass index (BMI) Z-score and maternal education, accounting for within-subject correlation.ResultsSeveral biomarkers were significantly associated with the age at menarche; however, these associations were dependent on the timing of biomarker assessment. A log(ng/ml) increase in B1 concentrations of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate biomarkers was associated with later menarche (hazard ratio (HR): 0.77; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.98), whereas higher B1 concentrations of 2,5-dichlorophenol and benzophenone-3 were associated with earlier menarche (HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.27; HR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.29, respectively). Elevated B4 concentrations of monomethyl phthalate were similarly associated with earlier menarche (HR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.53). The impact of monoethyl phthalate and triclosan concentrations on pubertal timing were significantly modified by BMI Z-score. Higher monoethyl phthalate and triclosan concentrations were associated with earlier menarche among overweight or obese girls, but not among those that were normal weight.ConclusionsThis study identifies modulation of sexual maturation by specific EDC biomarkers in Latina girls.

Examining suicidality, bullying, and gun carrying among Latina/o youth over 10 years.

Latino/a youth have reported the highest rates of suicide attempts compared to White and African American youth for over 40 years. The data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) cross-sectional subsamples of Latino/a youth (N = 13,378) at every year of data collection between 2005 and 2015 were examined for bullying, gun carrying, and suicidality. Results indicate that Latina girls are significantly more likely than boys to make a suicide attempt and report more bullying and more cyberbullying, but are less likely to carry a gun. Being bullied or carrying a gun were significantly associated with greater likelihood of suicide attempt among both boys and girls. Youth who carried a gun overall had higher rates of suicide attempts whether they were bullied or not, whereas youth who did not carry a gun were significantly more likely to attempt suicide if they were bullied. Over the past 10 years, gun carrying has decreased significantly for Latino boys and suicide attempts have decreased significantly for Latina girls. Findings have important implications of considering intersections of race and gender when developing antibullying and suicide prevention strategies. There are important policy implications for considering the mental well-being of youth who are caught carrying guns at school and considering that victimization varies by ethnicity and gender. (PsycINFO Database Record

Effects of social and spatial contexts on young latinas’ methamphetamine use initiation

ABSTRACTIn this article, we examine methamphetamine (meth) use initiation as influenced by Latinas’ social positions within institutions (e.g., family and economy). We conducted ethnographic fieldwork in five women’s residential substance use treatment facilities in Los Angeles County with women who considered meth to be their primary drug of choice. Using an urban ethnographic framing, we demonstrate the effects of low-income young Latinas’ spatial- and social-context rendered vulnerability to abuse and neglect, and the resulting emotional distress, on meth use initiation. When considering pathways to substance use intervention for vulnerable Latina girls and women, clinicians, researchers, and policy makers need to understand substance use pathways as dynamic processes to cope with psychosocial stress while living in communities with easy access to illicit substances such as methamphetamine.

Bringing Latinas to the Forefront: Latina Girls, Women, and the Justice System

Bringing Latinas to the Forefront: Latina Girls, Women, and the Justice System

Feasibility Testing a Family-Level Intervention to Prevent Risky Sex Behaviors Among Middle School–Age Latinas

In this article, we report a pilot study that tested the feasibility and initial efficacy of a culturally, linguistically, and developmentally tailored risky sex prevention intervention for middle school-age Latinas and their mothers. We used a one-group pre-test, post-test, and 3-month post-intervention follow-up design. Data were collected at three points on aspects of the girls' communication, beliefs, and behaviors. Promising results included improvements in girl's self-efficacy regarding condom communication and condom consistent use, and in mother-teen sexual risk communication. There were also trends in demonstration of fewer risky sex behaviors. These findings suggest that the "Latina-Girls Empowered through Mind and Mission" (L-GEMM) intervention for young Latinas and their mothers is feasible and warrants further testing. Nurses are uniquely positioned to deliver risky sex preventive interventions to young Latinas. Including mothers and tailoring interventions to build on cultural strengths are important for success.

Using the MAYSI-2 to identify mental disorder among Latino juvenile offenders.

Many juvenile justice agencies have adopted the Massachusetts Youth Screening Inventory-Version 2 (MAYSI-2; Grisso & Barnum, 2006) to facilitate appropriate programming for young offenders with mental illness. Although Latinos are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the criminal justice system, there is scant research on the utility of the MAYSI-2 among Latino adolescents. The present study examined the utility of the MAYSI-2 in detecting diagnosable mental illness among 398 Latino and 60 European American adolescents in a juvenile justice agency. In addition to testing the scoring configuration used by the agency to identify adolescents in need of further attention, we tested 2 additional scoring configurations of the MAYSI-2. We found that the MAYSI-2 had similar utility at identifying serious mood and anxiety disorders for both ethnic groups, but was less sensitive to behavioral and substance use disorders among Latinos than it was among European Americans. In addition, the MAYSI-2 overall was less sensitive to mental illness among Latino boys compared with Latina girls. We discuss these findings within the context of best practices for identifying adolescents with mental illness in juvenile justice agencies. (PsycINFO Database Record

THE EARLY HOME ENVIRONMENT OF LATINO BOYS AND THEIR PEERS: A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE.

Using a sample (N = 5,200) drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, we examined Latino boys' developmental profiles and their early home experiences from 9 months to kindergarten entry in comparison to their peers-Latina girls and White boys. We also examined how children's early home experiences related to outcomes at kindergarten entry and whether these varied by gender and ethnicity. Controlling for socioeconomic indicators, the largest mean group differences were between Latino and White boys, beginning at 24 months and persisting at kindergarten entry. There were modest differences between Latino boys and Latina girls on some outcomes, with boys showing an early and persistent advantage in math and girls showing a persistent advantage in social skills. Household resources and maternal and paternal investments in literacy activities were the strongest predictors of children's preacademic skills at kindergarten entry. Our model did not vary by gender or ethnicity, suggesting that the ingredients for learning are the same for all children.

Sonic Pedagogies: Latina girls, mother-daughter relationships, and learning feminisms through the consumption of Jenni Rivera

Journal of Popular Music StudiesVolume 28, Issue 4 p. 427-442 ARTICLE Sonic Pedagogies: Latina girls, mother-daughter relationships, and learning feminisms through the consumption of Jenni Rivera Yessica Garcia-Hernandez, Yessica Garcia-Hernandez University of California, San DiegoSearch for more papers by this author Yessica Garcia-Hernandez, Yessica Garcia-Hernandez University of California, San DiegoSearch for more papers by this author First published: 28 December 2016 https://doi.org/10.1111/jpms.12192Citations: 4Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume28, Issue4Special Issue: Girls and Popular MusicDecember 2016Pages 427-442 RelatedInformation

Love Is a Battlefield

This qualitative study examines how Latina girls’ understanding of infidelity influences how they approach and interact with romantic partners. In-depth interviews with 24 Mexican American girls, ages 14 to 18, growing up in inner-city neighborhoods, formed the basis of this study. Although cheating was a major concern, most of the girls were more concerned with the emotional ramifications of being cheated on than any physical consequences. Fueled by a belief that most boys are “players,” they became adept at identifying “red flags” that might indicate infidelity. The most frequently mentioned red flags were “Putting in the Time,” “Adopting a Public Versus Private Persona,” “Partner Seems Less Interested,” “Being Secretive,” and “Flirting with Other Girls.” They also relied on electronic surveillance and peer warnings. Although the girls attempted to protect themselves, their reactions and behaviors were often constrained by a larger patriarchal structure outside their immediate control. Implications for gender-specific programs are discussed.

Perceived discrimination and sexual precursor behaviors in Mexican American preadolescent girls: The role of psychological distress, sexual attitudes, and marianismo beliefs.

This study explored the relation between perceived discrimination and sexual precursor behaviors among 205 Mexican American preadolescent middle school girls. In addition, this study examined whether psychological distress and sexual attitudes mediated and whether marianismo beliefs moderated this relation. A categorical confirmatory factor analysis (CCFA) of the Marianismo Beliefs Scale (MBS) was conducted to test the factor structure with a preadolescent Mexican American population (ages 11-14). A path analysis of analytic models was then performed to examine the hypothesized relations between perceived discrimination, psychological distress, sexual attitudes, marianismo beliefs, and sexual precursor behaviors. Results of the CCFA did not support the original 5-factor structure of the MBS for preadolescent Latina girls. However, a revised version of the MBS indicated an acceptable model fit, and findings from the path analysis indicated that perceived discrimination was both directly and indirectly linked to sexual precursor behaviors via psychological distress. Marianismo was not found to moderate the relation between perceived discrimination and sexual risk behaviors, however certain marianismo pillars were significantly negatively linked with sexual attitudes and precursor behaviors. This study underscores the importance of psychological distress in the perceived discrimination and sexual precursor link as well as the compensatory aspects of marianismo against sexual precursor behaviors in Mexican American preadolescent girls. (PsycINFO Database Record

The Impact of Implementing an "Incredible Years" Group Within a Family Living Unit in a Transitional Living Shelter: The Case of "Cathy"

Young children who experience homelessness have a markedly increased risk of behavior disorders. This case study illustrates the impact of the "Incredible Years" (IY) program, an evidence-supported group psychotherapy intervention, on "Cathy," a 4-year-old Latina girl with externalizing behaviors who was living in a transitional program for homeless women and children. Adaptations of the model to address the child and family’s trauma history and to allow for its implementation in a residential program are delineated. Qualitative and quantitative data support that the IY group had a positive impact on Cathy and her family and led to significant symptom decreases in externalizing behaviors and PTSD symptoms, as well as an improvement in the quality of child and parent interactions. Additionally, recommendations for future studies and treatment considerations and adaptations for this underserved population are addressed.