Latino Immigrant Families Research Articles

Acculturation trajectories differ by youth age at arrival and time in residency among Latino immigrant families in a US emerging immigrant context

The present study was designed to examine acculturation trajectories of first-generation, Latino immigrant youth and their parents in an emerging immigrant context. We also examined whether acculturation trajectories differed between families with youth who migrated at different stages of development and who have spent differential amounts of time in the United States (US). A community sample of 217 immigrant families in western Oregon was purposely sampled according to youths’ age at arrival and time in US residency (TR) and assessed three times over a 3-year period. Families were stratified into three TR groups: TR1 = 2–4 years spent in the US; TR2 = 6–8 years spent in the US; and TR3 = 10–12 years. Parents and youth in each TR group completed measures assessing their acculturation to US American and Latino culture. Results from multiple-group latent growth models showed that acculturation trajectories differed for both youth and parents depending on the TR group. Moreover, both youth and their parents within each TR group differed in their acculturation trajectories. Overall, although youth slowly gravitated toward biculturalism over time, their parents remained relatively separated such that they reported high endorsement of their heritage culture and low endorsement of US culture over time. Findings are discussed in terms of prior research and theory.

Immigrant Latino Fathers’ Perceptions of Child Abuse and Neglect

The objective of this qualitative research was to study the lived experiences of child abuse and neglect for immigrant Latino fathers whose children are involved in the child protection process. We documented the narratives of nine immigrant Latino fathers attending fatherhood groups regarding their perceptions of child abuse and neglect.The immigrant Latino fathers highlighted their lack of agency and marginalization due to acculturative parenting stress, structural discrimination, and immigration status. They are burdened with physical and emotional pain that diffuses into their children’s lives and results in unhealthy coping strategies. The Latino fathers faced everyday microaggressions, racial abuses, and discrimination due to their agency and role as Latino immigrants. They chronicled their frustrations dueto distrust of the mainstream social service providers, police, immigration officials, and abuse meted on them due to their marginalized identities. We provide practice and policy recommendations for professionals working with immigrant Latino families.

They just took him: Impacts of immigration enforcement on U.S. citizen Latino adolsecents’ well-being

Abstract Background Escalating interior immigration enforcement by the Trump administration threatens U.S. Latino immigrant families, yet systematic evidence is limited regarding the impacts of immigration enforcement in this community. Our study explored lived experiences of U.S.-citizen adolescents affected by various levels of immigration enforcement, including parental deportation. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with adolescents (13-17 years old, N = 7) who experienced-or were at risk of-parental deportation as part of a larger, on-going longitudinal study. Interviews queried after their health, family life, perceived discrimination, conceptualization of today's anti-immigrant climate and, if applicable, the circumstances and impact of their parent's deportation. A preliminary qualitative analysis of the interviews was conducted. Interview summaries were created and reviewed systematically. Major themes and qualitative assertions were derived and discussed by the analytical team. Results Parental detainment/deportation was inherently violent and traumatic and had profound mental/emotional, physical, socio-cultural and economic consequences for separated adolescents as they assumed adult roles and responsibilities. The threat of deportation negatively affected the well-being of adolescents with deportable parents, resulting in increased vigilance and stress. Participants were ambivalent regarding their desire to talk about the risk of deportation or their experiences with it, as well as their own identities as Latinx citizens. They also reported feelings of isolation, discrimination and victimization related to immigration enforcement. Conclusions Anticipated and experienced parental deportation negatively affects health and well-being among U.S.-citizen adolescents. Family-friendly immigration policies, community-based interventions, and family counseling are critical to protect this vulnerable population. Key messages Following deportation, the deportee’s family—especially their U.S.-citizen adolescents—are profoundly and negatively affected. Even the threat of deportation stresses adolescents and their families and results in negative psychosocial outcomes.

Opportunities for Supporting Latino Immigrants in Emergency and Ambulatory Care Settings.

Toughened immigration policies exacerbate barriers to public benefits and health care for immigrants. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of the immigration climate on the utilization of pediatric emergency and ambulatory care services and elucidate ways to best support Latino immigrant families. This is a cross-sectional study involving surveys and interviews with Latino parents (≥ 18 years) in the pediatric emergency department. Forty-five parents completed surveys and 40 were interviewed. We identified two themes on health care utilization: fear of detention and deportation in health care settings, and barriers to pediatric primary care; and two themes on how pediatric providers can best support Latinos: information and guidance on immigration policies, and reassurance and safety during visits. Despite immigration fears, Latino parents continue to seek health care for their children. This highlights the unique access that pediatric providers have to this vulnerable population to address immigration fears and establish trust in the health care system. Health care providers are also perceived as trusted figures from whom Latino families want more information on the latest immigration policies, immigration resources, and education on legal rights during medical visits.

Designing and Implementing Parenting Interventions With Latino Immigrant Families: Challenges and Strategies

Parenting interventions have shown to be effective in improving parenting behaviors quality, reducing child behavior problems, and increasing overall family well-being. However, the majority of research on the effectiveness of parenting interventions has been conducted with a focus on White and Western populations. As a result, intervention designs and guidelines often fail to address the unique characteristics and experiences of Latino immigrant families, which in turn are likely to impact the implementation and effectiveness of parenting interventions. The current article identifies challenges and discusses strategies that we have found to be effective with respect to our experience implementing a parenting intervention with low-income Latino immigrant mothers in the United States. These include (a) language barriers, (b) recruitment of families, (c) retention of families, (d) building trust and community, and (e) integrating culture into parenting interventions.

Mexican Traditional Medicine: Application of a Traditional and Complementary Medicine System to Improve Opioid Use Treatment in Latinos.

Background: Initially considered a primarily rural, White issue, opioid use and overdose rates have risen faster for Latinos (52.5%) than for White, non-Hispanics (45.8%) from 2014 to 2016. With an estimated 45% to 65% of Latino immigrant families using Mexican traditional medicine (MTM) practices before seeking Western medical services, these practices could be used as a method to increase access to care and improve outcomes. Practice Model: Although not well known, MTM is founded on a defined set of theoretical tenets that comprise a whole medical system as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Whole medical systems are characterized as complete systems of theory and practice that develop independently and parallel allopathic medicine. Classifying MTM as a whole medical system to encourage further research and utilization of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) practices could help improve health outcomes for Latino patients. Specific T&CM practices that could be used in opioid treatment integration to decrease stigma and increase treatment utilization are then discussed. Conclusion: Incorporating T&CM practices will allow more effective, culturally competent and culturally sensitive health care provision for Latino immigrants in the United States to decrease stigma, improve health care outcomes, and address disparities in opioid use treatment.

“Their needs are higher than what I can do”: Moral distress in providers working with Latino immigrant families

Social service providers tasked with alleviating the problems of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations are at particular risk for work-related stress and subsequent burnout. This article aims to move beyond individualized understandings of provider burnout and render visible the structural barriers that limit providers’ capacity to authentically help their clients. Guided by the concept of moral distress, we examined the experiences of 17 service providers who deliver behavioral and mental health services to Latino immigrants in a metropolitan area in Texas. An applied thematic analysis of individual interviews collected in 2015 revealed providers’ frustration with the countless systemic issues and helplessness in their inability to make substantial changes in their clients’ lives. This emotional toll, in turn, created a cycle where providers’ capacity to envision authentic, systemic change became limited. Our findings suggest that social work needs to go beyond the recommendations for self-care to prevent provider burnout and to address the inherent paradoxes in service provision to oppressed and vulnerable groups. We urge a shift toward a social action model to show an authentic commitment to social justice and to empower both providers and the marginalized populations they serve.

Preliminary Effects of Tailoring an Obesity Prevention Intervention Program for Latino Immigrant Families.

An obesity preventive intervention program for preschool families, Healthy Balance, was tested in 2 sequential pilot trials. The first pilot tested the original and translated group intervention in a heterogeneous population (65 families), and the second tested the feasibility of a culturally adapted version for Latinx immigrant families (27 families). No significant study 1 intervention effects were found. However, in study 2, there were significant improvements in parent body mass index, neck circumference, and blood pressure. These studies suggest that targeting family system change and tailoring the intervention for Latinx immigrant populations is feasible and has the potential to improve obesity-related biomarkers.

“Comimos quesadillas y después jugamos tag:” Children’s bilingual/bicultural identity in a U. S. elementary school

This reflexion paper presents findings from a classroombased ethnographic study conducted for three years in collaboration with children of immigrant Latino families attending an elementary public school in the U. S. The investigation focuses specifically on the analysis of a series of “family journals,” which were collectively created by the children and their families, and shared within the space of the classroom. Through the journals, the children’s bilingual and bicultural identities became an important source of learning, collaboration and meaningful engagement in the classroom.

A College Knowledge Program for Latino Immigrant Families: Examining Parental Academic Involvement and Adolescents' Academic Goals.

The current study examined how parents’ and adolescents’ reports of parental involvement were associated with adolescents’ academic goals before and after participating in a college knowledge program. Twelve parent-adolescent dyads (Mage = 13.58) participated in the program. Thematic analysis was used to analyze these data and create themes that emerged based on patterns in parents’ and adolescents’ semi-structured interviews. Findings suggested that while parents’ reports of their involvement remained relatively the same (high involvement), half of the adolescents indicated increases in their academic goals and perceived parental involvement after participating in the program. This study highlights the role of a college knowledge program on parents’ and adolescents’ changes in perceived parental involvement and academic goals. The study findings identify an avenue to help families access additional capital that can help their children pursue their academic goals.

Leadership for Youth Empowerment Within a Family-Based Community Program

This article examines the perceptions of students who observed their adult family members’ participation and also participated in Connection and Access through Technology (CAtT), a family-oriented community-based program that taught technology skills to adult family members of school-aged children. This qualitative study applies conceptions of empowerment, for youth and community settings, to understand how program structures promoted immigrant Latino family members’ empowerment. In CAtT, parents gained technology skills, which they applied to their daily lives and to their children’s schooling, and developed leadership skills. Students experienced a sense of belonging, agency, competence, and leadership through increasing technology skills and having opportunities to contribute to the program, including through teaching others. Witnessing positive experiences of adult family members in the program also represented possibilities for children’s personal successes. Findings suggest that leaders’ ability to recognize and employ nontraditional parental involvement that builds on families’ cultural characteristics results in fostering student empowerment. Exposure to programs such as CAtT, which empower Latino immigrant families and which have the potential to alter traditional structures, is essential in the development of leaders for social justice and culturally responsive leadership.

P88 The Development of a Nutrition Education Mobile Application (Mhealth) for Latino Families: The Padres Preparados, Jóvenes Saludables Experience

Objective Childhood obesity rates remain high specially for ethnic communities. The Padres Preparados, Jovenes Saludables (Prepared Parents, Healthy Youth— Padres for short) is a family-based intervention that aims to increase father involvement in positive parenting practices to address youth energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) (i.e. sugar sweetened beverage, fruit and vegetable, and breakfast consumption; physical activity and sedentary behavior). Participants are Latino immigrant fathers with an adolescent youth (10 to 14 years old). The in-person format however can limit the participation of some fathers. Use of Theory or Research This proposal describes the development of a mHealth Application (APP) to implement a blended (in-person and APP) delivery to address some barriers for participation by enabling fathers to access three sessions remotely. Padres is based on social cognitive theory, modeling reasoning and teaching, home availability and accessibility, and social support. Additionally, we followed principles of design thinking during the development of the APP. Target Audience Latino immigrant families (especially fathers) with adolescent children (10-14 years old). Program Description Padres is a culturally grounded, family-skills program for Latino immigrant families. The original in-person intervention includes eight sessions (2.5 hours each) focusing on improving diet and physical activity levels for children by strengthening parenting practices. The APP includes the content of three out of the eight original sessions: adolescent development, rules and expectations, and monitoring and supervision. Each of the three sessions follows an active learning steps including instructional videos, reflection, skills building and text follow-ups. Evaluation Methods A pilot study of the blended approach is underway and will be concluded in mid-March with intervention assessments and incudes a comparison among in-person and blended format delivery on parenting practices and both youth physical activity and dietary habits. Conclusions There are few mHealth programs designed for Latino families. This blended approach is an innovative way to flexibility for program participation among Latino families. Funding USDA.

Language is not enough: Institutional supports for Spanish speaking client-worker engagement in child welfare

ABSTRACT Latino immigrant families in the child welfare system are more likely than their U.S. born peers to experience barriers to the supportive services their families need. These clients must engage with their social workers to overcome obstacles including communicative challenges, cultural differences, limited Spanish language referral services, ineligibility for public programs, and fear of government authorities. This study used interviews with Spanish speaking clients and social workers in one child welfare agency to examine clients’ and workers’ perceptions of their relationships and the barriers and facilitators of their work together. Our findings suggest that child welfare agencies might better support Spanish speaking clients and workers by adopting strategies to strengthen workers’ cultural competency, to reduce barriers to referral services, and to provide appropriate supervision to Spanish speaking workers. These institutional supports are needed to support client-worker engagement and enhance service delivery for Latino immigrant families.

Latino immigrant parents and schools: Learning from their journeys of empowerment

ABSTRACT This study explores the process of participation of Latino immigrant parents in the schooling of their children, as it takes place in various schools and communities in the Southwest. It examines the practices and motivations that support the parents’ participation and their advocacy to improve their children’s school experience. It chronicles the narratives of the participant parents and their children’s teachers in their contexts, as they strengthen their engagement with school personnel towards supporting a meaningful education for these students. The study addresses the following question: What can scholars and practitioners learn about the experiences, hopes, struggles, and dispositions of low-income Latino immigrant families to establish stronger collaborations with them?

Latino Immigrant Parents’ Experiences With Discrimination: Implications for Parenting in a Hostile Immigration Policy Context

A growing anti-immigrant context has increased the discrimination Latino immigrant families confront in the United States. This study examines the relationship between discrimination and Latinos’ parenting practices. Using cross-sectional data on parenting practices, discrimination, immigration-related factors, and protective factors among Latino immigrant families, we conduct a latent profile analysis to (a) identify profiles of perceived discrimination, (b) assess the role of protective mechanisms in predicting discrimination profiles, and (c) examine the relationship between discrimination profiles and parenting outcomes. The findings revealed a four-class solution, Low Discrimination, Institutional and Language Discrimination, Moderate Discrimination, and High Discrimination. Parents in the High Discrimination profile experienced lower levels of monitoring, consistent discipline, and higher levels of harsh disciplining compared with the other profiles. Overall, this article has implications for effective family functioning given that parental discrimination may influence parenting practices, which has direct consequences on parent–child relationships.

Parenting Processes and Adolescent Adjustment in Immigrant Latino Families: The Use of Residual Centering to Address the Multicollinearity Problem.

Family cohesion and parental monitoring promote Latino adolescents' positive adjustment. For Latino immigrant families, these parenting processes tend to be interdependent due to shared roots in cultural values emphasizing family togetherness and parental authority. This covariance poses a significant methodological problem with respect to multicollinearity. The present article uses a novel technique-residual centering-to remove shared variance among family cohesion and parental monitoring constructs and, in turn, to identify how the unique variance of each is associated with Latino adolescent adjustment. Participants include 249 9th and 10th graders in Mexican and Central American immigrant families. We compared findings from structural equation models in which parenting constructs were examined simultaneously with residual-centered models, in which shared variance among parenting constructs was removed for each parenting variable. Findings from residual-centered models revealed that parents' monitoring of youth's daily activities was associated with less alcohol use and fewer youth depressive symptoms, and that parents' monitoring of youth's peer activities outside the home was associated with less marijuana use and more depressive symptoms. Family cohesion was unrelated to Latino youth outcomes in residual-centered models. By isolating specific, "pure" parenting effects, residual centering can clarify the ways in which family cohesion and parental monitoring behaviors matter for Latino adolescents' adjustment.

Interaction effect of familism and socioeconomic status on academic outcomes of adolescent children of Latino immigrant families

IntroductionPrevious research has shown inconsistent findings of the effect of familism on academic outcomes among adolescents from Latino immigrant families. Guided by social capital theory and the concept of gendered familism, the current study examined differential effects of family obligation and family cohesion as subcomponents separately. This study also investigated the moderating effect of familial SES on the association of each component of familism and academic outcomes by gender. MethodsParticipants were 1801 adolescents from Latino immigrant families (Mage = 14.1 years, SD = 0.83, range = 14–17) drawn from the Children of Immigrant Longitudinal Studies. The current study employed a series of multiple regression analyses to examine the effects of familism, assessed by family obligation and family cohesion, on adolescents' grade point average (GPA), educational expectations and aspirations. Multigroup analyses were also conducted to examine gender differences in the effect of familism on adolescents’ academic outcomes. ResultsAnalyses revealed the positive main effect of family cohesion and the negative effect of family obligations on Latino and Latina adolescents' GPA and educational expectations. For Latino adolescents, negative effect of family obligation on GPA was stronger for adolescents from high-SES families than those from low-SES families. ConclusionIt is imperative for researchers to conceptualize familism and operationalize the construct clearly. The effect of differences in family context and gender role expectation also needs to be considered in examining the association between familism and the academic outcomes of adolescents from immigrant families.

Procuring Health: Experiences of Mexican Immigrant Women in Rural Midwestern Communities.

Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data from 15 first-generation Mexican immigrant women who resided in two rural Midwestern communities. Ten themes were identified and aligned with four thematic areas of interest ( meaning of being healthy, strategies to promote health, challenges to health, and supports for health). This study provides insights into the complexities and realities faced by Mexican immigrant women, as they strove to obtain optimal health in rural America, and contributes to the growing literature focused on health disparities among ethnic and racial minorities. Implications for research, professional practice, and public policy are discussed. Ethnographic and longitudinal studies that include the perspectives of populations that are difficult to reach such as first-generation Latino immigrant families are needed to further explore the nuances of achieving health in growing, diverse areas of rural America.

Enriched early childhood experiences: Latina mothers’ perceptions and use of center-Based child care

Latino children in the U.S., particularly from immigrant families, are less likely than their peers to attend early care and education (ECE) programs, but this trend may be shifting. This study used longitudinal, ethnographic data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three City Study to explore low-income Latina immigrant mothers’ ECE decisions, including how they learn about, perceive, and select ECE (N = 31). Results of analysis employing grounded theory and narrative approaches revealed two interesting paradoxes. First, for many mothers, center-based child care was viewed as distinctly different from more informal types of non-maternal care and thus, not perceived as a barrier to family time. Second, mothers praised the learning opportunities and education their children received in formal center-based programs, but rarely linked it to preparation for elementary school or the transition to kindergarten. These results are discussed in terms of consistencies with prior quantitative and qualitative research and new directions for research and policy aimed at promoting the well-being of Latino immigrant children and families.

Parent Spanking and Verbal Punishment, and Young Child Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Latino Immigrant Families: Test of Moderation by Context and Culture

SYNOPSISObjective. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of spanking and verbal punishment in a community sample of Latino immigrant families with young children, as well as the association of spanking and verbal punishment with child internalizing and externalizing problems 1 year later. Parenting context (e.g., warmth) and cultural context (e.g., the cultural value of respeto) are considered as potential moderators. Design. Parenting and cultural socialization practices were assessed via parent self-report in a sample of 633 Mexican and Dominican American immigrant families with young children (M age = 4.43 years). Parent and teacher assessments of child internalizing and externalizing were also collected at baseline and 12 months later. Results. At Time 1, male child gender was positively correlated with concurrent spanking; familial social support and U.S. American cultural knowledge were negatively correlated with mothers’ spanking. Verbal punishment at Time 1 was associated with externalizing problems at Time 2 among both Mexican and Dominican American children, and this relation was not moderated. Additionally, verbal punishment was associated with Time 2 child internalizing problems among Mexican American children. There were no significant associations between spanking and later child internalizing or externalizing behaviors. Conclusion. It is important that researchers examine both physical and verbal discipline strategies to understand their unique influences on Latino child outcomes, as well as contextual influences that may elucidate the use and long-term effects of spanking and verbal punishment on Latino children at different developmental stages.