Latino Respondents Research Articles

Looking at the Latin “Freak”: Audience Reception of John Leguizamo's Culturally Intimate Humor

In addition to his variegated acting roles, John Leguizamo has written and starred in four one-man Broadway plays to date. In these performances, Leguizamo engages in a great deal of Latino culturally intimate humor that targets the foibles and folkways of the New York City Latino culture he grew up in. In this paper, I perform content analyses of two of his one-man shows, Mambo Mouth and Freak, and then scrutinize the responses of 196 college students who watched the same performances. Latino respondents were more familiar with Leguizamo's work and expressed significantly more appreciation for Leguizamo's comedy than non-Latino respondents. They were also more likely to appreciate Leguizamo's representations of Latino life. In contradiction to my hypothesis, a very substantial majority of both Latino and non-Latino viewers thought that Leguizamo portrayed Latinos in a negative fashion. While Latino respondents were not as likely as non-Latinos to use harsh descriptives, the inability of respondents to see past the dominant cultural stereotypes of Latinos is attributed to the fact that Leguizamo exudes a working-class perspective, the overall lack of Latino visibility in popular culture, and the inherently problematic nature of culturally intimate humor.

Parents, Friends, and Romantic Partners: Enmeshment in Deviant Networks and Adolescent Delinquency Involvement

Adolescent networks include parents, friends, and romantic partners, but research on the social learning mechanisms related to delinquency has not typically examined the characteristics of all three domains simultaneously. Analyses draw on data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (n = 957), and our analytic sample contains 51% male and 49% female as well as 69% white, 24% African-American, and 7% Latino respondents. Parents,' peers,' and partners' deviance are each related to respondents' delinquency, and affiliation with a greater number of deviant networks is associated with higher self-reported involvement. Analyses that consider enmeshment type indicate that those with both above average romantic partner and friend delinquency report especially high levels of self-reported involvement. In all comparisons, adolescents with deviant romantic partners are more delinquent than those youths with more prosocial partners, regardless of friends' and parents' behavior. Findings highlight the importance of capturing the adolescent's entire network of affiliations, rather than viewing these in isolation, and suggest the need for additional research on romantic partner influences on delinquent behavior and other adolescent outcomes.

Smoking and the emergence of a stigmatized social status

An increase in the social unacceptability of smoking has dramatically decreased tobacco use in the USA. However, how policies (e.g., smoke free air laws) and social factors (e.g., social norms) drive the social unacceptability of tobacco use are not well understood. New research suggests that the stigmatization of smokers is an unrecognized force in the tobacco epidemic and could be one such mechanism. Thus, it is important to investigate the sources of smoker-related stigmatization as perceived by current and former smokers. In this study, we draw on the broader literature about stigma formation in the context of the tobacco epidemic and examine the role of attribution, fear, tobacco control policies, power and social norms in the formation of smoker-related stigma. We test hypotheses about the determinants of stigma using a population-based sample of 816 current and former smokers in New York City. The results show that perceptions of individual attributions for smoking behavior and fear about the health consequences of second hand smoke are important influences on smoker-related stigmatization. Structural forms of discrimination perpetrated against smokers and former smokers (e.g., company policies against hiring smokers) are also related to smoker-related stigma. Respondents with more education perceive more smoker-related stigma than respondents with less education and, Black and Latino respondents perceive less smoker-related stigma than White respondents. Social norms, specifically family and friends' expressed disapproval of smoking, contribute to the formation of smoker-related stigma. These findings suggest important points of leverage to harness the powerful role of stigma in the smoking epidemic and raise concerns about the possible role of stigma in the production of smoking disparities.

Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Suicide Attempts in Diverse Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations

Past studies have reported little about variability in mental disorders among lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals. We assessed the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in 388 lesbian, gay, and bisexual Black, Latino, and White individuals. Black lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals had lower prevalence of all disorders than did Latino and White individuals; younger cohorts had fewer mood disorders than did older cohorts; bisexual persons had more substance use disorders than did gay men and lesbians; and Latino respondents attempted suicide more often than did White respondents.

Understanding differences in past year psychiatric disorders for Latinos living in the US

This study seeks to identify risk factors for psychiatric disorders that may explain differences in nativity effects among adult Latinos in the USA. We evaluate whether factors related to the processes of acculturation and enculturation, immigration factors, family stressors and supports, contextual factors, and social status in the US account for differences in 12-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders for eight subgroups of Latinos. We report results that differentiate Latino respondents by country of origin and age at immigration (whether they were US-born or arrived before age 6: In-US-as-Child [IUSC]; or whether they arrived after age 6: later-arrival immigrants [LAI]). After age and gender adjustments, LAI Mexicans and IUSC Cubans reported a significantly lower prevalence of depressive disorders than IUSC Mexicans. Once we adjust for differences in family stressors, contextual factors and social status factors, these differences are no longer significant. The risk for anxiety disorders appears no different for LAI compared to IUSC Latinos, after age and gender adjustments. For substance use disorders, family factors do not offset the elevated risk of early exposure to neighborhood disadvantage, but coming to the US after age 25 does offset it. Family conflict and burden were consistently related to the risk of mood disorders. Our findings suggest that successful adaptation into the US is a multidimensional process that includes maintenance of family harmony, integration in advantageous US neighborhoods, and positive perceptions of social standing. Our results uncover that nativity may be a less important independent risk factor for current psychiatric morbidity than originally thought.

Acculturation Effects on Trust in National and Local Government Among Mexican Americans*

Objectives. The objectives of this article are to examine the impact of acculturation on the levels of trust in both the national and local governments in a long‐term minority‐majority community and to consider the effect on Mexican Americans' level of trust of long‐term co‐ethnic control of local government.Methods. Ordered probit is applied to measures of local and national political trust derived from the National Election Studies. Data were drawn from a sample of Latino respondents residing in the predominantly Mexican‐American region of south Texas. Independent variables include a language‐based measure of acculturation, a measure of interethnic social interaction, and items dealing with respondents' evaluations of the honesty, efficiency, and beneficiaries of governmental policies. Clarify is then used to estimate the real‐world impacts of these variables.Results. Acculturation has a significant and negative impact on trust in the national government. This effect vanishes, however, at the local level. Moreover, co‐ethnic control of government appears not to be related to trust.Conclusions. Trust in the national government is significantly reduced by acculturation, while trust in local government is unaffected. Moreover, trust in government is not enhanced by co‐ethnic control of the levers of political power.

Using Cognitive Interviews to Develop Surveys in Diverse Populations

Conceptual equivalence of measures is essential in research that compares health across diverse racial/ethnic groups. Cognitive interviews are pretest methods to explore the conceptual equivalence of survey items. Systematic approaches for using these methods are emerging. We describe an interaction analysis (IA) approach using qualitative data analysis software to analyze transcripts of cognitive interviews in a study to develop a survey instrument of the quality of interpersonal processes of care of diverse patients. Cognitive interviews included standard administration of the survey followed by retrospective probes for selected items. Interviews were completed with 48 Latino, black, and non-Latino white respondents 18 years of age or older with at least one doctor's visit in the past 12 months. Participants averaged 45.8 years in age (standard deviation [SD] = 18.4), 58% were women, and mean education was 14.7 years (SD = 4.0). Problems were identified in 126 of 159 items (79%). Behavior coding identified 32 problematic items (20%). IA of the transcript of the survey and retrospective probes identified 94 additional problematic items (59%). IA often revealed the nature of the problems, enabling decisions to modify or drop items based on respondents' comments. Behavior coding and IA identified ethnic and language similarities and differences in the use of response sets and the interpretation of items. IA and behavior coding of cognitive interview transcripts can identify efficiently problems with items and their source to increase the likelihood of the revised items being conceptually equivalent across ethnic groups.

Beliefs and interest in cancer risk in an underserved Latino cohort

Objective. To measure beliefs about cancer causation, cancer screening behaviors, access to information about and resources for cancer screening, and interest in cancer genetics services in two underserved predominately Latino communities. Methods. An anonymous survey, in both English and Spanish, was distributed at the registration desk to all attendees of selected general medicine clinics in two underserved healthcare systems. Results. There were a total of 312 respondents, representing 98% of eligible candidates. The reported data focus on 75.3% ( n = 235) of Latino respondents; mean age 43 years; 78% female; 72% less than high school education. Heredity was perceived as the most frequent cause of cancer, after smoking. Only 37% knew of free cancer screening programs. Over 85% expressed interest in obtaining information about personal cancer risk and motivation to participate in cancer genetics services. Conclusions. The results of this survey demonstrate an awareness of heredity as a potential cause of cancer. The observed high level of interest in cancer genetics services suggests the acceptability of cancer genetics services in this predominately underserved Latino population. Furthermore, cancer genetics services would likely augment awareness and utilization of available cancer screening services in the community.

Relationship among respondent ethnicity, ethnic identity, acculturation, and homeless status on a homeless population's functional status

This study investigated the relationship of homeless status, ethnic identity, respondent ethnicity (African American, Latino, Native American, and Anglo), and Latino, Anglo, and Mexican American orientation on the functional impairment (Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale, BASIS-32; S. V. Eisen, 1996) of 355 homeless men and women who were interviewed in Pomona, California. Multivariate analyses of variance results indicated that respondent ethnicity was related to several BASIS-32 subscales. Specifically, Anglo and African American homeless adults had greater functional impairment than did Latino or Native American respondents. In addition, high Anglo orientation among chronically homeless Latino respondents, with low ethnic identity was associated with higher levels of functional impairment on the BASIS-32 Psychosis subscale. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Racial/Ethnic Group Attitudes Toward Environmental Protection in California: Is “Environmentalism” Still a White Phenomenon?

One view of minority opinion on environmental issues suggests that minority voters are focused on less esoteric concerns such as education, jobs, and crime. An alternative argument is that minorities, many of whom live proximate to the sources of pollution and environmental degradation, are actually more concerned. Focusing here on Latinos, we argue that minority concern about environmental issues is endogenous to the nature of the issue and has changed over time. Specifically, we suggest that increasing environmental awareness among minorities has led Latinos to become more sensitive to environmental issues than their white counter-parts over time, but that this difference is manifest only on issues of proximate concern to Latinos and not on more abstract environmental principles. Pooling Field Polls in California across a 21-year span, we model support for various pro-environment positions among Latino, African-American, and non-Hispanic white respondents. We find considerable empirical support for the dynamics of growing minority environmental concern among Latinos, but only weak evidence for a similar trend among African-Americans.

Perceived Adverse Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy

Adverse effects from antiretroviral therapy (ARV) for HIV are associated with medication nonadherence. The purposes of this study were to explore group differences in the reporting of adverse effects, identify individual adverse effects that are linked to nonadherence, and to explore the role of coping in the relationship between adverse effects and adherence. Cross-sectional interviews of 2,765 HIV-positive adults on ARV therapies in four U.S. cities were performed using a computerized assessment of self-reported adverse effects, coping self-efficacy, and adherence. There were no gender differences in the rate or severity of adverse effects reported. Latino respondents reported more adverse effects than either White or African Americans. Those taking a protease inhibitor (PI) reported a higher rate and greater severity of adverse effects. Older participants reported fewer adverse effects despite being more likely to be on a regimen containing a PI. Respondents with less than 90% adherence reported greater numbers and severity of adverse effects overall. In multivariate analyses, nausea, skin problems, vomiting, and memory adverse effects were independently related to less than 90% adherence over the prior three days. Coping moderated the relationship between nausea and adherence such that individuals who reported lower coping self-efficacy and experienced nausea were at increased risk for nonadherence, regardless of the length of time on the current ARV regimen. Women and men are similar in their overall reports of adverse effects, and Latinos report more adverse effects to ARVs than White or African American patients. Specific adverse effects (skin problems, memory problems, vomiting, and nausea) are more likely than others to be associated with missing ARV medications. Increasing adaptive coping self-efficacy among patients experiencing nausea may be a particularly effective strategy in increasing medication adherence.

Latinos report less use of pharmaceutical aids when trying to quit smoking

Background Latino smokers are more likely than white non-Latino smokers to attempt cessation, but less likely to receive cessation advice from physicians or to use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Proposed underlying causes have included lighter smoking, lower financial status, and less healthcare access. This study assessed these factors as possible explanations for disparate rates of smoking-cessation support. Methods Data were analyzed from a random, population-level telephone survey of Colorado adults that interviewed 10,945 white non-Latino respondents and 1004 Latino respondents. For the current analysis, main outcome measures were receipt of physician advice to quit smoking, use of NRT, and use of bupropion or other anti-depressant for smoking cessation. Results Latino smokers reported higher prevalence of quit attempts (71.5% v 61.6%, p <0.01) but less physician advice to quit smoking (46.4% v 56.2%, p <0.05) and less use of NRT or an anti-depressant for cessation (10.6% v 24.8%, p <0.0001). Adjusted for potentially confounding factors, the odds ratio (OR) for less Latino use of cessation medications was substantial and significant (full model OR=0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.17 to 0.57). The adjusted OR for physician cessation advice was not significant. Conclusions Population-level differences in health status, smoking level, financial status, or healthcare access do not explain why Latino smokers less often use proven pharmaceutical aids to increase cessation. Further research is needed to understand these disparities, and greater effort is needed to deliver cessation support to Latino smokers seeking to quit.

Latino and Indochinese interpretive frames in negotiating conflict with law enforcement: a focus group analysis

Incidents involving conflict and violence are routinely encountered by law enforcement. The intercultural dynamics of these types of threatening situations have not been systematically investigated. More specifically, little research has focused on the cultural dimensions of conflict negotiation in the United States between Indochinese and Latino's in interaction with law enforcement. This paper examines conflict negotiation strategies in terms of “interpretive frames” of Indochinese and Latino respondents within the United States in their interactions with police. The paper begins with a review of research that has investigated Indochinese and Latino conflict communication. Next, the focus group methodology used in the study for obtaining insights into interpretive frames of conflict negotiation of the Indochinese and Latino participants is discussed. A total of 18 Indochinese participants (organized into three focus groups) and 21 Latino respondents (comprising three focus groups) participated in the study. In addition, one Indochinese and one Latino “verification” group (consisting of some of the original focus group members) were formed to determine the degree to which the identified interpretive frames made sense as a robust explanation of conflict negotiation from the cultural perspectives of the respondents themselves. Results from the study reveal both a rich set of “emic” or culture specific frames of conflict negotiation within each of the cultural groups as well as useful “etic” or culture general interpretive frames for comparing Indochinese and Latino conflict negotiation strategies with law enforcement.

Ethnicity, Peer Harassment, and Adjustment in Middle School:

In an urban middle school, African American (n = 116), Latino (n = 118), and students from four other ethnic groups (labeled multiethnic, n = 172) completed nomination procedures that identified classmates who were perceived as aggressive or as victims of peer harassment. Peer acceptance and rejection also were measured by nomination procedures, and participants reported their self-perceived loneliness, social anxiety, and global self-esteem. Compared to Latino and multiethnic respondents, more African American students were nominated as aggressive, and fewer were nominated as victims of harassment. However, African American harassment victims reported more loneliness and lower self-esteem than did harassment victims in the other ethnic groups, and they were more rejected by peers. The data were interpreted as evidence that deviations from normative perceptions of a person’s group (i.e., being a victim of harassment when the perceived group norm is aggressiveness) are particularly detrimental to psychological and social adjustment.

Differences in cancer-risk-related behaviors in Latino and Anglo adults

Methods. Latino ( n = 358) and Anglo ( n = 113) adults living in the San Diego area were surveyed on nutrition, smoking, and cancer screening behaviors. The Latino respondents were dichotomized into a low (L-Latino) or high (H-Latino) acculturation group according to a median split of an acculturation index. Results. After controlling for age, years of education, gender, marital status, and income, significant cross-cultural differences were found in saturated fat/cholesterol avoidance, and fiber and high calorie food consumption. L-Latino respondents had the lowest degree of saturated fat/cholesterol avoidance, followed by H-Latinos and Anglos. A pattern of decreasing consumption with increasing acculturation was observed for fiber and high calorie foods. Significant differences were found among women in the prevalence of Pap smear exams, with L-Latinas having the lowest prevalence of ever and in the past year having had a Pap smear, followed by H-Latinas and Anglos. A similar significant pattern was observed among women 50 years of age or older with respect to the prevalence of ever having had a mammogram.

Evaluating health-care needs of the poor: A community-oriented approach

Concern has arisen over the provision of health care for the poor. In a project sponsored by a local community hospital, we conducted a telephone survey to determine unmet health-care needs of low-income families living in Orange County, California, and made recommendations to address those needs. The survey assessed demographic characteristics and access to medical care of 652 adults and their families. In general, we found that the poor (incomes below 125% of the poverty level), the uninsured, and the Latino respondents had lower access measures than the nearly poor (incomes between 125% and 200% of the poverty level), insured, and Anglo subjects. However, insurance status was the strongest predictor of access in this low-income population. Important unmet health-care needs included prenatal care and preventive care. In response to our findings, the sponsoring hospital has instituted new health-care programs to help meet these needs. This community-oriented approach for improving problems of access to medical care for the poor may be appropriate for other localities.