Mexican Girls Research Articles

Change in prosocial development following adversity exposure among U.S. Mexican youth

IntroductionAltruistic prosocial behaviors (i.e., actions primarily intended to benefit others with little to no regard for self-benefit) are of special interest to researchers interested in growth in character strengths following exposure to adversity and trauma (referred to as the altruism-born-of-suffering hypothesis). The present study was designed to examine this hypothesis. Changes in prosocial behaviors following trauma exposure and whether problem-focused coping and familism facilitated prosocial behaviors were investigated in U.S. Mexican youth.MethodsA total of 749 Mexican-origin students (initial M age = 10.42 years, SD = 0.55; 48.9% girls) from the U.S. Southwest completed surveys from 5th grade to early adulthood.ResultsU.S. Mexican girls who reported earlier trauma exhibited increases in altruistic behaviors into young adulthood but only when they reported relatively high levels of familism values in middle adolescence. A similar trend pattern was found for U.S. Mexican boys but only when they expressed relatively high levels of problem-focused coping in middle adolescence. There was other evidence of significant relations between both familism and problem focused coping and prosocial behaviors in these youth.DiscussionFindings demonstrate the potential for prosocial development across adolescence to young adulthood among trauma-exposed youth from a U.S. ethnic/racial minority background.

Sexual Coercion, Unintended Pregnancy, and Poor Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls (Aged 13-19) in Mexico

In Mexico, nearly 23,000 adolescents between the ages of 12-17 years suffer sexual coercion every year. This group also has a high birth rate of 77/1,000 adolescents, which indicates that one in every five pregnant women is an adolescent. This study describes the sexual coercion of victims and their views regarding the experience based on data collected from 37 Mexican girls between the age of 13 to 19, selected purposively using the snowball method in Monterrey city, Mexico. Results indicate that sexual coercion among adolescents is a serious problem, where 70% of adolescents experienced vaginal sexual coercion, nearly 22% experienced vaginal and oral sexual coercion, and eight percent suffered vaginal, verbal, and anal sexual coercion. Almost 50% of adolescent girls suffered sexual coercion by multiple partners. Of 37 girls’ responses, nearly one-fourth of them (nine adolescents) said that they suffered unintended pregnancy due to coercion, and many of them suffered from different types of sexually transmitted diseases, which may reduce their reproductive potential in the long term. This research study showed an association between sexual coercion and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents. Sexually coerced adolescents experience many reproductive health problems such as pain or burning while urinating, irregular menstruation, itching or irritation, lower abdominal pain, and vaginal discharge.

The Au Pair Cultural Exchange Program Advertising: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Advertising is everywhere, and the effects of advertisements on people are notorious. Consequently, through ads, you can convince the audience to follow an ideology or to acquire certain products. The following article examines the au pair cultural exchange program online advertisements from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective. The article sets out to explore the linguistic features used in the au pair program advertisements that persuade participants to become au pairs and hosts. The analysis was achieved through a three-dimensional framework (Fairclough, 1994; 2001; 2003). This model demonstrates the correlation between linguistic forms, discourse, and social practices. The findings imply that advertisers use different linguistic forms and strategies to persuade Mexican girls from the age of 18 to 26 years old to enroll in the cultural program, as well as US citizens’ families who are persuaded to host someone.

Skeletal Maturation in the Current Pediatric Mexican Population

The most commonly used methods for bone age (BA) reading were described in the Caucasian population decades ago. However, there are secular trends in skeletal maturation and different BA patterns between ethnic groups. Automated BA reading makes updating references easier and more precise than human reading. The objective of the present study was to present automated BA reference curves according to chronological age and gender in the Mexican population and compare the maturation tempo with that of other populations. The study included 923 healthy participants aged 5 to 18 years between 2017 and 2018. A hand radio-graph was analyzed using BoneXpert software to obtain the automated BA reading according to Greulich and Pyle (G&P) and Tanner-Whitehouse 2 (TW2) references. We constructed reference curves using the average difference between the BA and chronological age according to sex and age. The G&P and TW2 automated reference curves showed that Mexican boys exhibit delays in BA during middle childhood by 0.5 to 0.7 (95% confidence interval &lsqb;CI], -0.9 to -0.2) years; however, they demonstrate an advanced BA of up to 1.1 (95% CI, 0.8 to 1.4) years at the end of puberty. Mexican girls exhibited a delay in BA by 0.3 to 0.6 (95% CI, -0.9 to -0.1) years before puberty and an advanced BA of up to 0.9 (95% CI, 0.7 to 1.2) years at the end of puberty. Mexican children aged <10 years exhibited a delay in skeletal maturity, followed by an advanced BA by approximately 1 year at the end of puberty. This may affect the estimation of growth potential in this population.

Parental migration and children’s educational aspirations: China and Mexico in a comparative perspective

Previous studies have provided mixed evidence on how parental migration might affect children who remain behind, highlighting the important role of contextual differences. Using newly collected data from the 2017 Survey of Migration and Children in western China and the Mexican Family Life Survey (2009–2012 waves), we compare the effects of different types of parental migration on boys and girls in two settings. The results show that boys with two migrant parents have lower educational aspirations in both settings; the aspirations of Mexican girls are more likely to be negatively influenced by maternal migration while girls in western China benefit from parents’ previous migration experience. We argue that the impacts of parental migration are shaped by economic development, cultural attitudes toward education, and gender relations in broader contexts.

Association between fluoride exposure and cardiometabolic risk in peripubertal Mexican children

BackgroundSeveral animal studies have suggested that fluoride exposure may increase the levels of cardiometabolic risk factors, but little is known about whether fluoride exposure is associated with such risk in humans. ObjectivesWe examined the cross-sectional association between peripubertal exposure to fluoride and markers of cardiometabolic risk in 280 girls and 256 boys at age 10–18 years living in Mexico City. MethodsWe measured plasma fluoride concentration using a microdiffusion method. We collected data on anthropometry including BMI, waist circumference (WC) and trunk fat percentage. We measured serum markers of cardiometabolic risk, including fasting glucose, insulin and lipids. All the indicators of outcome were converted to age- and sex-specific z-scores. We also calculated a summary cardiometabolic risk score for each participant. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine these associations. ResultsThe geometric mean (95% confidence interval (CI)) of plasma fluoride was 0.21 μmol/L (0.20, 0.23 μmol/L) in the total sample. In girls, plasma fluoride concentrations were associated with higher z-scores for all the individual markers (except for lipids) and for the combined cardiometabolic risk score (risk score: β = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.57–2.00, p-sex interaction = 0.02)), adjusting for covariates. No associations were found in boys. ConclusionsWe found that higher peripubertal fluoride exposure at the levels observed in this study population was significantly associated with increased levels of cardiometabolic risk factors in Mexican girls but not boys. Future studies with a longitudinal design are needed to confirm our findings and further elucidate the role of fluoride in cardiometabolic risk.

M232 VARIABLE PHENOTYPES ASSOCIATED WITH P.H648TFSX20 PATHOGENIC VARIANT IN CARMIL2 GENE: A REPORT OF TWO CASES

Biallelic pathogenic variants in CARMIL2 (capping protein regulator and myosin 1 linker 2) cause combined immune deficiency. A newly described pathogenic variant, c.1942delC (p.H648TfsX20), results in a premature stop codon, disrupting the ability of CARMIL2 protein to link CD28 with proximal effectors, needed for T cell activation and differentiation. Here, we report two Mexican girls with homozygous c.1942delC variant in CARMIL2, but who presented with differing clinical manifestations, demonstrating significant clinical variability associated with CARMIL2 defects even in individuals with the same genotype.

Psychosocial differences between Mexican girls at risk of homelessness and those unsheltered, sheltered or emergency sheltered

ABSTRACTHomeless girls are one of the world’s most vulnerable sociocultural groups. Homeless girls experience forced labor victimization, sexual exploitation, abuse, discrimination and marginalization at higher rates than the general population. As a result, they often present internalized and externalized psychological disorders and lack functional problem solving, coping and emotion regulation skills, which can negatively affect mental health and well-being. Despite these serious disparities, few research studies have addressed homeless girls’ mental health and well-being. Virtually no known research addressing the psychosocial differences between sub-groups of Mexican homeless girls, including girls that are at risk of homelessness and unhoused girls or girls housed in emergency shelters, exists to date. The aim of this study was to examine differences of psychosocial characteristics in homeless girls by subgroup. Working with nongovernmental organizations that serve homeless youth, a convenience sample of 90 Mexican girls between the ages of 11 and 18, including 45 emergency sheltered or unsheltered girls and a comparison group of 45 girls at risk of homelessness, were individually interviewed using psychometric instruments developed by the authors. Findings revealed that emergency sheltered or unsheltered homeless girls experience higher levels of depression, higher levels of dysfunctional emotional regulation strategies, lower indexes of subjective well-being, and experience negative emotions more intensely and frequently than the comparison at risk for homelessness group. This study is limited in its generalizability due to its purposive sampling method. Study implications highlight the need for specific interventions by sub-group to promote the mental health and well-being of homeless girls and girls at risk for homelessness.

Impressions of Brazil

According to Witkin, sex differences in cognitive style vary with the type of culture and the role women play in that culture. One goal of our research was to explore whether in a highly sex-role differentiated society like Mexican society, boys have a more field independent cognitive style than girls. The second goal of this study was to explore the relationship between child-rearing practices for Mexican boys and girls, their daily experiences, and their cognitive styles. The Children’s Embedded Figure Test and the Draw-a-Person test along with a child-rearing and daily experience ques­tionnaire were administered to 87 Mexican children. Mexican boys were found to be more field independent than Mexican girls, and American girls were also more field independent than Mexican girls. There was a relation­ship between the child-rearing methods used and field independence for boys but for girls, daily experience was more highly related to field independence.

Kinematic study of standing long jump in preadolescents before the occurrence of maximum growth age.

The aims of this study were to identify the kinematics characteristics of the standing long jump (SLJ) performance in groups of Mexican girls and boys, with a chronological age such that theoretically, corresponds to the age before the occurrence of the maximum growth. The jump distance is largely dependent on the kinematic values at the time of takeoff. A calculation method was used from video recordings of the sagittal projection of jumps. The location of the body mass center at takeoff was the source for measuring the kinematic values. The Mann-Whitney U non-parametric Test (p < 0.05) and a Z-scores analysis were applied to assess differences between the groups. Almost the 60% of all the participants are within the range that is considered as average BMI and stature, according to the WHO growing standard values. In the sample, boys are bigger, probably stronger and jump longer than girls. Although the statistical tests show there are some similarities, mainly in the older groups, it is not possible to conclude that girls and boys in the sample have an equally performance in the Standing Long Jump.

Change in body mass index among girls with precocious puberty under treatment.

Changes in body mass index (BMI) among girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) under treatment have been controversial in other populations. To assess changes in BMI Z score and the rate of overweight and obesity in Mexican girls with ICPP during their first year of treatment. A retrospective study was conducted among girls with ICPP under treatment with leuprolide, with a somatometry performed every six months, over a 1-year period. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done to establish differences in BMI Z score and a multivariate analysis was used to assess the relationship among the different factors. Among 121 girls, BMI Z score increased from 0.87 to 1.32, and the rate of overweight and obesity increased from 40.5% to 70.3%, a statistically significant difference. Changes in BMI Z score and the rate of overweight and obesity among Mexican girls with ICPP increased significantly.

Correlation between cervical and hand-wrist analysis for skeletal maturation in Mexican boys and girls of the children's General Hospital of Mexico «Federico Gomez»

Hand-wrist radiographs have been used to determine the variations of skeletal maturation by many researchers. The morphology of cervical vertebrae has been used to assess skeletal maturation and its possible relationship with facial growth. The aim of the following article was to determine the correlation between the growth stages in the cervical and hand-wrist bone maturation analysis in Mexican boys and girls ages 9 to 16 years at the Children’s Hospital of Mexico «Federico Gomez» during 2011. Methodology: Lateral headfilms and hand-wrist radiographs from 194 files of the Orthodontics Department of the Children’s Hospital of Mexico «Federico Gomez» were examined. The exclusion criteria were: patients with craniofacial syndromes, growth disorders and metabolic disorders that affected growth. The values obtained for skeletal maturation from both analysis were analyzed through the SPSS v.17.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software using the Spearman test to study the correlation between the two analyses. Results: A high correlation (0.89) was found between the Fishman’s hand-wrist analysis and the Lamparski cervical analysis. It was also found that the largest correlation by age was at the age of 9 (0.94). The smallest correlation by age was at 16 years old (0.68). The average age was 12.7 years. Conclusions: Lateral headfilms are a valuable auxiliary to predict the growth spurt. In some cases, it may not be necessary to obtain a hand- wrist radiograph since the information of the vertebrae might be sufficient to determine the skeletal maturation stage. Key words: Skeletal maturation, growth, cervical and hand-wrist analyses.

Second language anxiety among Latino American immigrants in Australia

ABSTRACTResearch into second language anxiety (SLA) has largely focused on second language learners rather than immigrants. However, living in an environment where the target language (TL) is the language of everyday communication may constitute a significant source of anxiety that generalises beyond the language classroom [Pappamihiel, N. E. 2001. “Moving from the ESL Classroom into the Mainstream: An Investigation of English Language Anxiety in Mexican Girls.” Bilingual Research Journal 25: 31–39. doi:10.1080/15235882.2001.10162783; Rose, Glenda. 2008. “Language Acculturation Anxiety in Spanish Apeaking Adult Immigrants Learning English in the United States.” PhD diss., University of Texas. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (UMI No. 3315370); Woodrow, L. 2006. “Anxiety and Speaking English as a Second Language.” RELC Journal 37: 308–328. doi:10.1177/0033688206071315]. This study explored SLA across different social contexts in a sample of 190 adult immigrants from Latin America to Australia who spoke Spanish as their first language (L1) and English as their second language (L2). The aims were to (a) investigate the presence and severity of SLA among L2 long-term immigrants, and (b) examine sources of individual differences in SLA. Results indicated that SLA exists among L2 immigrants at moderate, high and very high levels, and that levels of anxiety vary significantly across social contexts. Self-perceived L2 proficiency was found to be the strongest predictor of SLA followed by extroversion and age, with higher scores on all three variables associated with lower SLA. Gender, education level, duration of residency in Australia, and emotional stability did not predict SLA in any of the contexts. These findings suggest that SLA is a significant problem for adult immigrants, permeating most aspects of their everyday lives. Practical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Waist Circumference Percentile Values of a Sample of Mexican Children Compared to Mexican American and Spanish References

Waist circumference (WC) predicts adiposity and risk of metabolic syndrome in children as well as in adults. Studies demonstrate that age, sex, gender and ethnic background have to be considered to establish reference values (Zimmet,2007; Fernández,2004; Serra,2002)ObjectiveTo obtain percentile values from waist circumference measurements of 2023 Mexican children aged 4 to 11 years and compare them with those of Mexican‐american and Spanish referencesMethodologyprevious informed consent and standardization of anthropometric technique, WC was measured in a sample of 2023 children from 4 to 11 years of age in their school environment in Queretaro, Mexico. Measurements were performed with a Rosscraft Tape to the 0.1cm in the middle point between iliac and costal bones. The average of three measurements was calculated. After a WC frequency analysis by age and sex, 10 to 90th Percentile values were calculated and compared to two different reference population values (NHANES III Mexican American children 2‐18 years old and Enkid reference from Spanish population aged 2 to 25 years), using a kappa test and SPSS,V18.ResultsMexican children WC 10,25,50,75 and 90th percentile values, were obtained by age and sex. WC 90th percentile has been suggested as a cut off value to predict metabolic risk in children. For 10 year old Mexican girls it was above the 80cms cut off point of adult Mexican women. A moderate association (Kappa 0.477 p&lt;0.001) and a weak association (kappa .387 p&lt;0.001) was found with Mexican American and Spanish references respectively.ConclusionWC percentile values correlate better between Mexican and Mexican American children than with the Spanish referenceResearch grant FOMIX‐CONACYT‐QRO2011C02‐175220

Physical activity during recess among 13–14 year old Mexican girls

BackgroundPhysical activity patterns during recess have been poorly described among adolescents. Physical activity levels could be captured the most accurately using a combination of instruments. The purposes of this study were to describe the physical activity patterns during school recess in a sample of 13–14 year old Mexican girls, to examine differences in these patters as assessed using three physical activity measurement instruments and to understand the influence of body weight status on the observed associations.MethodsThe study population included seventy-two female adolescents from a private school in Mexico City. Three different instruments were used to monitor physical activity patterns during the recess break including an accelerometer, direct observation (SOFIT instrument), and a physical activity recall. Descriptive analyses were used to characterize physical activity patterns, and one-way ANOVA was used to examine differences across physical activity instruments.ResultsBased on the accelerometer data, more than 90% of the recess period was spent at a light or sedentary intensity. Based on SOFIT and recall, the two most frequent activities were standing and walking. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the three instruments for time spent in all physical activity intensities.ConclusionThe large amount of time spent in light and sedentary intensity activities during recess indicates the necessity to intervene upon this opportunity for adolescents to engage in more vigorous forms of physical activity.

The Secular Tendency of the Age at Menarche in a Representative Sample of Mexican Girls from an Urban Zone in Central Mexico

Objective: To investigate the age at menarche, pubarche and telarche in a representative sample of residents of an urban zone of Leon, Guanajuato, Central Mexico and to evaluate the secular change of the age at menarche between 1985 and 2000. Methods: Using status quo and retrospective methods, menarcheal, pubarcheal and telarcheal status of girls 8 - 17 years of age (n = 1093) were determined. Multiple regression analysis and logistic regression were used to determine factors that were related to or predictive of age at menarche. Results: Median ages for menarche, pubarche and telarche in our studied sample were: 11.9 ± 0.04; 11.13 ± 1.25 and 10.84 ± 1.34 years, respectively. A direct correlation was found between the age of menarche of adolescents and that of their mother (p p p = 0.001), but an indirect correlation was found with the girls’ hip circumference (p = 0.004). We demonstrated a clear secular tendency towards an earlier onset of menarche by comparing our results (11.9 ± 0.04) with data from 1985 (12.8 ± 1.3) for adolescents from the same city. Conclusion: We demonstrated a clear reduction in age at menarche of approximately 0.75 year/decade, higher than Tanner’s finding in 1962, but similar than that of Malina et al. in 2004.

All the Pretty Mexican Girls: Whiteness and Racial Desire in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses and Cities of the Plain

“All the Pretty Mexican Girls: Whiteness and Racial Desire in Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses and Cities of the Plain ” uses a critical analysis of race and gender to argue that John Grady Cole’s relationship with Alejandra and Magdalena invokes a larger and longer history of the commodification and sexualization of women’s bodies in the contact zone of the US-Mexico borderlands. The critical concerns this article addresses seek to re-situate McCarthy’s influential borderlands writing within a more nuanced series of border encounters that expose how transactions between regional, national, and international material realities on the US-Mexico border make available certain identities and modes of representation. Exposing the links between McCarthy’s representations and real-world material realities are crucial to this analysis because they reveal how McCarthy both accounts for and disavows the operations of power and history on the US-Mexico border. McCarthy’s border novels represent an in-between space where western history and the Western genre can be self-consciously invoked and revised, but only to a certain extent. John Grady Cole may be a more compassionate and “politically correct” John Wayne, yet the violence, sexual and otherwise, perpetrated on the bodies of brown women in the Border Trilogy reminds us how much McCarthy’s white masculinities rely on such abject bodies in order to fashion their own ambivalent agency in the brutal world of McCarthy’s borderlands.

Age at Menarche, Reactions to Menarche and Attitudes towards Menstruation among Mexican Adolescent Girls

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationships between menarcheal timing and both menarcheal experience and attitudes toward menstruation in Mexican girls. DesignCross-sectional survey. SettingsSample of adolescents attending 10 different public schools. ParticipantsMexican postmenarcheal adolescents, aged 11-16 years. InterventionParticipants answered 1 questionnaire about menarcheal experience and another about attitudes towards menstruation. ResultsEarly maturers (menarche before 11 years) were more likely than average (menarche at 11 or 12 years) or late maturers (menarche at 13 or more years) to state they had not known what they should do at the moment they got their first period (P < .01), that they had not felt prepared to start menstruating (P < .05), and that they thought they must keep secret the fact of already having had their first period (P < .05). Concerning their emotional reactions to menarche, early maturers were the most likely to have felt scared (P < .05), worried (P < .05) and sad (P < .05) and were the least likely to have felt calm (P < .05). They were also the most likely to show current secretive attitudes towards menstruation (P < .01). Finally, late maturers showed more positive attitudes toward menstruation than their peers (P < .01). ConclusionsThese results could be useful for developing resources to help early maturing girls manage menstruation. Since these girls have limited or in some cases no time for preparation, they need special support.

Clinical and microbiological features of vulvovaginitis in Mexican girls

Study Objective: To determine the prevalence of vulvovaginitis, predisposing factors, microbial etiology and therapy in patients treated at the Hospital del Nino DIF, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Design. This was an observational and descriptive study from 2006 to 2009. Setting: Hospital del Nino DIF, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Participants. Patients from 0 to 16 years, with vulvovaginitis and/or vaginal discharge were included. Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Demographic data, etiology, clinical features, risk factors and therapy were analyzed. Results: Four hundred twenty seven patients with diagnosis of vulvovaginitis were included. The average prevalence to 4 years in the study period was 0.19%. The age group most affected was schoolchildren (225 cases: 52.69%). The main signs and symptoms presented were leucorrhea (99.3%), vaginal hyperemia (32.6%), vulvar itching (32.1%) and erythema (28.8%). Identified risk factors were poor hygiene (15.7%), urinary tract infection (14.7%), intestinal parasites (5.6%) and obesity or overweight (3.3%). The main microorganisms found in vaginal cultures were enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Enterococcus faecalis), Staphylococcus spp, and Gardnerella vaginalis. Several inconsistent were found in the drug prescription of the patients. Conclusion: Vulvovaginitis prevalence in Mexican girls is low and this was caused mainly by opportunist microorganisms. The initial treatment of vulvovaginitis must include hygienic measure and an antimicrobial according to the clinical features and microorganism found.

Effect of Micronutrient-Fortified Milk on Zinc Intake and Plasma Concentration in Adolescent Girls

Objective: To assess the effect of dietary fortified milk with zinc and other micronutrients on zinc intake and plasma zinc content of adolescent girls.Methods: The study included 108 schoolgirls (12–18 years old) from northwest Mexico, randomly assigned to either the control group (CG; n = 55) or the intervention group consuming a regular diet plus fortified milk (MG; n = 53). At the beginning of the study, age, weight, and height were measured. Food intake by the 24-hour recall method and plasma zinc levels assessed by absorption spectrophotometry were determined before and after 27 days of fortified milk intake.Results: At baseline, no significant group-related differences were observed for energy, protein intake, zinc intake, and plasma zinc level (p > 0.05), and 35.2% of participant girls did not achieve their zinc requirement. After 27 days of treatment, there were no significant differences in energy and protein intake between groups (p > 0.05). Zinc intake was higher for MG than CG (16.7 ± 8.3 mg/d vs 10.5 ± 6.4 mg/d; p < 0.01), and there was a lower proportion of low zinc intake in MG than for CG (7 vs 16, respectively; p = 0.04). In addition, plasma zinc improved in the MG (116.6 ± 26.9 μg/dL, p < 0.01) compared with CG (98.5 ± 26.6 μg/dL), and it was mainly attributed to the fortified milk intake, as the main dietary zinc contributor.Conclusion: Fortified milk intake is effective in increasing both intake and plasma zinc levels of adolescent Mexican girls; therefore, it could be an adequate strategy for zinc deficiency prevention or correction among adolescent girls.