Spanish-speaking Youth Research Articles

Neurocognitive functioning during adolescence: Spanish validation of the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery.

The Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery - Child Version (PennCNB-cv) is presented as a brief tool that allows comprehensive and automated assessment of 5 factors (via 14 performance tasks): Executive Control, Episodic Memory, Complex Cognition, Social Cognition, and Sensorimotor Speed. The literature links (dys)functions in these areas with psycho(patho)logical constructs, but evidence is scarce among Spanish-speaking youth. Therefore, this study aims to validate the PennCNB-cv in a community sample of Spanish adolescents. After a process of (back)translation and adaptation by bilingual researchers, the PennCNB-cv was administered in 34 schools. The sample included1506 students, ages 14-19, 44.28% were male. Preliminary treatment of the data included descriptive and correlational statistics. To provide evidence of structural validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Results from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed a four-factor model (Complex Cognition, Executive Control, Episodic Memory, and Social Cognition) as the most appropriate.These findings provide compelling evidence in favor of the a priori theory that underpinned the development​ of the CNB. The study of the psychometric properties showed that the Spanish version of the PennCNB-cv, seems to be an adequate tool for assessing neurocognitive functioning during adolescence.

Spanish adaptation and validation of the Partner Behaviours ss Social Context (PBSC) self-report

Basic psychological needs theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) is an interesting approach to understand the dynamics of romantic relations. Having valid and reliable instruments will allow assessment of the romantic relationship from this perspective. The aim of this study is to present the development of a Spanish version of the Partner Behaviours as Social Context (PBSC, Ducat & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2010) scale. Through two studies, the factor structure originally proposed is analyzed, determining scale reliability and validity. The results confirm the six-dimension structure, although with some differences. It can be concluded that the proposed scale is an especially interesting instrument for the study of relationships in Spanish-speaking youth.

Cross-Cultural Collaborative Translation/Adaptation of Assessments Via International Working Groups

Abstract: Most neuropsychological assessments are developed in English, yet nearly 95% of the global population are not native English speakers. To further compound this problem, translating and adapting assessments is a complex, expensive, and time-consuming process that few individual psychologists can undertake on their own. To overcome these obstacles, we formed an international consulting group of bilingual pediatric rehabilitation/hospital clinicians to translate and adapt a common assessment of cognitive recovery, the Cognitive and Linguistic Scale (CALS), for use with youth in three linguistic/cultural groups: Spanish-speaking youth residing in the United States, Dutch-speaking youth residing in the Netherlands, and Hebrew-speaking youth residing in Israel. We describe the collaborative process of translating and adapting the CALS for the respective populations following the first two stages of the International Test Committee guidelines (Precondition and Test Development). We also present new, more culturally accessible versions of visual stimuli that can be used across many linguistic/cultural groups in the Western world. Initial examination of responses from a preliminary pilot sample of US youth ( N = 11) supported the acceptability of the Spanish translation and new visual stimuli. Next steps for each translated/adapted version of the CALS are discussed, including plans for validation in each respective population. We hope this overview will serve as a model for other groups to help decrease the translation burden on individual clinicians and promote higher-quality translated/adapted assessments that better serve diverse and often underserved patient populations.

Trauma-informed care in school-based health centers: A mixed methods study of behavioral health screening and services.

An explanatory, parallel mixed method design was used to examine trauma screening and behavioral health service rates in urban school-based health centers (SBHCs) and SBHC personnel's experiences providing culturally responsive, trauma-informed care. Logistic regressions were performed with electronic medical records from N = 4,794 patients ages 12-22 receiving care in a SBHC using trauma screening rates and service use as dependent variables. Quantitative analyses were supplemented with semistructured interviews with medical providers and behavioral health clinicians (N = 9) from eight SBHCs. The overall trauma screening rate across the SBHCs was 69.2%. Screening rates were higher for older and Spanish-speaking youth. The rate of behavioral health use was 32.9%, with higher rates among students screened for trauma at a prior medical visit, recent immigrant, and female youth. This suggests that trauma screening is feasible and facilitates access. Additionally, English-speaking youth were more likely to use behavioral health services than Spanish-speakers. Qualitative analyses suggested a strong sense of mission, collaboration, and beliefs that trauma screening facilitated access to care all facilitated trauma-focused screening. Barriers included staffing shortages and language translation challenges. Analysis also highlighted the importance of culturally responsive practices (e.g., interpreters, culture-specific assessment tools, knowledge of population needs). Mixed methods integrative analysis highlighted the ways in which barriers and facilitators aligned with the overall rates of access to screening and behavioral health care, and factors that helped the SBHCs tailor care to diverse youth. Limitations and implications for practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of the Spanish ASQ translation: Screening pediatric patients for suicide-risk in Argentina

BackgroundThe high frequency of suicide risk in adolescents necessitates the development and validation of specific tools for systematic screening. To date, there are translated, but not validated suicide risk screening tools in Spanish. ObjectiveTo validate the Spanish version of the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) for suicide risk screening in pediatric patients in Argentina. MethodUsing a cross-sectional multicenter design, a convenience sample of pediatric patients aged 10 to 18 years old were recruited from outpatient/inpatient medical settings and private psychiatric clinics. The Spanish version of the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ) assessment tool was used as a standard criterion to validate the ASQ. ResultsA total of 301/380 pediatric patients were screened for suicide risk. Twentyeight percent of the entire sample (83/301) of youth screened positive on the ASQ, and 21% (62/301) screened positive on the SIQ/SIQ-JR and were considered “at risk” for suicide. Compared with the SIQ, the Spanish ASQ yielded a sensitivity of 96.8% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 88.8–99.6%), specificity of 90.4% (95% CI: 85.9–93.8%), positive predictive value of 72.3% (95 CI: 61.4–81.6%), and negative predictive value of 99.1% (95% CI: 96.7–99.9%). The positive Likelihood Ratio (LR) was 10.1 (95% CI: 6.1–14.0), and the negative LR was 0.03 (95% CI: −0.01–0.09). Kappa was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.69–0.86), and the Area Under the Curve was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91–0.97). ConclusionThe Spanish language ASQ demonstrated strong psychometric properties, providing initial evidence that it is a valid tool for identifying Spanish-speaking youth at risk for suicide.

Scale for Measuring Phubbing in Peruvian University Students: Adaptation, Validation and Results of Its Application

Phubbing is defined as ignoring people with whom you have a face-to-face relationship to attend to smartphones. The phenomenon of phubbing particularly affects the teenage and young segments of the population. The main problem lies in the impact it has on individuals’ social relationship. A lack of validated instruments to diagnose this phenomenon has been observed amongst the Spanish-speaking youth. The objective pursued with this research was to analyse the structural validity and reliability of the Spanish scale in a sample of 454 Peruvian university students. A reliability study was carried out following Cronbach and McDonald, complemented with an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results show good reliability and validity values. Finally, some aspects associated with users’ profiles in relation to the scale were discussed too. A need exists to have adapted instruments which permit to measure emerging social threats such as phubbing, so that risk profiles can be identified and for us to be able to act in time. Most of the students surveyed regularly engaged in phubbing, and a significant percentage of them had personal and social problems because of this, including lack of sleep hours or arguments with friends and relatives, to quote but two.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Caregiver Version of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale in a Recently Immigrated, Spanish Speaking Population

In recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of youth and families emigrating from Central America to the United States to escape extreme violence and crime victimization. As a result, the rate of trauma-exposure and trauma-related distress among this population is alarmingly high and necessitates representation of this population in psychological research, particularly related to trauma symptom measurement. The broad aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric performance of caregiver-reported data on one such instrument intended to measure youth trauma symptoms. Specifically, we sought to document the psychometric performance of the Child PTSD Symptoms Scale (CPSS) with recently immigrated Spanish-Speaking youth and caregivers from Central America by examining the convergent, divergent, and concurrent validity of the caregiver-report form. Overall, the measure showed psychometric promise as it broadly demonstrated adequate concurrent and convergent. Results also suggested that further research is needed to better understand how to reduce the comorbidity that is often depicted in caregiver reports, which can lead to poor discriminant validity. Regardless, current findings suggest the appropriateness of incorporating caregiver reports of youth trauma in Spanish-speaking, recently immigrated youth.

2.58 STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION FOR IMPLEMENTING ONLINE ANXIETY TREATMENT IN TWO LANGUAGES WITHIN PEDIATRIC SETTINGS

Only 20 percent of youth with a diagnosable anxiety disorder access care. Kids FACE FEARS is an RCT designed to test equivalency of an evidence-based CBT treatment program comparing face-to-face and online modalities in pediatric health settings in English and Spanish. Online delivery of CBT may increase access for families with limited flexibility for clinic visits or who experience other barriers to care. Planned recruitment of 1856 patients across 4 US regions makes this initiative to date the largest study of treatment interventions for children and youth ages 3–18 years. Informed by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework, stakeholders are included through the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and the Study Advisory Committee (SAC). PFAC includes English- and Spanish-speaking youth and parents from all study regions. SAC includes pediatric clinicians, administrators, and researchers. Their collaboration focus at startup was to inform messaging regarding recruitment and retention, study conduct, and implementation.

The impact of a question prompt list and video intervention on teen asthma control and quality-of-life one year later: results of a randomized trial

Objective: This study examined whether youth who received an asthma question prompt list/video intervention were more likely to have their asthma controlled and better quality-of-life at 12 months than youth who received usual care.Methods: English or Spanish-speaking youth ages 11–17 were enrolled and randomized to intervention or usual care. The 185 youth and parents in the intervention group watched the video on an iPad and then received a one-page asthma question prompt list to complete before their visits. One hundred seventy-four received usual care. Baseline and 6-month visits were audio-tape recorded. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to predict a youth’s quality-of-life and whether asthma was controlled at 12 months.Results: Asthma control and quality-of-life improved significantly from baseline to 12-month follow-up in both intervention and usual care groups. Baseline asthma control and quality-of-life were significantly associated with 12-month asthma control and quality-of-life, respectively. Adolescents on a control medication at baseline were significantly more likely to have their asthma controlled at 12 months.Conclusions: Asthma control and quality-of-life did not improve significantly more in the intervention group than in the usual care group.

Questions and reported medication problems from pediatric patients and caregivers after intervention.

The effectiveness of an asthma question prompt list with video intervention to increase question-asking during pediatric office visits among youth who reported medication problems was evaluated. English- or Spanish-speaking youth age 11-17 years with persistent asthma and their caregivers were enrolled from 4 pediatric clinics in a randomized controlled trial. Youth were randomized to intervention or usual care groups. Youth in the intervention group watched an educational video with their caregivers on an iPad. The youth then received a 1-page asthma question prompt list to complete before their visits. The audio of all baseline medical visits was recorded. Youth were interviewed and caregivers completed questionnaires at baseline and 6 months later. A total of 40 providers and 359 of their patients participated. Youth who reported at least 1 medication problem who were in the intervention group were significantly more likely to ask 1 or more questions about medications during their visits than youth in the usual care group (odds ratio = 3.1, 95% confidence interval = 2.0, 4.1). Seventy-four percent of youth and 71% caregivers who reported the youth had problems using asthma medications at baseline still reported 1 or more problems 6 months later. Among youth who reported 1 or more problems with using their asthma medications, the intervention significantly increased youth question-asking. Many youth- and caregiver-reported problems with using asthma medications persisted over time.

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Self-Determination Inventory Student Self-Report: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach.

Instruments to measure self-determination have only been available in the Spanish language to date, for adolescents with intellectual disability (ID). However, given the development of a new measure of self-determination for youth with and without disabilities, the Self-Determination Inventory, there is a need to adapt and validate this tool in the Spanish language so as to provide practitioners with a psychometrically strong measure of self-determination. This study provides evidence of reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the scale, empirically tested with a sample of 620 youth with and without disabilities in Spain. Specifically, validity was evidenced through structural equation modeling approaches, confirming the instrument adequacy to measure self-determination in Spanish speaking youth. Future lines of research are suggested.

Associations between acculturation, ethnic identity, and diet quality among U.S. Hispanic/Latino Youth: Findings from the HCHS/SOL Youth Study

BackgroundAcculturation among Hispanic/Latinos has been linked to deteriorating dietary quality that may contribute to obesity risks. This study examined the relationship between acculturation, ethnic identity, and dietary quality in U.S. Hispanic/Latino youth. MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 1298 Hispanic/Latino youth ages 8–16 from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (HCHS/SOL Youth), an ancillary study of offspring of participants in the adult HCHS/SOL cohort. Multivariable regression analyses assessed relationships between acculturation and ethnic identity with dietary quality as measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores, accounting for covariates, design effects, and sample weights. We also compared HEI scores by immigrant generation and language of interview. ResultsYouth were 12 ± 2.5 -years and 49.3% female. They were placed into five acculturation categories—including 48% integrated (bicultural orientation), 32.7% assimilated (high U.S. and low Latino orientation), 5.9% separated (high Latino and low U.S. orientation) or marginalized (neither U.S. nor Latino orientation), and 13.3% unclassified. Mean HEI was 53.8; there were no differences in HEI scores by acculturation category, but integrated youth had higher whole grains scores, lower sodium scores, and lower empty calories scores compared to assimilated youth. There were no differences in HEI scores by ethnic identity scores, and no consistent trend between dietary quality and ethnic identity. First- and second-generation youth had higher HEI scores, compared to third-generation youth, and, Spanish-speaking youth had higher HEI scores compared to English-speaking youth. ConclusionResults suggest that integrated youth in the U.S. may engage in healthier eating behaviors than those who are assimilated. Additional research on Hispanic/Latino youths' acculturation and diet can inform health promotion efforts to improve eating habits and health outcomes among this population.

Factors associated with adolescent and caregiver reported problems in using asthma medications

ABSTRACTObjectives: The purpose of this study was to: (a) describe the types of medication problems/concerns youth with asthma and their caregivers reported and (b) examine the association between sociodemographic characteristics and youth and caregiver reported medication problems/concerns. Methods: English- and Spanish-speaking youth ages 11–17 with persistent asthma were recruited at four pediatric clinics. Youth were interviewed and caregivers completed questionnaires about reported asthma medication concerns/problems. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Results: Three hundred and fifty-nine youth were recruited. Eighty percent of youth and 70% of caregivers reported one or more problems in using asthma medications. The most commonly reported problems by youth were: (a) hard to remember when to take the asthma medication (54%) and (b) hard to use asthma medication at school (34%). Younger children were significantly more likely to report difficulty in understanding their asthma medication's directions and difficulty reading the print on the medication's package. Caregivers’ top-reported problem was that it is hard for their child to remember to take their asthma medications (49%). Caregivers without Medicaid were significantly more likely to express difficulty paying for their child's asthma medications. Conclusions: Difficulty remembering to take asthma medication was a significant problem for youth and their caregivers. Providers should work with youth and their caregivers to identify asthma medication problems and discuss strategies to address those problems.

Provider use of a participatory decision-making style with youth and caregivers and satisfaction with pediatric asthma visits.

BackgroundWe conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an asthma question prompt list with video intervention to engage the youth during clinic visits. We examined whether the intervention was associated with 1) providers including youth and caregiver inputs more into asthma treatment regimens, 2) youth and caregivers rating providers as using more of a participatory decision-making style, and 3) youth and caregivers being more satisfied with visits.MethodsEnglish- or Spanish-speaking youth aged 11–17 years with persistent asthma and their caregivers were recruited from four pediatric clinics and randomized to the intervention or usual care groups. The youth in the intervention group watched the video with their caregivers on an iPad and completed a one-page asthma question prompt list before their clinic visits. All visits were audiotaped. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data.ResultsForty providers and their patients (n=359) participated in this study. Providers included youth input into the asthma management treatment regimens during 2.5% of visits and caregiver input during 3.3% of visits. The youth in the intervention group were significantly more likely to rate their providers as using more of a participatory decision-making style (odds ratio=1.7, 95% confidence interval=1.1, 2.5). White caregivers were significantly more likely to rate the providers as more participatory (odds ratio=2.3, 95% confidence interval=1.2, 4.4). Youth (beta=4.9, 95% confidence interval=3.3, 6.5) and caregivers (beta=7.5, 95% confidence interval=3.1, 12.0) who rated their providers as being more participatory were significantly more satisfied with their visits. Youth (beta=−1.9, 95% confidence interval=−3.4, −0.4) and caregivers (beta=−8.8, 95% confidence interval=−16.2, −1.3) who spoke Spanish at home were less satisfied with visits.ConclusionThe intervention did not increase the inclusion of youth and caregiver inputs into asthma treatment regimens. However, it did increase the youth’s perception of participatory decision-making style of the providers, and this in turn was associated with greater satisfaction.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a new measure to assess pregaming motives in Spanish-speaking young adults

AimsThe present study was divided into two different stages that sought to develop (Stage 1) and validate (Stage 2) the Argentinean-version of the Pregaming Motives Questionnaire (PMQ-Arg), a new, ecologically valid measure to assess pregaming (i.e., the consumption of alcohol prior to attending a social/sporting event where alcohol may or may not be available) motives among Spanish-speaking youth. Method: Two separate samples of Argentinian young adults (all last-year pregamers) were recruited by disseminating an invitation through online social networks and e-mail listings. ResultsIn Stage 1, a total of 635 participants answered an open-ended question about their reasons for pregaming. In Stage 2 (n=361), exploratory factor analysis was conducted with the preliminary set of high-quality, high-frequency pregaming motives that were obtained in Stage 1, yielding a final 23-item measure that was grouped in four factors: (i) Intoxication and Fun, (ii) Gathering and Social Enhancement, (iii) Going with the Flow, and (iv) Beverage Preference. Despite some broad similarities with measures that were developed with U.S. young adults, the present results indicated that the narrow content of some items of the PMQ-Arg were somewhat unique, possibly reflecting cultural differences between the United States and Argentina. The findings supported the adequate reliability, discriminant validity, convergent validity, and criterion-related validity of PMQ-Arg scores. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the PMQ-Arg meets the psychometric requirements of validity and reliability for its use to assess reasons for pregaming among Spanish-speaking youth.

Improving youth question-asking and provider education during pediatric asthma visits

ObjectiveWe conducted a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an asthma question prompt list with video intervention to increase youth question-asking and provider education during visits. MethodsEnglish or Spanish-speaking youth ages 11–17 with persistent asthma and their parents were enrolled from four rural and suburban pediatric clinics. Youth were randomized to the intervention or usual care groups. Intervention group adolescents watched the video on an iPad and then completed an asthma question prompt list before their visits. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data. ResultsForty providers and 359 patients participated. Intervention group youth were significantly more likely to ask one or more questions about medications, triggers, and environmental control than usual care youth. Providers were significantly more likely to educate intervention group youth about rescue medications, triggers, and environmental control. Intervention group caregivers were not significantly more likely to ask questions. ConclusionThe intervention increased youth question-asking and provider education about medications, triggers, and environmental control. The intervention did not impact caregiver question-asking. Practice implicationsProviders/practices should consider having youth complete question prompt lists and watch the video with their parents before visits to increase youth question-asking during visits.

Hispanic Youth Visits to Food and Beverage Company Websites.

Purpose: To measure disparities in exposure to food/beverage websites by Hispanic youth.Methods: Observational study using market research panel data compared frequency and time spent visiting food/beverage websites and the Internet overall for Hispanic and non-Hispanic children (6–11 years) and youth (6–17 years).Results: Hispanic children and youth, particularly Spanish-speaking youth, were less likely to visit the Internet overall, but more likely to visit food/beverages websites, compared with their non-Hispanic peers.Conclusions: Food and beverage company websites disproportionately appeal to Hispanic youth. Public health advocates and companies should take action to reduce Hispanic youth exposure to unhealthy food marketing online.

More than a name: Spanish-speaking youth articulating bilingual identities

ABSTRACTThis article explores how middle school Latina/o youth articulate their intersecting language identities as part of larger institutional and transnational experiences. Students navigated the multiple labels ascribed to them as members of the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program as they shaped perspectives of their bilingual selves. Findings from this ethnographic case study show how youth resisted the institutional identities that the ESOL label reified and how students repositioned themselves as language balancers, border crossers, and marketable bilinguals. Implications for educational language policy and programming are provided.

ACTITUDES LINGÜÍSTICAS HACIA LA MAYA Y LA ELECCIÓN DEL APRENDIZAJE DE UN IDIOMA EN UN SECTOR DE POBLACIÓN JOVEN DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉRIDA

Monolingual Spanish-Speaking youth in Merida currently state that the Mayan language is valuable and prestigious. Nevertheless, when they choose to learn a second language, preference leans towards English or another language. Motivated by this discrepancy, this study explores attitudes that influence the decisions of speakers to value one language and study another.

A Psychometric Assessment of the Newest Vital Sign among Youth in Guatemala City

Background and Objective: Psychometrically sound health literacy assessments are widely available in the US for both adults and youth. However, among international youth populations there is a dearth of reliable instruments. This study was undertaken in order to assess the psychometric viability of using the Spanish version of the Newest Vital Sign (NVS; previously validated in the US) among a sample of youth living in Guatemala City. Methods: Analysis is based on 230 youth who were attending various schools within Guatemala City, Guatemala. Rasch modeling was used to estimate item difficulty and discrimination parameters, item fit indices, item-total correlations, and differential item functioning between male and female youth. Results: The majority of the items on the NVS exhibit acceptable properties. The last item demonstrated statistically significant DIF of a practically important magnitude (DIF > |0.43|) suggesting that females are more likely than males to answer the item correctly after controlling for the ‘amount’ of health literacy that the students possess. Conclusion: Those using the NVS among international Spanish-speaking youth populations should be aware that the NVS appears to be appropriate to use in Latin America. Females may tend to have slightly higher scores than males. Additional psychometric testing of the instrument among similar cross-national samples of youth is needed.