Mercury,Polychlorinated Biphenyls,Selenium, and Fatty Acids in Tribal Fish Harvests of the Upper Great Lakes

The Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority monitors fish contaminants in Anishinaabe (Great Lake Native American) tribal fisheries. This article updates previously reported trends in two persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) substances that are the primary contributors to consumption advisory limits for these fish: methylmercury (MeHg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Also, we report, for the first time, an analysis of nutritional benefit bioindicators and metrics in these same Upper Great Lakes fish harvests: selenium (Se) and omega‐3 fatty acids (PUFA‐3s). A novel risk/benefit quantification originally presented by Ginsberg et al. is reported here to characterize the tradeoffs between fatty acid benefits and toxic MeHg health outcomes. We also report a Se benefit metric to characterize the possible protective value against MeHg neurotoxicity based on Ralston et al. Congruent with Anishinaabe cultural motivations to consume fish from their ancestral fisheries, nutritional content was high in locally caught fish and, in some respects, superior to farmed/store‐bought fish. These Great Lakes fish still contained levels of PBTs that require careful education and guidance for consumers. However, the contaminant trends suggest that these fish need not be abandoned as important (both culturally and nutritionally) food sources for the Anishinaabe who harvested them.     

Friends or Enemies?: Generational Politics in the Korean American Community in Los Angeles

This paper examines generational politics in the Korean American community in Los Angeles. After outlining how the Immigration Act of 1965 led to the acceleration of generational transition in the contemporary immigrant experience, the paper focuses its attention on the entry of the post-immigrant generation into Korean American community politics. Relying on interviews and case studies, the entry of the post-immigrant generation is examined both as a source of new political resources for community mobilization as well as a new source of intra-community conflict. As greater numbers of the post-immigrant generation reach adulthood and become active in political affairs, the issue of generational politics will play an increasingly important role for shaping not only the political developments in immigrant communities but also the broader politics of the American society.     

The Savvy Caregiver Program: Impact of an Evidence-Based Intervention on the Well-Being of Ethnically Diverse Caregivers

This article reports on the impact of the Savvy Caregiver Program (SCP) on English-speaking caregivers of Hispanic, Black/African American, and Asian/Pacific Islander descent. Caregivers completed a questionnaire prior to study enrollment, at 6 and 12 months postenrollment. Caregivers in all 3 ethnic groups showed more caregiver competence, reduced depression, greater tolerance for care recipients’ memory problems, better management of their overall situation, and improved perception of that situation 6 months and 12 months post-enrollment. The study demonstrates that in the sample studied the SCP was as effective in helping ethnically diverse caregivers as it has shown to be with Caucasian caregivers.     

Intersecting discourses on race and sexuality: compounded colonization among LGBTTQ American Indians/Alaska Natives

This article examines discourses on race and sexuality in scientific literature during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries in context of U.S. settler colonialism. It uses a theoretical and methodological intersectional perspective to identify rhetorical strategies deployed in discursive representations salient to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, and queer American Indians and Alaska Natives. These representations reflect a context of compounded colonization, a historical configuration of co-constituting discourses based on cultural and ideological assumptions that invidiously marked a social group with consequential, continued effects. Hence, language is a vector of power and a critical vehicle in the project of decolonization.     

Alternative Practicum in Health Education

Abstract

Young African American men in the inner city have higher rates of mortality and morbidity from potentially preventable causes than other American men of the same age. They suffer disproportionately high rates of preventable illness from violence, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV infection. These young men present with problems related to sexual concerns, mental health issues, substance abuse, and violence. They also report substantial risk-taking behaviors, including unprotected sex, substance use, and weapon carrying, as well as exposure to violence. Access to and use of preventive primary care services has been limited for these patients in the past because of financial barriers and competing social issues. Racism and historical oppression have created barriers of mistrust for young men of color. Factors that contribute to their adverse health status, as well as ways to address these problems, are discussed.     

Psychological Distress of Cuban Americans Affected by Restrictive U.S. Travel Policies

We describe the mental health consequences of United States travel policies affecting Cuban Americans (CAs) with relatives in Cuba and discuss these policies in the context of U.S. domestic politics and the Bush administration's desire for regime change in Cuba. Policies put into effect in 2004 restrict CAs from visiting relatives in Cuba more than once every 3 years, narrowly define family whom CAs can legally visit, and limit the assistance they can provide their Cuban relatives. We share case reports based on qualitative interviews with 53 Cuban Americans that illustrate travel-related psychological distress (TRPD) experienced by CAs in response to the restrictions. We note the difficulties CAs experience in coping with TRPD and the need for political and mental health interventions to address this condition. TRPD is directly related to the government's violation of the human and constitutional rights of CAs to travel freely. It is the responsibility of the state to restore those rights. Human services professionals should oppose TRPD as antithetical to family well-being.     

Filipinos and the Myth of Model Minority in Hawai'i

Abstract

Despite tremendous heterogeneity in culture, native language, values, socioeconomic status and a steadily growing presence in the United States, Asian Americans are viewed as a monolithic group under the model minority stereotype. Using the focus group approach with youth, young professionals, key/community leaders, and parent participants, the authors determined that in reference to Filipino Americans living in the diverse ethnic and cultural landscape of Hawai'i, the model minority label does not apply. Implications for policy, practice, and further research are discussed.     

The Role of Appraisal and Expressive Support in Mediating Strain and Gain in Hispanic Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how appraisal of burden and satisfaction, and perception of expressive support mediate the effects of caregiving on depression, somatic complaints, life satisfaction and personal gain with a sample of Hispanic Alzheimer's disease (AD) primary caregivers. A purposive-snowball sampling technique was used to identify 103 Hispanic caregivers, who completed a self-report questionnaire. A translation-back-translation process was used to translate the instruments into Spanish. Translated instruments were then pilot tested prior to being administered to the participants. Appraisal of burden was found to mediate the effects of caregiving on depression and somatic complaints and had significant direct effects on life satisfaction. Appraisal of satisfaction did not have a mediating effect on any of the measures, but did have a direct effect on depression and personal gain. Expressive support did have a mediating effect on depression, as well as direct effects on somatic complaints and life satisfaction. These findings suggest a need for improving outreach to older minorities and developing culturally sensitive interventions that can improve caregivers' understanding of problematic behavior, thereby altering appraisal of the situation, as well as developing extended systems of support.     

Factors Associated with Drug Treatment Entry Patterns Among Hispanic Women Injection Drug Users Seeking Treatment

SUMMARY

This paper examines patterns of drug treatment entry and factors that are associated with these patterns among 1,849 Hispanic women injection drug users (IDUs). The data analyzed originates from a statewide drug-treatment database covering seven years, 1996–2002. Through the use of logistic regression analyses, the study identified significant differences in predisposing, need and enabling factors in the use of detoxification only, residential treatment, or methadone maintenance. Compared to other Hispanics, Puerto Rican women were 40 percent less likely to use only detoxification services and one and a half times more likely to use methadone maintenance. Having health insurance was an especially important factor associated with methadone treatment utilization. Two of the most important factors associated with residential treatment use were history of mental health services utilization and involvement with the criminal justice system. This article discusses specific social work practice implications including the need for social work practitioners to promote services such as residential treatment, to be trained in treatment of co-occurring mental health disorders, especially among women in residential treatment, and the need to establish close linkages with the mental health and criminal justice systems.     

Policy Implications of Supporting Women of Color in the Sciences

ABSTRACT

This research suggests that, contrary to popular perception, there exists a pool of women of color with avid interest in science, and the academic skills to pursue that interest. It further suggests that these women, if given the support necessary to persist in science, will choose careers that address many other needs, domestic and international, including schooling and science education; rural and urban health care, public health and medical research; the environment; and other public service fields. Investing in the retention of high-achieving women of color in science yields returns on multiple levels. This conclusion is based on a study of high-achieving women of color interested in studying science, and an evaluation of a university enrichment program for science students of color.