A Church-Based Sampling Design for Research with Latina Immigrant Women

The U.S. is experiencing its highest immigration rate since the 1930s. The largest proportion of immigrants comes from Latin America, and women constitute a large and growing fraction of this group. Although our knowledge of the relationship between migration and women’s health is increasing, research in this area is still needed, particularly in areas experiencing rapid changes in their Latino populations. Yet research is impeded by the absence of an adequate sampling frame: Latina immigrants remain a largely hidden population. This study tests in four North Carolina counties a church-based sampling frame for Latina immigrant women in their reproductive years. In the study area, on an average week, 20% of the Spanish-speaking population attends church (two-thirds are Catholic). Compared against Census data for the study area, the study sample (n = 706) provided a comparable representation of different national origins. New entrants to the U.S. and married women were overrepresented in the church-based sample. The young (under age 30), and women at the lowest and highest extremes of educational attainment were underrepresented in churches. While a church-based sample is not entirely comparable to the Census, churches can provide timely and cost-effective access to a rapidly changing population of new immigrants. Church-based research should be complemented with research in other settings, adjusting sampling weights for overlap between sampling frames.     

Organizational Behavior Management and Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Abstract

Six scholars in applied psychology wrote thoughtful and provocative reactions to a paper written by the author that presented a case for broadening the content and language of organizational behavior management (OBM) in order to enhance appreciation for OBM in organizational settings and among university faculty and students in mainstream psychology programs. This paper summarizes the follow-up commentaries and adds justification for key points made in the target article. Five topics are addressed: (1) critical distinctions between OBM and industrial/organizational psychology, (2) disadvantages of using negative over positive reinforcement to motivate behavior change, (3) the need to after OBM language in order to increase interest and application, (4) the use of unobservable person state vs. personality traits to explain behavior, and (5) the challenge of improving the education and training of students in OBM programs.     

Experiences of Latino Men in Stepfamily Education

Relationship education evaluations have historically overlooked the experiences of ethnically diverse populations and stepfamilies. Using qualitative methods, this study examines the experiences of 16 Latino men in a stepfamily relationship education program. The four emergent themes dealt with recruitment and participation, improved family relationships, the value and importance of the family, and normalization of the participants' stepfamily situation. Subthemes of findings are presented, as well as implications for future programming.     

El Miedo y El Hambre: Understanding the Familial,Social, and Educational Realities of Undocumented Latino Families in North Central Indiana

This study explored how different ecological factors, within and outside the family, affected the educational success of the children of undocumented families. The sample consisted of 63 immigrant Latino parents (40 families) who resided in North Central Indiana. This study utilized an ethnographic research design. Findings demonstrated that immigration laws were affecting the educational success of the children of undocumented families. Most parents expressed lack of familiarity of the American educational system and that they had culture and language barriers. Findings also demonstrated that undocumented families were adapting to their realities, as a result of the resiliency in their families and communities. Implications for practice and future research were provided.     

Family Structure,Parental Involvement,and Academic Motivation in Latino Adolescents

Self-report data from 594 Latino adolescents about parental involvement (general support, monitoring, academic support, and educational aspirations) and academic motivation were examined across three family structures (intact, stepfather, single-mother/nonresident involved father). Significant differences were found in fathers' but not mothers' involvement depending on the family structure. Dominance analyses showed that the form of mothers' involvement that explained the most unique variance in academic motivation follows: monitoring for youth in intact and single-mother/nonresident involved father families and academic support for youth in stepfather families. The form of fathers' involvement that explained the greatest unique variance in academic motivation follows: monitoring for youth in intact families, academic support for youth in stepfather families, and academic aspirations for youth in single-mother/nonresidential involved father families.     

Negative Consequences

Abstract

This article reports the results of a qualitative study of self-identified HIV-Negative gay/bisexual men living in urban gay communities. The study explored the effects of living through nearly two decades of the AIDS pandemic. Most researchers have focused on those who are HIV-Positive. Those whose serostatus is HIV-Negative are rarely included, but are greatly affected by this disease. An increasing number of these men, especially younger men, are seroconverting. Forty-seven gay men returned a questionnaire asking about feelings on being HIV-Negative, dealing with grief, sexual practices, and relationship and caregiver issues. Many HIV-Negative gay men reported psychological problems such as depression and unresolved grief. Therapists and AIDS prevention educators need to attend to the special needs of this overlooked population.     

The Impact of Low Socioeconomic Status and Perceived Discrimination on Parental Perceptions of the Well-Being of Latino Children

This exploratory study examined the impact of low socioeconomic status (SES) and perceived discrimination on Latino parents’ perceptions of their children’s mental health issues. Anti-immigrant policies and negative public discourse lead to perceived discrimination among Latinos, which may impact mental health. Participants (106), surveyed in 2011, were Latino, predominantly female, had a mean of 14 years living in the United States, and less than 9 years of education. The results of multivariate ordinary-least-squares regressions indicated that participants with lower levels of SES had significantly greater (p < .05) perceptions that their children were angry, had separation anxiety from parents, were fearful, and avoided social situations. Higher levels of perceived discrimination were significantly related (p < .05) to participants’ perceptions of fear among their children. Social service providers must assess for possible mental health issues and develop culturally appropriate intervention strategies to effectively address these issues with parents and children.     

Linguistic Acculturation and Emotional Well-Being in U.S. Schools

The relationship between language use and emotional well-being at school/work, compared to other contexts in which adolescents spend time, has not been studied extensively. An analysis of data from the 1993–1997 Sloan Study of Youth and Social Development employing the experience sampling method showed that language preference moderated the effect of context on the subjective emotional experiences of Latino(a) youths. Participants whose primary language is Spanish experienced lower emotional well-being in school/work time than with family, as opposed to those whose second language preference is English in the same contexts. Results highlight the need to better understand the complex process of language use and raise questions about improving the incorporation of Spanish-dominant students.