Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences

This case study reflects on the variety of approaches to health care in a pluralistic immigrant urban enclave in Southern California. In-depth interviews were conducted with a Mexican immigrant woman to explore and understand her health worldview and the strategies she uses in deciding among the diverse health care options available to protect and maintain her family’s health. Kleinman’s typology of health sectors (professional, folk, and popular) is applied to the popular healing practices of the key informant and her own health-seeking behaviors. These expose the conflict between a professional community that relies on categories and binary comparisons and the existence of multiple, simultaneous health care sectors. This case study highlights the paradoxical world of health and illness in a pluralistic medical setting and how those who reside in an environment where medical syncretism exists apparently see their options very differently from their professional health care providers.

Children of immigrant parents often translate written and face-to-face communication for parents and other adults, also known as language brokering. Fifty-five sixth-grade, Latino adolescents report their experiences and feelings toward language brokering, their level of acculturation, and their ethnic identity in a questionnaire. Generally, the participants view language brokering positively. Those who are less acculturated are translating more frequently than those who are more acculturated. Feelings toward language brokering also positively influence level of ethnic identity. This study demonstrates that language brokering may result in stronger feelings toward the ethnic group and greater ethnic identity.

To explore school attachment in a group of rural Latino students in Minnesota, the data from 159 surveys given to students from 14 schools were analyzed. The findings indicate that students’ level of school attachment is increased by the frequency of attendance at community events and by the number of extracurricular activities in which students engaged. Consistent with theories of school attachment was the finding that some high-risk behaviors were reduced with greater levels of school attachment, although limitations of the study prevent generalization to the population of all Latino students. Additionally, students surveyed who were born outside of the United States were found to be more attached to their school than Latino students born in the United States.

Multiple ecodevelopmental factors were tested as they influence suicidality in a community sample of Latino adolescent males. Risk factors tested included childhood maltreatment, parental alcohol-related problems, and polysubstance problems. Protective factors included general self-efficacy, social conformity, and family bonding. Male participants (N = 349) were recruited from the Los Angeles area. About 80% of the sample reported some suicidal ideation, and 26% reported a history of at least one suicide attempt. The strongest protective factor for suicidality was problem-solving confidence, followed by a good relationship with parents and being law abiding. The strongest risk factor for suicidality was emotional abuse, followed by hard drug use, mother’s alcohol-related problems, and sexual abuse. Broad-based theories, research, treatment, and prevention efforts are critical to implement with this population.

Data from surveys representative of the adult population of the United States were used to examine changes from 1990 to 2000 in the image of Hispanic Americans on wealth, work ethic, violence, and intelligence as seen by 2,226 European Americans, 90 Jewish Americans, 304 African Americans, and 205 Hispanic Americans. The image that European Americans and Jewish Americans had of Hispanics for wealth, work ethic, and intelligence improved significantly between the two time periods. For African Americans, only the work ethic image they had of Hispanics improved significantly. There were no significant changes in the image of the proneness toward violence for Hispanics for any of the groups. Hispanic American self-images were relatively favorable but did not change significantly during the decade. The results raise many questions for future research regarding the influence of media images and stereotyping of Hispanic Americans.

The Implicit Association Test was adapted to assess the degree to which people hold, at least at an implicit level, a stereotype that Hispanics are less intelligent than Whites. On the test, a sample of 41 college students at a university in the United States showed significantly faster reaction times when faced with associations consistent with the stereotype than when faced with associations inconsistent with the stereotype. In addition, scores on the Implicit Association Test were positively correlated with scores on a modified Social Distance Scale. Thus, it was concluded that the adaptation of the Implicit Association Test is both sensitive enough to detect the hypothesized stereotypic belief and a valid test.

The purpose of this study is to conduct a cost analysis from an institutional perspective of translating an English-language survey instrument to Spanish. The authors conduct a process flow analysis of the steps required to create and validate a 30-page survey instrument with 211 items. The identified steps in the translation process cost $10,426. Personnel and overhead account for 60% and 33%, respectively, of the total costs. The detailed process of translating an English-language survey instrument to Spanish can be expensive but may be a critical component for the validity of a research study.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a community health promotion project to increase HIV knowledge in an urban, immigrant Latino community in Chicago. Latino participants (N = 704) answered questions on HIV before and after an education intervention given by community health workers. Outcomes included changes in knowledge and self-perceived risk. Increases in knowledge scores were greatest for Central/South Americans (p = .038), women (p = .027), and those with an education level less than 7 years (p = .001). Significant changes in self-perceived risk resulted from the intervention (p < .001), and the odds ratio for a change in self-perceived risk when the knowledge score increased by 10% was 1.225. The Centro San Bonifacio HIV Prevention Program successfully reached a Latino community, increased HIV knowledge, and changed self-perceptions of HIV risk.