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Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children's education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx parent engagement. Using a recently developed culturally sensitive assessment of Latinx parent engagement, we test for associations between dimensions of Latinx parent engagement in learning and indicators of school readiness in a diverse sample of Latinx families (n = 114). We find significant associations between multiple dimensions of Latinx parent engagement and indicators of child school readiness. In addition to promoting parent-teacher connections, efforts to support Latinx school readiness equitably are encouraged to attend to various culturally relevant aspects of Latinx parent engagement in early childhood. In particular, investing in programing that supports parents' well-being and capacity for home-based engagement in learning may be a promising way to support the school readiness of Latinx children living in historically disinvested neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article reports on a qualitative study, phenomenological approach, with a sample of Latinx fathers of transgender and gender‐diverse people. Background: Research shows that acceptance by parental figures is crucial for the development and well‐being of transgender and gender diverse people. However, little research has focused on the experiences of fathers. Specific to Latinx fathers, cultural values, beliefs, and traditions might be instrumental in their journey toward accepting their transgender and gender diverse child. Methods: A descriptive, phenomenological approach was used in this study with Latinx fathers (N = 8). In‐depth, semistructured interviews were completed to explore the lived experiences of the fathers. Results: Qualitative analysis yielded seven main themes: (a) fear of safety and desire to protect child; (b) difficulties adjusting to child's identity; (c) seeking out information and support from other Latinx families; (d) understanding, respect, and empathy; (e) increased sense of involvement and responsibility on LGBTQ+ issues; (f) positive transformation at multiple levels; and (g) influence of Latinx cultural values and beliefs. Implications: Findings provide important clinical implications for practitioners, such as creating room for Latinx fathers to process and explore how different Latinx cultural values (e.g., familismo, machismo, caballerismo, religion and spirituality) might facilitate or hinder acceptance of their transgender and gender diverse child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family acceptance is one of the strongest predictors of mental health in youth with diverse sexual orientations and genders (LGBTQ+) In Latinx communities, where the values of familismo, machismo, and religion may present as both strengths and barriers to facilitating family acceptance, culture-responsive programming can encourage LGBTQ+ youth acceptance. This study uses an exploratory evaluation case study design to learn how using participatory culture-specific intervention modeling (PCSIM) methods can facilitate Latinx maternal acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth and to identify the successes and challenges researchers encountered throughout the process to inform future intervention implementation efforts. A total of n = 16 Latinx community members participated in the brief psychoeducational programming. The participants were Latinx women—predominately mothers—and ranged in age from 14 to 55 years old. All the participants spoke Spanish and n = 4 also spoke English. The study presents the PCISM process and mothers' evaluation of their experience and perceptions using mixed methods. The maternal reports indicated favorable qualitative acceptability and efficacy findings but demonstrated minimal statistical significance. This study conveys how researchers implemented the PCSIM approach to yield brief, culture-responsive programming with Latinx mothers to facilitate their openness towards accepting LGBTQ+ children in their homes and communities. The researchers reviewed how the practices from this current study can be used or amended in future culture-responsive programming that partners with Latinx mothers and community centers collaborating with this community to facilitate acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth to yield more generalizable and sustainable program development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore changes in family‐based nature activities (FBNA) across five developmental stages and investigate whether frequency and type of FBNA across the early life course is associated with greater family relationship quality in emerging adulthood. Method: Retrospective survey data was collected from 451 undergraduate students who primarily identified as Asian American (44.9%) and Latinx (42.7%). Results: Multilevel models showed that participants who showed greater stability in FBNA across the early life course reported more positive family relationship quality in emerging adulthood. Higher income participants' FBNA declined more rapidly as they aged, whereas lower income participants showed greater stability across five developmental stages. Greater participation in social, physical, nature, and travel types of outdoor family activities were associated with more positive family relationship quality in emerging adulthood, whereas sports and entertainment were not significantly associated. Conclusion: Findings support the FBNA framework, suggesting that continued participation in outdoor family rituals across the early life course is associated with positive family relationship outcomes in adulthood. Implications: Results are discussed in relation to the importance of studying outdoor family leisure rituals in the field of human development and family studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: With increasing obesity prevalence among Latino families, it is imperative to understand mealtime dynamics and how to support families in healthier mealtime routines. Background: Family mealtimes are an important context for negotiating and making decisions about what and how much to eat and learning dietary behaviors. Yet little research exists on how Latino parents make those decisions. Methods: Addressing current gaps in the literature, we conducted three focus groups with 19 low‐income Latina mothers of children who ranged from elementary to high school age. We explored mothers' family mealtime experiences in their home country and in the United States, barriers to shared mealtimes, and knowledge of appropriate portion sizes. Results: Several key findings emerged: (a) Latina mothers recollect sharing family mealtimes more in their home countries than in the United States, (b) work schedules make it difficult to engage in family mealtimes, (c) uncertainty about correct portion sizes and child influence lead mothers to give in to their children's preferences. Conclusion and Implications: These findings add to the substantive discussion concerning changes in family mealtimes across borders, continued barriers that families encounter to shared mealtimes, and how knowledge of portion sizes influences mother's beliefs and food choices, ultimately impacting the type of foods children consume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Hispanic women from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), and to determine if body mass index (BMI) interacted with the DII scores. Methods: Secondary analysis of baseline dietary data and long-term CVD outcomes among 3,469 postmenopausal women who self-identified as Hispanic enrolled in WHI. DII scores were calculated from self-administered food frequency questionnaires. The CVD outcomes included coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Stratified Cox regression models were used to assess the relationship between DII scores and CVD in women with and without obesity. Models were adjusted for age, lifestyle risk factors, known risk factors, and neighborhood socioeconomic status. Results: The incidence of CHD was 3.4 and 2.8% for stroke after a median follow-up of 12.9 years. None of the DIIs were associated with CVD risk in this sample of Hispanic women. BMI interacted with the DII (p < 0.20) and stratified models showed that the associations between the DII and CVD were only significant in women with overweight (p < 0.05). In this group, higher DII scores were associated with a higher risk of CHD (HR 1.27; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.51) and a higher risk of stroke (HR 1.32; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.64). Conclusion: Among postmenopausal Hispanic women with overweight, greater adherence to pro-inflammatory diets was associated with higher risk of CVD. Additional research is needed to understand how to promote long-term heart-healthy dietary habits to reduce inflammation and prevent CVD in at-risk Hispanic women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many immigrant Latino families have one or more U.S. -born children and at least one foreign-born non-citizen child. Contextual theories of human development would argue that these siblings would have very different life trajectories by virtue of their citizenship status or lack thereof. However, researchers and policy-makers know very little about the home environment of mixed-status siblings. Using data from in-depth personal interviews, this study examined parental perceptions of the life trajectories of mixed-status youth. Participants were 18 parents with at least one adolescent between the ages of 10–18 residing at home. Using grounded theory, two broad themes emerged. First, parental perceptions of children's life trajectories based on citizenship and parental concerns' regarding their children's mixed legal status. Within this first theme, parents discussed youth's educational opportunities, job prospects, health care access, and travel restrictions. The second theme was parental concerns' about their children's citizenship status; ambivalence about migrating to the United States; and coping with fear and anxiety. Results of this study highlight the pervasive influence of immigration policies and practices on family dynamics and child development, the risk they posit to youth development and individual family resilience. Highlights: Little is known about how the absence of legal authorization to reside in the U.S. undocumented status affects developmental outcomes across life domains and stages. Parents of children without legal authorization to reside in the U.S. view "school" or educational advancement as a "Pipeline to Nowhere". Children's access to basic health care differs for children with and without legal authorization to reside in the U.S. Parents, regardless of their documentation status, see better life chances for children with legal authorization to reside in the U.S. relative to undocumented children. Political debates about the merits of the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) overlook the developmental harm to the health and development of undocumented children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic‐racial socialization is at the core of ethnic minority families' adaptive response to a racialized social climate. Protective links between ethnic‐racial socialization and children's adjustment are well documented in the adolescent years; however, very few studies have considered the ethnic‐racial socialization of young children altogether and fewer still have examined the links to adjustment using longitudinal designs. Leveraging unique, longitudinal data, the present study modeled African American and Latinx caregivers' emergent use of multiple ethnic‐racial socialization strategies across the critical period when children first enter school, testing how their strategies dynamically interplay with children's early behavior adjustment. Results indicated an early pathway in which a child's behavior adjustment problems at 2.5 years may cascade to caregivers' use of preparation for bias strategies at 3.5 years which in turn may modestly spillover in children's behavior adjustment in kindergarten. There was also modest evidence that cultural socialization strategies used in kindergarten may serve a protective function for future behavior adjustment. The potential to develop and extend interventions around both systemic issues and the direct needs of families is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic‐racial socialization (ERS) can promote positive outcomes in minoritized youth, but parents often face challenges in effectively engaging in these conversations. We describe the development of a video‐based online parent intervention program aimed at improving parental motivation, efficacy, and skills in having ERS conversations. The program focuses on balancing cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages and integrates themes of coping with future discrimination with the goal of promoting adjustment in youth. The video‐based program (One Talk at A Time: OTAAT) consists of 11 short videos designed to bolster parental efficacy and skills via motivational, didactic modules, and social modeling. We describe our intervention (specifically designed for Black, Latinx, and Asian American families), a sample of parents (N = 15) who interfaced with the intervention, and preliminary evidence of its impact via a pre‐post design and program evaluation interviews. Discussion centers on implications of our approach for future prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current investigation examined whether parental psychopathology and psychosocial stress are related to overprotective parenting behaviors in a sample of Latino parents. Background: Scant literature exists on the relationship among psychosocial stress, parental psychopathology, and parental behaviors in Latino populations. Further, the literature has focused on parental behaviors as predictors and not as outcomes. Method: Sixty‐four Latino parents participated in this study. Parents completed measures of psychosocial stress, psychopathology, and overprotective parenting behaviors. Regression analyses examined predictors of overprotective parenting behaviors consisting of control, supervision, and separation problems. Results: Findings showed that psychosocial stress predicted overprotective parenting behaviors. However, parental psychopathology had no effect on parental behaviors. Further analysis of psychosocial stress subscales indicated that immigration stress was associated with parental control and parental separation problems. With regard to subscales of parental psychopathology, parental hostility and parental depression were related to parental control. Conclusion: Latino parents' use of controlling parenting behaviors seem to be associated with the level of stress they experience—in particular, immigration‐related stress. Implications: These findings suggest the need for interventions that not only focus on teaching appropriate parenting techniques but that also address psychosocial stressors experienced by Latino parents to diminish the effect that immigration related stress has on their parenting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental monitoring of youth daily activities is a salient parenting strategy that has important implications for adolescents' adjustment and safety. Limited research, however, has examined positive contextual factors that can facilitate parental monitoring behaviors in Latinx families. We examined parental warmth and neighborhood social processes (i.e., social cohesion, informal social control) as predictors of parental monitoring dimensions. Surveys were completed by 62 Latinx parent-adolescent dyads in a small, predominantly African American northeastern U.S. city. Results of structural equation modeling indicated positive associations between parental warmth and most dimensions of parental monitoring for parent and adolescent reports. For parent report, neighborhood social cohesion was positively associated with parental knowledge and youth disclosure; neighborhood informal social control was negatively associated with youth disclosure. Gender differences also emerged: parental warmth was positively associated with parental control for boys but not girls, and the negative association between informal social control and youth disclosure was significant only for boys. Findings suggest that parental monitoring often occurs in the context of a warm parent-child relationship. Parents' experiences of their neighborhoods might have a stronger impact on parental monitoring strategies than adolescents' experiences. Implications for future research include conceptualizing monitoring as multidimensional, assessing both parent and adolescent reports, and recruiting diverse Latinx ethnic groups and extended family members. Practitioners should be aware of family and neighborhood relational contexts when facilitating parenting practices in Latinx families. Program providers should offer culturally relevant programs that emphasize strengthening the family environment and parenting in addition to adolescent development. Highlights: Examined multiple dimensions of parental monitoring in Latinx parent-youth dyads. Expanded understanding of Latinx parenting in non-traditional settlement areas. Highlighted the importance of using parental warmth and parental monitoring together. Parental monitoring strategies varied based on neighborhood social processes. The association between warmth and monitoring and the association between neighborhood and monitoring varied by gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association of parental school involvement with reductions in adolescent substance initiation among Latino immigrant youth. Background: Parental school involvement is an important determinant of children's academic achievement. Likewise, academic achievement is associated with multiple adolescent health risk behaviors. Little research has examined whether parental school involvement is associated with adolescent drug use, and no research has examined this link among Latino immigrant youth. Method: Using a census of Latino students (N = 661; mean age = 13.1 years) in 12 urban middle schools, we used a multilevel model with zero‐inflated outcomes to test whether (a) parental school involvement is inversely associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; (b) school‐level parental involvement affects individual‐level drug use; and (c) child gender moderates these associations. Results: Parental school involvement was negatively associated with lifetime prevalence of all substances and with increases in the age of first alcohol use. School‐level parental involvement was negatively associated with lifetime prevalence of substance use and age of first use for girls and marginally significant with boys. Conclusion: Parental school involvement is a promising target for prevention efforts to reduce early‐onset substance use. Implications: Parental school involvement may address multiple negative outcomes in youth even for youth whose parents are relatively uninvolved, and may increase program dosage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: While it is well‐known that caregiving can have adverse effects on the physical and mental health of informal caregivers and their families, caregivers of those with early‐onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD) may have distinct needs. Little is written about the experiences of Latino caregivers of family members with EOAD, especially inherited forms. This study's objective was to explore the experiences and needs of Latino caregivers of persons with EOAD. Methods: Five focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among 27 informal caregivers of Latinos with EOAD who were recruited through an AD clinic in Los Angeles. Results: The stress of caregiving was compounded by other pressures and worries, such as taking care of young children, providing financially for family, caregivers' own co‐morbidities, and contemplating their own risk of inheriting EOAD. Resources for monolingual Spanish speakers were scarce. Participants had two primary unmet needs: information and support services. Participants lacked information about how to provide appropriate care, which heightened fears. Difficulty in obtaining a diagnosis from physicians who were uninformed about EOAD was also common. Recommended topics for informational campaigns included how‐to videos on caring for a loved one but also topics related to self‐care for caregivers. Conclusions: Our results underscore the need to tailor programs for caregivers of family members with EOAD. Educational campaigns could help to dispel myths and misconceptions, reduce stigma associated with EOAD, and encourage more people to seek timely care. Additional psychosocial support, such as support groups, could build solidarity and self‐efficacy. Better access to dual‐language information and support could encourage early help‐seeking but also improve caregivers' quality of life as they manage long‐term caregiving responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To advance our knowledge about the most effective way to treat Latino youth with ADHD, the current feasibility and pilot study compared a culturally adapted evidence-based treatment (CAT) for ADHD to standard evidence-based treatment (EBT). Method: Following a comprehensive ADHD assessment, 61 Latino families of school-aged children (mean age of 8 years) were randomly assigned to either CAT or standard EBT (i.e., parent management training). Results: CAT outperformed standard EBT when examining homework completion and mother-reported treatment satisfaction. Apart from two trends favoring CAT, CAT and EBT both resulted in significant improvements in parent- and teacher-reported ADHD symptoms and functional impairment, as well as mother- and father-reported parental functioning. Conclusion: CAT outperformed standard EBT when examining several engagement and acceptability outcomes. CAT and EBT were equally effective when examining traditional treatment outcomes, which is impressive considering the robustness of standard EBT, especially when delivered by culturally competent staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the incremental clinical utility of parent and teacher reports of ADHD symptomatology and functional impairment in Latino youth, as well as parent and teacher agreement with the final clinical judgment on a diagnostic structured interview. Method: Participants included 70 Latino youth (47 males, 23 females; M age = 8.13 years, SD = 2.51 years) and their parents and teachers; 60 participants were diagnosed with ADHD. Correlations, percent agreement, kappas, and regressions were utilized. Results: Results demonstrated that teachers agreed with the final clinical judgment more often than did parents. Results additionally demonstrated that functional impairment did not statistically significantly improve diagnostic models already including ADHD symptoms; follow-up analyses were run and are discussed. Finally, results demonstrated that teacher reports statistically significantly improved diagnostic models already including parent reports. Conclusion: The current findings suggest the importance of including both parent and teacher reports of both ADHD symptomatology and functional impairment when assessing ADHD in Latino youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators (school administrators, teachers, district officials, etc.) often use parental satisfaction 'as one indicator of school success or one outcome of school effectiveness' [Parkes, J., and T. Ruth. 2011. "How Satisfied are Parents of Students in Dual Language Education Programs? (Me parece maravillosa la gran oportunidad que le están dando a estos niños)." International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 14 (6): 701–718]. Parent satisfaction is particularly attended to in educational settings where participation is voluntary (such as magnet or charter schools, for example). This article examines Latino parental satisfaction in four Oregon dual language immersion (DLI) schools. If past research, and our findings, are accurate, then researchers and educators can convincingly conclude that Latino parents are highly satisfied with bilingual education programs in general, and DLI programs in particular, and there is no need for improvement. We argue, however, that uncritically reporting high levels Latino parental satisfaction in bilingual programs can lead educators to become complacent to these parents' concerns. Latino parental satisfaction must be viewed through multiple lenses in order to avoid silencing their voices in DLI settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the limitations of research that mainly uses quantitative measures, often based on culturally-dominant middle-class notions of an "involved parent," this study sought to gain an in-depth, qualitative understanding of how Latina mothers are involved at home in preparing their preschooler for kindergarten. We also examined barriers impacting their involvement. Using an interpretive methodological approach and a family resilience framework that privileges the stories and strengths of marginalized groups, we conducted in-depth interviews and observations with 17 Latina mothers of preschoolers in one suburban Head Start center. Despite having multiple risk factors, our study found that Latina mothers from low-income backgrounds were involved in multiple formal and informal in-home learning strategies that promoted their children's cognitive and physical school readiness skills. Mothers engaged in direct teaching, promoting reading, embedding learning in daily activities, assessing knowledge and skills, and utilizing educational materials. They also identified barriers to home-based involvement: language and work barriers, rather than deficits in family cultures, limit families' involvement. Contributing to the limited qualitative research with Latina mothers from low-income backgrounds who are parenting preschool-aged children enrolled in Head Start, our study highlights mothers' resilience, detailing how mothers exhibited creativity, agency, and resourcefulness by using diverse strategies to support their children's kindergarten readiness. These findings expand on demographic studies that emphasize risk factors and ignore resilient family practices among Latino families with preschoolers transitioning to kindergarten. Our findings further provide recommendations for how Head Start can continue to recognize and utilize Latina mothers' efforts and expertise. Highlights: Parental involvement has been positively linked to children's education. Researchers interviewed 17 Latina mothers of preschoolers in a suburban Head Start. Mothers engaged in invisible in-home strategies to support children's learning. Findings detail Latina mothers' resilience in supporting preschoolers' transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented about the photographs of the Latinx family and the works of three contemporary artists, Laura Aguilar, Kathy Vargas and Guadalupe Rosales. Topics discussed include the political potentiality of family photographs, functions of family photographs and domestic photographic arrangements in Latinx homes and comparison of the artists' affinities and points of divergence.

Legacy for Children™ is a group-based parenting intervention that has been culturally adapted for Spanish-speaking mothers (Legacy Spanish). In the current study, we used qualitative methods to examine how Legacy Spanish informed parenting knowledge and practices related to early development. Fourteen low-income Spanish-speaking Latina mothers of children aged 21–31 months participated in focus groups that explored their experience in Legacy Spanish. A template analysis procedure was used to analyze focus group transcripts and identify themes. We identified five primary themes and two secondary themes. Mothers described gaining new knowledge about parenting and child development from Legacy Spanish and attributed positive changes in their parenting and self-efficacy to the program. Reported changes included use of more sensitive behavioral management strategies, increased maternal investment of time and energy, and improved mother-child communication. Mothers also attributed changes in their child's cognitive and socioemotional development to Legacy Spanish, perceived long-term benefits of program participation, and shared lessons learned from Legacy Spanish with their social network. Additionally, mothers noted that Legacy Spanish provided a unique opportunity for one-to-one time with their child. To provide additional context for the focus group data, we present scores on an observational measure of parent-child interactions. Mean scores in the Affection, Responsiveness, and Teaching domains, which measure behaviors discussed in the focus groups, fell in the average score range. Together, these findings demonstrate that a culturally adapted parenting intervention has the potential to support nurturing parent-child relationships among low-income Spanish-speaking Latino families. Highlights: Legacy for ChildrenTM Spanish is a culturally adapted intervention for Spanish-speaking mothers. Interventions for Spanish-speaking mothers can promote positive parenting and development. We used qualitative methods to study parenting practices related to early development. Mothers described positive changes in parenting knowledge, style, and practices. We discuss implications for implementing culturally adapted parenting interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Given our current anti-immigrant context, it is pertinent that we understand how (un)documented parents who are members of a parent-organized and parent-initiated group come to develop a collectivist Latinx identity within oppressive and marginalizing structures and policies. Purpose/Objectives: This study analyzes the processes and actions of a Latinx parent group that led to the establishment of a collectivist identity and the activation of a collective conscientização/critical consciousness amid an anti-immigrant climate. Research Design: Based on a 2.5-year critical ethnography, we analyzed data that included in-depth interviews, participant observations, photographs, and documents. In doing so, we were able to center the experiences of a parent organizing group in an elementary school in the Midwest during a period of heightened immigrant surveillance and anti-immigrant legislation. Findings/Results: Our research suggests that critical consciousness was activated among this group in three stages: (1) Stage 1 describes the actions/strategies FUV took to develop a collective critical consciousness; (2) Stage 2 details the ways in which FUV members activated (i.e., enacted) their collective critical consciousness; and (3) Stage 3 discusses FUV's ongoing efforts to nurture a collective critical consciousness. Conclusions/Recommendations: This study combats oppressive, marginalizing, and prevailing academic and public parental involvement discourse, thus having direct implications for how school officials center and support (un)documented Latinx parents and families in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the role of Mennonite actors and institutions as advocates, activists, and allies for immigrants and refugees in Virginia with a focus on the local context of reception for newly arrived Latinx families and individuals. Topics include social change through infiltration; refusal to engage with dominant discursive frames of nationalism; and social justice peacemaking against the xenophobic violence.

This research investigates the impact of a corporate oral health initiative aimed at disadvantaged Hispanic families, especially the children. We find that the initiative promotes oral health behaviors only among less acculturated families. Moreover, it does so by both enhancing participant children's beliefs about the physical and psychosocial benefits of oral health behaviors and strengthening the link between the psychosocial beliefs and behaviors. We also find that when parents of the participant children believe that the program has been beneficial to them, they are willing to engage in reciprocal behaviors, such as purchasing and supporting the corporate sponsor's products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immigrant Latino population of North Central Indiana has hopes of improving youth's academics, but must overcome tremendous obstacles to do so. The current study addresses the needs of immigrant Latino families while transitioning to the United States. Sixty-three participants were interviewed in association with a three-year ethnographic study. Findings suggest access for Latino parents to the education system is affected by community factors, family values, and school practices. Research demonstrates the importance of understanding the experiences of Latinos in the United States and argues for implementation of culturally relevant practices within schools to aid families in academics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly becoming the largest ethnic group of American students, compared to White students with disabilities, Latino students with disabilities receive less services and their parents are more likely to struggle to receive services. Yet, it is unclear how Latino families advocate for their children with disabilities including how cultural values facilitate their advocacy efforts. In this study, four focus groups were conducted with 46 Latino parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Parents reported advocating by being assertive but not aggressive, being involved in school activities, communicating with the school and documenting the communication, and relying on knowledge and faith. Parents also reported facilitators (i.e., knowledge and resources, increased parent-school communication, and greater peer support) and barriers (i.e., poor school experiences, school related-stress, and stigma and discrimination) to advocacy. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research underscores that college-educated Latinas are hyper-segregated into highly feminized occupations and that Latino parents socialize their daughters to seek out these careers. Despite this trend, a small and growing number of Latinas are steadily entering prestigious non-traditional careers in medicine. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 Latina physicians of various generational backgrounds in California, I examine how Latina doctors explain the role parental messages played in their occupational trajectories. I document the fluid and often contradicting gendered expectations Latina physicians received from parents and identify three primary patterns in these messages, including: (a) fathers' contradictory gendered expectations for their wives versus their U.S. born/raised daughters, (b) fathers and mothers' differing messages about procuring financial and social independence from men, and (c) parental messages about sexuality. The messages that young Latinas receive vary and reflect tensions between gendered expectations for women in the immigrant parents' home country and those available in the United States. The messages of support and resistance that Latina physicians receive from their parents regarding the pursuit of a career in medicine show how changing structural contexts—such as access and entry into prestigious non-traditional fields—rearranges gendered dynamics within Latino families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers suggestions for engaging Latino families in early childhood education programs. It mentions that family engagement has been found to be predictive of children's academic achievement, as well as social and emotional development. It also mentions that families who do not speak English may feel a sense of insecurity or intimidation about their ability or inability to help their children academically.

Objective: To examine profiles of Latinx immigrant parents' use of ethnic–racial socialization (ERS) strategies, as well as demographic, cultural, and sociopolitical factors associated with those profiles. Background: Few studies have examined ethnic–racial socialization strategies beyond cultural socialization among Latinx immigrant families. This study was designed to assess 6 ERS strategies: cultural socialization, promotion of mistrust, adapt (preparation for bias, avoidant coping), advocate (preparation for bias, active coping), promoting the value of diversity, and educating about nativity and documentation status. Method: Using a cross‐sectional design and a sample of 300 immigrant parents (80% of whom were mothers; overall mean of 3 children). A new validated ERS measure was used along with measures of familismo, social support, and discrimination. Results: Profile analysis revealed 3 ERS profiles: Low ERS, Moderate ERS, and High ERS. Although parents in the sample used all the ERS strategies, they used adapt and promotion of mistrust with less frequency relative to other strategies across the 3 profiles. Four demographic variables and 2 cultural variables predicted profile membership. Conclusion: This study advances understanding of how Latinx immigrant parents socialize their children in the context of resurgent antiimmigrant sentiment and policy and illuminates the complexities in the ERS process. Implications: Practitioners should assess for strategies parents use to prepare their children for racial interactions and the support structures parents have in place. In addition, future interventions need to account for ERS strategies, which are a particularly critical aspect of parenting among immigrants given current attitudes toward immigration in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States (U.S. Census, 2014), yet this term comprises individuals from multiple ethnicities who speak distinct varieties of Spanish. We investigated whether Spanish-English bilingual children (N = 140, ages 4-17) use Spanish varieties in their social judgments. The findings revealed that children distinguished varieties of Spanish but did not use Spanish dialects to make third-person friendship judgments until 10-12 years; this effect became stronger in adolescence. In contrast, young children (4-6 years) made friendship judgments based on a speaker's language (English, Spanish). Thus, using language varieties as a social category and as a basis for making social inferences is a complex result of multiple influences for Spanish-speaking children growing up bilingual in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latinx families can experience cultural stressors, which can negatively influence their emotional and behavioral health. Few studies have examined if perceived neighborhood characteristics buffer against or exacerbate the negative effects of cultural stress on adolescent and parent health outcomes. To address this gap in the literature, this study investigated how parent (social cohesion, informal social control, extent of problems) and adolescent (support) perceived neighborhood factors moderated the associations of parent and adolescent cultural stress with parent and adolescent emotional and behavioral well-being. Data came from waves 1 and 3 of a six-wave longitudinal survey with 302 recent immigrant Latinx adolescents (47% female, Mage = 14.51 years) and their parents (74% mothers, Mage = 41.09 years). Results indicated that when parents reported low levels of neighborhood problems, adolescent cultural stress did not predict adolescent health risk behaviors. However, adolescent and parent cultural stress predicted higher levels of adolescents' sense of hope when parents perceived low levels of neighborhood problems. Furthermore, adolescent and parent cultural stress predicted higher youth depressive symptoms and health risk behaviors when positive neighborhood factors (informal social control, social cohesion) were high. Similarly, adolescent and parent cultural stress predicted lower adolescents' sense of hope and self-esteem when positive neighborhood factors were high. These findings indicate that efforts to reduce the negative effects of cultural stress on youth emotional and behavioral health may benefit from combating neighborhood problems. Results further indicate that research is needed to clarify unexpected findings. Directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines factors affecting the food choices of Latino immigrant mushroom farm workers and their families. Surveys were administered to a convenience sample of Latino (n = 70) and non-Latino (n = 41) community food pantry (CFP) clients. About 76% of clients reported food insecurity (n = 58). Latino adults were less likely to purchase vegetables at the grocery store (p ≤ 0.05) and requested more fruits and vegetables at the CFP (p ≤ 0.05). Latino adults were also less likely to choose "easy to prepare" foods (p ≤ 0.01) at the CFP and requested information on how to prepare healthy meals (p ≤ 0.001). In sum, Latino adults at a CFP are making healthy food choices where available but choices are limited by access to food in the grocery store and the CFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latinx youth living in the United States reside in a myriad of cultural and neighborhood contexts, yet little is known regarding how cultural values influence behavior problems across neighborhood contexts. Using a person-environment fit framework, the present study explored the degree to which youth cultural values were associated with their externalizing problems, and the degree to which this association was shaped by their neighborhood’s socioeconomic status (SES), and Latinx and immigrant concentration. The sample comprised of 998 Latinx youth (Female = 54.2%), ages 10 to 14 years old (Mage = 11.8), from three large United States metropolitan areas. Multilevel modeling methods indicated that increased fit between youth cultural values and neighborhood Latinx and immigrant concentration was associated with fewer externalizing problems, but only in higher SES neighborhoods. The results support the importance of studying social determinants of Latinx youth behavioral health, and provide implications for both neighborhood-level and individual-level prevention and intervention programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This article examines how the levels of nonresidential fathers' involvement (over child ages 1–9) differ by race/ethnicity (comparing white, black, and Hispanic fathers), and then considers how individual and couple characteristics may “account for” any observed differences. Method: Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 2,447) and random effects models were used to examine how nonresidential fathers' involvement (with respect to time, engagement, shared responsibility, and co‐parenting with mothers) is differentiated by race and ethnicity. Results: Overall, black nonresident fathers were significantly more likely to spend time and engage in activities with their children as compared to Hispanic fathers—but not white fathers. Black fathers also shared responsibilities more frequently and displayed more effective co‐parenting than Hispanic and white fathers. Conclusion: Fathers’ involvement with children is shown to differ across major race/ethnic groups, with implications for children as well as for future research and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the role of school personnel on the education of immigrant Latino families and their children in North Central Indiana. An ethnographic research design was used to examine the relationship between a Midwestern U.S. school district and immigrant families and its impact on the education of Latino children. Specifically, over the course of two years, 14 school personnel participated in the ethnography. Findings demonstrated that school parent liaisons were critical to developing a bridge between the schools and the immigrant Latino families and to the success of the children. Another important finding was that school administrators' proactive involvement in the education and lives of the immigrant Latino families and their children had resulted in a positive learning environment for the Latino children. Implications are provided for practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a sample of 318 African American and 354 Latino urban, low-income families, we identify maternal monitoring knowledge trajectories and examine which trajectory predicts fewer late-adolescent externalizing problems and which family and neighborhood factors predict trajectories with positive implications for late-adolescent externalizing behaviors. The majority of adolescents in both groups perceived long-term high levels of maternal monitoring knowledge throughout adolescence—stably high for the African American sample and high for the Latino sample. Long-term high levels of knowledge predicted fewer general late-adolescent externalizing problems for both groups and fewer late-adolescent delinquent behaviors for the African American sample. Family routine and mother–adolescent trust predicted long-term high levels of knowledge for both groups. For the African American sample, family routine and neighborhood cohesion predicted stably high levels of knowledge via the mediation of mother–adolescent trust. We discuss implications for improving positive adolescent development and family environments for both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study describes multiple steps taken to develop and test the Latino Immigrant Family Socialization (LIFS) scale. Scale items were developed based on qualitative interviews, and feedback on the items was solicited from content experts including an academic, practitioner, and a group of promotoras (or lay health workers). The scale was completed by 300 Latino immigrant parents in the state of Arizona. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a six-factor model. The six factors were cultural socialization, adapt, advocate, value diversity, promote mistrust, and educate about nativity and documentation. Follow-up studies are needed to continue the measurement validation process and assess how strategies are used in conjunction with each other, the application of the six strategies across different policy contexts, and how the ethnic-racial socialization process supports children's health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this article, I explore the potential in producing queerer intersectional family scholarship for the advancement of theory. I offer an analysis of the ways queer theory enriches family scholarship while remaining critical of how its inattention to race as an identity category has limited its potential and scholarly theorizing across difference. I highlight queer Latinx family research to illustrate some of the nuance that is missing in scholarship that centers only a White middle‐class subject. I suggest that scholars take note of how queer feminists of color have approached building theory in the flesh. I offer that queerer intersectional family scholarship should occur from the borderlands. Doing so furthers an important goal in queerer family scholarship: to better attend to lived experience and develop a more intersectional theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To (a) explore the preferences of Mexican parents and Spanish-speaking professionals working with migrant Latino families in Minnesota regarding the Mexican-adapted brief model versus the original conduct problems intervention and (b) identifying the potential challenges, and preferred solutions, to implementation of a conduct problems preventive intervention.Method: The core practice elements of a conduct problems prevention program originating in the United States were adapted for prevention efforts in Mexico. Three focus groups were conducted in the United States, with Latino parents (n = 24; 2 focus groups) and professionals serving Latino families (n = 9; 1 focus group), to compare and discuss the Mexican-adapted model and the original conduct problems prevention program. Thematic analysis was conducted on the verbatim focus group transcripts in the original language spoken.Results: Participants preferred the Mexican-adapted model. The following key areas were identified for cultural adaptation when delivering a conduct problems prevention program with Latino families: recruitment/enrollment strategies, program delivery format, and program content (i.e., child skills training, parent skills training, child-parent activities, and child-parent support). For both models, strengths, concerns, barriers, and strategies for overcoming concerns and barriers were identified.Conclusions: We summarize recommendations offered by participants to strengthen the effective implementation of a conduct problems prevention model with Latino families in the United States. This project demonstrates the strength in binational collaboration to critically examine cultural adaptations of evidence-based prevention programs that could be useful to diverse communities, families, and youth in other settings. (PsycINFO Database Record [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LaRocque, Kleiman, and Darling (2011) characterized parental involvement as the "missing link" in school achievement. For this reason, especially, middle grades teachers and teacher leaders want very much to reach out to newcomer Latino families--and they do. Although Google Translate™ has emerged as a go-to tool for many teachers and administrators, sometimes machine-translation backfires. In this article, we leverage a series of vignettes to illustrate the hazards of Spanish/English pseudo-translation. We continue with a brief presentation of the PROSE checklist as a deliberate strategy for increasing the readability of school-to-home communication for all students--and its potential applications for framing communication using translation software. Our intent is grounded in the notion that middle school advocacy is not limited to teacher-student interactions. Rather, in the shifting demographics of middle school education, leadership must also include focused, thoughtful, responsive, and accessible communication with immigrant newcomer families (Allen, 2007; Delgado-Gaitan, 2001, 2004; López, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines differences in the amount of economic support or mutual benefit derived from extended family living arrangements by studying differences in monetary contributions to essential household expenditures across family units in extended family households. Using the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation, multivariate regression and selection models are estimated to assess racial differences in family contributions toward household expenses in extended family households. Extended family households have very unequal monetary contributions toward household rent and utilities, although Hispanics have less unequal monetary contributions when compared with other racial groups. Hispanic and Asian extended family households experience decreasing inequality in financial contributions as the income of each family increases, whereas no relationship between financial contributions and income is found for Whites or Blacks. This suggests a different cultural orientation to extended family living arrangements for Asians and Hispanics when compared with non‐Hispanic Whites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The children of immigrants often serve as language brokers, or cultural and linguistic intermediaries, between their families and the host culture. Although language brokering is common practice among immigrant communities, it is a growing body of research in need of theoretical grounding and further study. The present study empirically tested a theoretical model of the effects of language brokering with moderating variables, informed by the segmented assimilation literature, among 362 (48% female) Latino adolescents ranging in age from 11 to 18 years ( M = 13.62, SD = 1.47) utilizing structural equation modeling. Model-testing results indicated that translating in High-Stakes situations negatively affected academic achievement and increased perceived stress, while Everyday translating situations positively affected academic achievement and did not affect stress. Youth who reported higher levels of family obligations also reported higher academic achievement. Implications for theory development and culturally relevant interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the U.S., there is a growing Latino population, in which parents primarily speak Spanish to their children. Despite the evidence that language preference is associated with level of acculturation and influences parenting practices in these families, no study has compared how Spanish- and English-speaking Latino families acquire and utilize the skills taught during parent-training programs such as Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Twenty-seven mother-infant Latino dyads received a home-based adaptation of the Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) phase of PCIT as part of a larger randomized control trial. Most infants were male (63%), and their average age was 13.7 months ( SD = 1.43). Most families (52%) lived below the poverty line. The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System-Third Edition (DPICS-III) was employed to evaluate PCIT skills at baseline and post-treatment, as well as at 3- and 6-month follow-up, assessments. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses among Spanish-speaking (55%) and English-speaking (45%) families to examine differences in acquisition and utilization of do and don't skills at each assessment while controlling for mother's education. Results yielded no group differences in the acquisition rate of do or don't skills at any time point. However, Spanish-speaking mothers used significantly more don't skills than English-speaking mothers at each assessment. Specifically, Spanish-speaking families used significantly more commands at baseline, post-treatment, and the 6-month follow-up assessments, as well as more questions at post-treatment and at the 6-month follow-up assessments. These findings highlight the importance of addressing cultural values such as respeto to ensure culturally robust parent-training programs for Latino families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To illustrate the use of T3 translational research in the development of a culturally appropriate intervention targeting Latino immigrant youth and their families. Background: Demographers estimate that 88% of U.S. population growth over the next 50 years will be from immigrants and their offspring. Much of this growth will come from individuals of Latino heritage. One reason for the lag in developing effective interventions for this rapidly expanding population is the inherent complexity that accompanies working with immigrant populations. In T3 translational research, much of this complexity is managed by generating research closer to the actual setting of practice. Investigators adopt a community‐based participatory research (CBPR) approach that incorporates practitioners, community stakeholders, and members of the target population to explore ways of applying recommendations from research for use in real‐world settings. Method: We followed the development of the ¡Unidos Se Puede! (United We Can!) program to illustrate the process of T3 translational research with a Latino immigrant population. Results: Initial program impact indicated a 29% increase in grade point average from Time 1 to Time 2, and absences and tardiness were reduced. Conclusion: The feasibility and acceptance of ¡Unidos Se Puede! implemented with Latino parents and youth offers evidence of usefulness of CBPR to address the complexity of translational research with immigrant populations. Implications: There is an urgent need for T3 translational research that develops novel prevention approaches to help immigrant parents raise healthy and thriving children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This archival project (a) examined potential risk and protective factors for hazards in the homes of Spanish-speaking immigrant Latino families and (b) provided an independent examination of the SafeCare®+ Home Safety module adapted for Latino families at high risk for child neglect.Methods: The sample comprised 92 Latina caregivers of young children enrolled in SafeCare®+.Results: Results of the negative binomial regression model of predictors of home hazards before the Home Safety module found none of the factors were significant. The longitudinal analysis with a negative binomial model found significant effects both during (b = -0.905, p < .001) and after (b = -2.118, p < .001) the intervention. Depression was negatively associated with the number of hazards (b = -0.026, p < .05, β = -.1858).Conclusions: Support for application of SafeCare®+ Home Safety module to prevent access to hazards for Latino children was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]