This study collected data from 422 seventh- and eighth-grade adolescents in 2005 and 391 seventh- and eighth-grade adolescents in 2006 in a medium-sized Midwestern community as part of a larger longitudinal study. The 2006 data collection occurred at the height of the national debate about immigration policy and practice. The fortuitous timing of…

The purpose of the study was to examine differences between documented and undocumented Latino immigrants in the prevalence of three immigration-related challenges (separation from family, traditionality, and language difficulties), which were made more severe after the passage of restrictive immigration legislation in 1996. Specifically, the…

This qualitative study adds new dimensions to the traditional paradigm of resilience through the lives of five Mexican American community college students. The term "critical resilience" emerges as a result of using ideology from a feminist critical perspective. In-depth interviews, classroom observations, and focus groups were used to learn how…

In this study, 69 Mexican American elementary school girls in Grades 3 through 6 (age 8-13 years) from an agricultural community were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the frequency of communication with their mothers about education and their interaction with their teachers. The authors examined how these variables were associated with…

Latino youth are more likely than any other ethnic group to drop out of high school in the United States. Though some research has helped us understand the factors leading to dropout, very few studies have assessed Latino student's opinions of services and factors that would help them stay in school (e.g., family, school, peers, and policies).…

Children of Latino immigrants, many of whom live in "mixed-status" families, are a rapidly growing group in the United States. It is widely accepted that their development is affected by multiple and complex factors, including those in their distal context (e.g., laws, institutions, policies). Despite the enormity of the deportation system and its…

Based on the risk and resilience model, the current study examined the effect of ethnicity-related stressors (perceived discrimination, stereotype confirmation concern, and own-group conformity pressure) and ethnic identity (centrality, private regard, public regard, and other-group orientation) on the well-being of 171 Latino American college…

A total of 946 Hispanic students in 7th to 12th grade in Greater Cincinnati schools (N = 133) completed a survey assessing factors associated with recent alcohol use. Results indicated that 24.5% used alcohol in the past month. Males were more likely than females to recently use alcohol. A series of odds ratios revealed that frequent church…

Minorities are significantly underrepresented in the U.S. physician workforce. Female minorities wishing to become doctors face additional gender barriers, since women who enter college with the desire of becoming physicians are more likely than men to exit programs of undergraduate studies ("premed studies") that lead to medical school. To…

Guided by an ecological perspective, two competing models were tested to examine how sibling relationship quality directly predicted or interacted with academic support from siblings to predict Latino adolescents' academic motivation (N = 258). Gender differences were examined utilizing multiple group analysis in structural equation modeling.…

In an electoral system governed by the plurality rule, those groups who wield the greatest amount of power in the United States are those who vote as a cohesive bloc. Although the size of the Latino population is growing, it is unclear whether all Latinos perceive a shared collective identity that will be exercised in the political realm. This…

This study explored sociodemographic variables, childhood characteristics, and family factors in the Puerto Rican homeless. The study is a secondary analysis in which a Puerto Rican homeless sample (N = 113) is compared with a Puerto Rican primary care patient group (N = 102). Discriminant function analysis was employed to determine if family and…

Later-generation Mexican American (third or more) experience diminishing educational gains compared with second-generation Mexican Americans. Positive racial and ethnic socialization (RES) and ethnic identity can facilitate strong academic performance. Using the oral histories of 18 third- and fourth-generation Mexican Americans in the same…

The authors reviewed the acculturation literature with the goal of identifying measures used to assess acculturation in Hispanic populations in the context of studies of health knowledge, attitudes, and behavior change. Twenty-six acculturation measures were identified and summarized. As the Hispanic population continues to grow in the United…

At present, there is limited evidence supporting the effectiveness of family-based intervention programs to prevent violence or related behavior problems with Latino youth and families. Although progress has been made, a number of important issues remain. In this article, the authors review several of the more prominent interventions for Latino…