Browsing by Subject "Mexican Americans"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 12
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    Adaptation of the Psychological Behavioral Acculturation Scale to a Community of Urban-based Mexican Americans in the United States
    (2015) Maupomé, Gerardo; Marino, Rodrigo; Aguirre-Zero, Odette M.; Ohmit, Anita; Dai, Siqi
    Objective: To report the psychometric properties of the Psychological-Behavioral Acculturation Scale (P-BAS), a tool gauging behavioral and psychological acculturation after adapting it through formative research to people of Mexican origin in the United States. Methods: We analyzed data from adapted P-BAS questionnaires in the TalaSurvey study, using standard methods to establish internal consistencies (Cronbach’s alpha), construct validity, and ascertain if the value orientation profile differed by ethnic group. Results: In 2012-13, 505 respondents (mean age 45.2 ±14.1, 56% female) participated: 250 European Americans (EA) and 255 people of Mexican origin (MA). Conclusions: Although internal consistencies of 15 value orientation measures were occasionally low, overall results were encouraging. A weighted combination of value orientation scores strongly discriminated between EA and MA. Additionally, the pattern of relationships among MAs identified between acculturation scores and the validity contrasts supported the construct validity of the proposed dual framework. The trend was particularly evident for most behavioral variables.
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    Adolescent relationship violence and acculturation among NYC Latinos
    (Springer-Verlag, 2015-07) DuPont-Reyes, Melissa; Fry, Deborah; Rickert, Vaughn; Davidson, Leslie L.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
    Acculturation has been shown to positively and negatively affect Latino health. Little research investigates the overlap between acculturation and the different types of relationship violence among Latino youth and most research in this area predominantly involves Mexican-American samples. The current study examined associations between indices of acculturation (language use at home, chosen survey language, and nativity) and relationship physical violence and sexual coercion, both received and delivered, among predominantly Dominican and Puerto Rican adolescents from New York City. From 2006 to 2007, 1,454 adolescents aged 13-21 years in New York City completed an anonymous survey that included the Conflict in Adolescent Relationships Inventory which estimates experiences of physical violence and sexual coercion, both received and delivered, in the previous year. This analysis includes bivariate and multivariate methods to test the associations between language use at home, chosen survey language, and nativity with the different types of relationship violence. Among females, there is a significant association between language use at home and overall level of acculturation with delivering and receiving relationship physical violence; however, we did not find this association in delivering and receiving relationship sexual coercion. We found no association between acculturation and any type of relationship violence among males. Among Latina females, language spoken at home is an indicator of other protective factors of physical relationship violence. Future research in this area should explore the potential protective factors surrounding relationship violence among Latina females of various subgroups using comprehensive measures of acculturation, household composition and family engagement.
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    CHRNA5 and CHRNA3 variants and level of neuroticism in young adult Mexican American men and women
    (Cambridge University Press, 2014-04) Criado, José R.; Gizer, Ian R.; Edenberg, Howard J.; Ehlers, Cindy L.; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, IU School of Medicine
    A lifetime history of alcohol dependence has been associated with elevations in neuroticism in Mexican American young adults. The identification of genetic markers associated with neuroticism and their influence on the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) may contribute to our understanding of the relationship between personality traits and the increased risk of AUD in Mexican Americans. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between neuroticism and 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the nicotinic acetylcholine (nAChR) α5-subunit (CHRNA5) and α3-subunit (CHRNA3) genes in young adult Mexican American men and women. Participants were four hundred sixty-five young adult Mexican American men and women who are literate in English and are residing legally in San Diego County. Each participant gave a blood sample and completed a structured diagnostic interview. Neuroticism was assessed using the Maudsley Personality Inventory. The minor alleles of four CHRNA5 polymorphisms (rs588765, rs601079, rs680244 and rs555018) and three CHRNA3 polymorphisms (rs578776, rs6495307 and rs3743078) showed associations with neuroticism. Several of these SNPs also displayed nominal associations with DSM-IV alcohol and nicotine dependence, but tests of mediation suggested that these relations could be partially explained by the presence of co-occurring neuroticism. These findings suggest that genetic variations in nicotinic receptor genes may influence the development of neuroticism, which in turn is involved in the development of AUDs and nicotine dependence in Mexican American young adults.
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    Cultural Relevance of the Transtheoretical Model in Activity Promotion: Mexican-American Women’s use of the Process of Change
    (Digital Scholarship@UNLV, 2017) Benitez, Tanya J.; Tasevska, Natasha; Coe, Kathryn; Keller, Coleen; Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health
    Hispanic women in the U.S. have disproportionately high rates of obesity and health disparities related to insufficient physical activity (PA). While the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is one of the most commonly used behavioral theories in interventions promoting PA, there is a lack of evidence to support the cultural relevance of theoretical constructs for increasing PA in Hispanic women. To learn about Hispanic women’s use and interpretation of the construct Processes of Change (POC) for increasing PA, we conducted focus groups with overweight/obese Mexican/Mexican-American females (N=13) ages 27-40 years. Major themes centered on the importance of children and family caretaking, social support, and PA to promote weight loss. Participants identified strategies they use to enact the POC for increasing PA such as retos (challenges), exercise as an alternative to eating, and clothing as a reward/reminder for PA. This study examined culture-specific factors used by Mexican-American women for becoming more physically active as they correspond to the theoretical constructs of the TTM. We showed that the POC examined in our study are culturally relevant and enacted by Mexican- American women for increasing PA, and are poised to be deployed in culturally appropriate PA promotion and weight loss interventions.
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    Differential Links Between Expressive Suppression and Well-Being Among Chinese and Mexican American College Students
    (American Psychological Association, 2015-03) Su, Jenny C.; Park, Irene J.K.; Chang, Janet; Kim, Su Yeong; Dezutter, Jessie; Seol, Kyoung Ok; Lee, Richard M.; Soto, José A.; Zamboanga, Byron L.; Ham, Lindsay S.; Hurley, Eric A.; Brown, Elissa; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Previous research on culture and emotion regulation has focused primarily on comparing participants from individualistic and collectivistic backgrounds (e.g., European Americans vs. Asians/Asian Americans). However, ethnic groups that are equally individualistic or collectivistic can still vary notably in cultural norms and practices regarding emotion regulation. The present study examined the association between expressive suppression and well-being in two collectivistic ethnic groups (i.e., Chinese Americans and Mexican Americans). Results indicated that suppression of positive emotions was related to lower hedonic and eudaimonic well-being among Mexican Americans but not among Chinese Americans. Moreover, post hoc analysis revealed that Mexican Americans with a stronger collective identity reported lower eudaimonic well-being when suppressing positive emotions than Mexican Americans with a weaker collective identity. Suppression of negative emotions, by contrast, was unrelated to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being for both ethnic groups. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of taking into account the role that culture and the characteristics of emotion (e.g., valence) may play in the link between emotion regulation and well-being.
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    "Does this Look Infected to You?" Social Network Predictors of Dental Help-Seeking Among Mexican Immigrants
    (Springer Nature, 2018-04) Pullen, Erin; Perry, Brea L.; Maupome, Gerardo; Periodontology, School of Dentistry
    Compared to U.S. born Latinos, Mexican immigrants (MAs) have diminished health care access and face substantial barriers to accessing needed dental health services. However, little research has examined how MAs social networks shape their use of dental health services. Using data from 332 Mexican immigrants to the Midwest, this research examines the significance of individual and egocentric network characteristics on two measures of dental health service utilization. Findings reveal that network size, network dental service utilization, and the frequency with which MAs discuss acute problems with network ties, positively correspond to use of oral health services. Conversely, embeddedness in networks where ties hassle egos about dental issues and have low levels of dental health knowledge correspond to lower odds of using these services. This research is among the first to use ego network data and methods to examine the ways network characteristics shape oral health behaviors among this underserved population.
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    Effectiveness of the Pasos Adelante Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Program in a US-Mexico Border Community, 2005-2008
    (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012) Staten, Lisa K.; Cutshaw, Christina A.; Davidson, Christopher; Reinschmidt, Kerstin; Stewart, Rosie; Roe, Denise J.
    Introduction Pasos Adelante is a lifestyle intervention program facilitated by community health workers (promotores) targeting chronic disease prevention and control in Mexican Americans. Initial studies of Pasos Adelante indicated significant improvements in self-reported nutrition and physical activity. This study examined whether Pasos Adelante participants living in a US border community showed improvements in selected physiological measures after participating in the program and whether changes were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Methods The program took place in 12-week sessions from January 2005 to May 2008 and included walking groups and education targeting nutrition and physical activity. Questionnaires, anthropometric measures, and laboratory tests were conducted at baseline (n = 305), conclusion of program (n = 254), and 3-month follow-up (n = 221). Results Participants demonstrated decreases in body mass index (P = .04), waist and hip circumference (P < .001), diastolic and systolic blood pressure (P < .001), and total cholesterol (P = .008) from baseline to program conclusion. No values worsened significantly between program conclusion and follow-up, except systolic blood pressure. Glucose levels improved between conclusion and follow-up (P = .01). Conclusion These results support the initial findings of improvements in participants’ self-reported physical activity and nutrition patterns through changes in objective measures. This evidence-based program demonstrates the potential for a promotores-facilitated chronic disease prevention and control program to improve physical health and targets both primary and secondary prevention in Hispanic communities and organizations.
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    From Program to Policy: Expanding the Role of Community Coalitions
    (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007) Hill, Anne; De Zapien, Jill Guernsey; Staten, Lisa K.; McClelland, Deborah Jean; Garza, Rebecca; Moore-Monroy, Martha; Elenes, JoJean; Steinfelt, Victoria; Tittelbaugh, Ila; Whitmer, Evelyn; Meister, Joel S.
    Background Diabetes mortality at the United States–Mexico border is twice the national average. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasingly diagnosed among children and adolescents. Fragmented services and scarce resources further restrict access to health care. Increased awareness of the incidence of disease and poor health outcomes became a catalyst for creating community-based coalitions and partnerships with the University of Arizona that focused on diabetes. Context Five partnerships between the communities and the University of Arizona were formed to address these health issues. They began with health promotion as their goal and were challenged to add policy and environmental change to their objectives. Understanding the meaning of policy in the community context is the first step in the transition from program to policy. Policy participation brings different groups together, strengthening ties and building trust among community members and community organizations. Methods Data on progress and outcomes were collected from multiple sources. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 Community Change Model as the capacity-building and analytic framework for supporting and documenting the transition of coalitions from program to policy. Consequences Over 5 years, the coalitions made the transition, in varying degrees, from a programmatic focus to a policy planning and advocacy focus. The coalitions raised community awareness, built community capacity, encouraged a process of “change in change agents,” and advocated for community environmental and policy shifts to improve health behaviors. Interpretation The five coalitions made environmental and policy impacts by engaging in policy advocacy. These outcomes indicate the successful, if not consistently sustained, transition from program to policy. Whether and how these “changes in change agents” are transferable to the larger community over the long term remains to be seen.
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    To Be a Citizen: An Integrative Literature Review of Mexican American Parents and Their Struggle Assimilating to U.S. Culture
    (2022) Aguayo, Katelyn; Guzman, Valeria; Valeria
    The Mexican population is one of the most disadvantaged groups in the United States facing higher rates of poverty, lower educational levels, poorer health outcomes, and lower naturalization rates (Alonso, 2016). The Mexican American population encounters multiple adversities assimilating to U.S. cultures such as acculturation stress, language barriers, cultural differences, financial insecurity, limited educational opportunities, discrimination, and other systemic oppressions (Cervantes et al., 1991). Research exists that addresses the role art therapy plays in the treatment of these multiple adversities; however, minimal research emphasizes the challenges Mexican American parents face assimilating to the U.S. An integrative literature review was conducted to identify a culturally competent framework for Mexican American parents participating in art therapy. A total of four articles were found discussing art therapy and the Hispanic/Latino population. Of the four articles, only one article discussed art therapy and Mexican Americans. None of the resources specifically focused on the needs of Mexican American parents in art therapy. Recommendations for future research were made in response to the themes identified in the literature, such as the need to identify the needs and challenges Mexican American parents face increasing training for culturally competent and bilingual therapists, and an investigation of effective materials, directives, and therapeutic approaches for the population. Finally, opportunities were identified to create an effective framework for family therapy that involves Mexican American parents struggling with acculturation. Keywords: Mexican Americans, assimilation, art therapy, culturally competent