Advocacy Plan
Latino immigrants may experience acculturative stress, or difficulty dealing with the pressure to fit into a new culture (Wong, Correa, Robinson, & Lu, 2017). In a study with college students who were also Hispanic or Latino immigrants, Wong et al. (2017) discovered that students who felt more socially constrained experienced high levels of psychological distress. Social constraint describes the experience of not having a social web of people with whom one can discuss one’s emotions. I believe that acculturative stress could be experienced by second or even third-generation Americans who are familiar with their family’s culture more than the United State’s culture. I reflected on how such stress could be alleviated when I took a trip home to Cleveland recently. I unexpectedly immersed myself into the Latino culture for a few minutes when my mom took me to her favorite coffee shop. The coffee shop is owned by a woman who immigrated to the United States from Cuba, and stepping into her shop felt like stepping into another world. The grey day outside evaporated when I saw the walls covered with bright paintings created by the shop’s owner herself, and when I smelled the savory scents of empanadas and coffee. Some of the people in the shop were of Latino descent, and some were White, like me. The shop’s owner talked to everyone, snapping pictures for her Facebook page. People in the shop seemed to have a mutual understanding of each other’s cultures. Of course, I don’t know the stories of anyone in the shop, but from my brief observations, it seemed as if everyone experienced social connection at that moment. For my advocacy activity, I’d like to help improve social connections between members of the Latino community and members of other cultural communities. The university and different organizations in Columbus often have events that celebrate Latino culture. I plan to bring friends to one or more of these events, such as Festival Latino in August, so that I can help others learn more about the Latino culture. We might even make new friends at the event! Making new social connections occurs as the result of stepping into new experiences, so I can advocate for the Latino community by introducing my friends to it. At the coffee shop I visited, one of the paintings was of a Latina woman in a hat with the words “viva la vida,” or “live life,” on the hat. The painting reminded me of how important social connections are to living life and spurred the idea for my advocacy plan. I took a photo of the painting, but did not have a permission slip for the artist to sign, so I decided to create my own interpretation for this artifact. My sketch carries the same sentiment as the painting, reminding me that people can best live life, or live to the fullest, when in connection with each other.
Servant Leadership
In searching for a way to engage in servant leadership with the Latino community, I reflected on actions I could take that would emphasize the value of community. In a recent interview I had with my friend of Argentinian heritage, she stressed the value of community in her cultural background. She had found community in her school’s Organization of Latin American Affairs after searching for a way to connect with her Latino heritage. She discussed how in the Latino community and in her group at school, people often turn to their family for help with mental health instead of counselors because the value of community is so strong that many believe that family should care for mental health needs. Research has shown that the cultural beliefs of those in the Hispanic and Latino communities can make them less likely to seek treatment for mental health issues (Camacho et al., 2015). As an act of servant leadership, I could visit Latino student groups on campus, such as the Latinx Early Arrival Program or Balancing Education, Life and Latina Awareness (BELLA) and start conversations about mental health. It would be important for me to get to know the members first, and to respect their opinions about mental health. I could then share what I know about the benefits of seeing a professional and provide information about Ohio State’s Counseling and Consultation Services if people ask for more information. I believe that I would need to engage in dialogue rather than blatantly stating my opinion in order to respect members of the Latino community and to truly be of service. I chose this image of a hand painted with leaves because to me, a hand reaching out represents community, an important value for those of Latino heritage. It can also represent connections I could make when engaging in dialogue about mental health. The painted leaves represent the personal growth that I could experience after learning about other people’s viewpoints. The photograph as a whole represents the value of community that I seek to emulate and the growth I hope to achieve by engaging in servant leadership.
Reference:
pi? (2008). [Online image.] Retrieved November 18, 2018 from https://www.flickr.com/photos/ecco_pi/2490085347/in/photolist-4N3kBZ-7tXned-7jMUyd-S8Pb1-6ewcKM-4SHJPs-hW98L-5SGTgp-2ndGGz-7kjkVQ-4Yk4Uf-9kCbAf-C5YtU-vC7f-nfhmS-a8mhMk-brvFo-74nXah-rmy4J-35KMta-GnPTa-vHoQU-4qBM54-HP3bKj-E7LPKM-7oEMs-3mMhps-HDAYN-sPzbL-7FTAD1-4WWWNe-7eXqJ5-fMLSYU-apcrJr-5qk5it-7uGE5-3eCXDK-s1i5n-UQa2-6EdDgQ-8sVUA4-o7CdAB-4QXLFs-cnDPh-qt5P25-ncYaAL-8BQXZ7-nC8R3-qs5oDW-aWbnzc
Link to photograph license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Strengths-Based Needs
The Latino population is often portrayed negatively in the media. Reports about poverty rates, teenage dropout rates, and violence prevail. Coll, Fuglini, Galindo, Hernandez, & Tienda (n. d.) propose a paradox. Although the Latino population faces these issues, Latino children in elementary schools display strong social skills and emotional confidence and strong math scores. However, English language learners do struggle in language-based subjects. Latino adolescents are often devoted to their families, but this can conflict with school attendance. I agree with the article and believe that instead of focusing on negative traits, Latino students need support in more positive ways. For example, English language learners could receive social support that respects their cultural values. Perhaps English language learners could be paired with a peer who they can turn to for questions. Schools can respect students’ obligations to their families and create resources like flexible deadlines or online assignment submission if teachers know that a student is dedicated to school, but also to their family. My image portrays a child’s success in school, with the child at the center. Arrows pointing at the child from teachers, family, and peers show that the child needs support from all three in order to be successful. A strength of the Latino population is supportive and close-knit families. The image calls on teachers and peers to think about what they can do to support the child’s success in school. I think that having familial obligations outside of school that conflict with school would be emotionally challenging. I understand what it is like to have a close-knit family that I care for deeply, but not what it is like to have familial obligations extend into school life. My image shows a supportive ideal, and reflects my learning about how not everyone’s families could ensure that their children only had to worry about school while growing up. Some children had to work to help support their families or care for family members. A network of people working together to support these children could be what they need.
References:
Coll, C.G., Fuligni, A., Galindo, C., Hernandez, D., & Tienda, M. (n.d.). The cultural strengths of
Latino families: Firm scaffolds for children and youth. New Journalism on Latino Children. Retrieved from: http://www.ewa.org/site/DocServer/NJLC_CulturalStrengths_WEB.pdf?docID=641
Systemic Challenges:
I chose the image of a seemingly idyllic school building because many systemic challenges that Latino populations face are related to education, and not all members the population are able to experience such an ideal scene. Alvarez de Davila and Michaels (2016) report that approximately two thirds of Latino children in the United States live in low-income housing, where school districts might not look like the one pictured because they don’t obtain as much funding. After having attended a privileged private school and living in a town where the public school was equally as nice, and after hearing the stories of my aunt, who teaches in a school in a lower-income neighborhood, I agree with this assessment. A language barrier that may exist for first- or second-generation Americans can also limit access to quality education (Alvarez d Davila & Michaels, 2016). School systems in the United States teach primarily in English, so the success of the children of first-generation Americans can depend on how quickly they learn English. I remember learning Spanish starting in fourth grade. No one in my class took it very seriously, but a child learning English in an American school system would take those lessons seriously out of necessity. Challenges like these limit opportunities for Latino children to pursue secondary education. In addition, Latinos may also experience acculturative stress. Acculturative stress, or the struggle to fit in with a new culture, can increase psychological stress (Wong, Correa, Robinson, & Lu, 2017). It is difficult for me to imagine coping with the stress of school in addition to acculturative and psychological stress related to struggling to fit in with a new culture. As I reflect on the systemic and psychological barriers that can stand in the way of a quality education for Latinos, I wonder how many citizens of the United States truly experience the idealized education pictured. For many years, I didn’t think about the resources I had that helped me succeed in school, such as parents who spoke English and who had gone to college. This picture represents my learning of an ideal that not everyone has.
Reference:
Alvarez de Davila, S., & Michaels, C. (2016, April 29). Falling behind: Understanding the challenges facing Latino education in the U. S. [web log comment.] Retrieved from https://cehdvision2020.umn.edu/blog/challenges-facing-latino-education/
Photograph Citation:
Montgomery County Planning Commission. (2013). Pottstown middle school. [Online image.] Retrieved October 13, 2018 from https://www.flickr.com/photos/75012107@N05/8693278813/in/photolist-efcjVt-7b19dx-7aZUVP-7b4LJw-7b4L11-71CFc6-etADqn-71CFAM-71GQ43-71Czt2-6mx2Bi-6mwVHM-71G6id-71CyaV-71CKpP-71CJ7D-6mx4ec-71GckG-71CMJt-71GFs9-71GaGS-6mB5UN-6mx7p6-71GKo3-71Gc89-71GfmE-71GEKu-71CBMD-71G9kL-7b4UJ3-6mwWbt-71GsSm-71CJie-71GMyS-6mx8oe-6mwYdi-71C5hn-71Gjvj-6mBdKY-71GAMh-7b4Lfh-71CMr6-71CKi4-6mBeuG-6mB7PC-71CbXz-71GJzG-71C3mM-71CF24-6mB3q1/
The photograph requires that a link to the license be posted: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Annotated Bibliography
Pina, A. A., Zerr, A. A., Villalta, I. K., & Gonzales, N. A. (2012). Indicated prevention and early intervention for childhood anxiety: A randomized trial with Caucasian and Hispanic/Latino Youth. Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, 80,940-946. doi: 10.1037/a0029460
This study aimed to explore the effects of a childhood intervention for anxiety disorders in Caucasian and Hispanic/Latino children. Cited articles claimed that anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in adolescents and children, and that they are more prevalent in Hispanics/Latinos than Caucasians. Yet, research has not evaluated interventions in the Hispanic/Latino population. Researchers of the current study aimed to discover whether parent involvement, ethnicity, and language spoken affected anxiety interventions. Participants included 88 Caucasian or Hispanic/Latino children referred to the study by their school’s staff who were randomized into two conditions. Both conditions participated in one hour-long sessions per week for twelve weeks during which the children learned cognitive behavioral strategies for managing anxiety and participated in exposure therapy. In one condition, the children’s mothers attended the sessions, and in the other condition, the children’s mothers only attended for the final ten minutes of each session to review progress. Interventions were designed to be culturally sensitive. Children in both conditions showed improvements in post-test measures of anxiety, and children in the condition in which mothers were involved showed greater improvements. Hispanic/Latino children benefitted from the study as much as Caucasian children did. A strength of the study is that it offered the option of taking anxiety measures in Spanish or English. However, the majority of the Hispanic/Latino children in the study were of Mexican descent. In order to evaluate how the intervention might affect all Hispanic/Latino children, a sample including children from other Hispanic/Latino cultures would be needed.
Estrada-Martinez, L. M., Cantrell, C., Sewell, W., Butler-Barnes, S., & Cabrera-Nguyen, E. P. (2017). Adolescent neighborhood environments and Latino intraethnic disparities in trajectories of serious violent behaviors. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 39, 504-527. doi: 10.1177/0739986317734325
The purpose of this study was to describe the trajectory of violent behavior in different generations of Latinos. This study also examined the effect of socioeconomic-status (SES), neighborhood perceptions, and racial/ethnic and immigrant concentrations on risk for violent behavior. The cited literature noted that violence is the leading cause of death among Latino adolescents, and that second- and third-generation Latinos are more prone to violence that first-generation Latinos. The longitudinal study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health collected over a span of nineteen years. Participants were grouped into Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latinos. The study found that although the majority of respondents did not display violent behavior, those who did peaked during adolescence. First-generation immigrants were at a lower risk for violent behaviors than subsequent generation immigrants in every category except Puerto Ricans. The authors suggested that this may be because Puerto Ricans are more frequently exposed to the United State’s culture. Overall, males showed a higher risk for violent behaviors. In all categories except Mexicans, high neighborhood satisfaction during childhood correlated with a low risk of violent behaviors during adulthood. High neighborhood satisfaction in Mexicans correlated with a higher risk for violent behaviors. The presence of Whites and SES did not affect risk of violent behaviors in any group. However, a higher proportion of Blacks in the neighborhood increased risk of violent behaviors, except for Puerto Ricans, for which it reduced the risk. The study provides interesting insights to patterns that correlate with higher risk of violent behaviors. However, since the study pulled data from a survey, the results are correlations and cannot provide insight about what might cause violent behaviors. Further research would be required to develop any interventions that would reduce the risk of violent behaviors.
Piñeiro, B., Díaz, D. R., Monsalve, L. M., Martínez, U., Meade, C. D., Meltzer, L. R., Brandon, K. O., Unrod, M., Brandon, T. H., & Simmons, V. N. (2018).Systematic transcreation of self-help smoking cessation materials for Hispanic/Latino smokers: Improving cultural relevance and acceptability. Journal of Health Communication, 23,350-359 doi:10.1080/10810730.2018.1448487
The purpose of this study was to translate and culturally adapt (“transcreate”) a smoking cessation intervention for Spanish-speaking Hispanics/Latinos. The article cites prior research that claims that smoking-related deaths are the top cause of death for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States, yet there are few successful interventions adapted to Hispanic/Latino culture. The authors of this study adapted an existing program,Forever Free: Stop Smoking for Good,using feedback from English and Spanish-speaking smokers that they interviewed and the basic structure of the English program. The basic structure consisted of booklets with strategies for quitting smoking and pamphlets with inspirational stories. The Spanish version contained stories that would be culturally relevant to Spanish-speakers. Researchers then interviewed 20 Spanish-speaking smokers, walked them through the new program, and modified the program based on the participants’ responses. Modifications included such changes as incorporating the value of familism into the booklets by creating a booklet for family members supporting someone trying to quit and adding references to coffee, both of which were reported as culturally important. The booklets and pamphlets created by this study are beneficial in that they are culturally relevant rather than merely translated. However, researchers created the program based on feedback from a small sample of people. The program may not be culturally relevant for all Hispanic/Latino smokers. In addition, quantitative research is needed to assess the effectiveness of the “transcreated” program.
Camacho, A., González, P., Castañeda, S. F., Simmons, A., Buelna, C., Lemus, H., & Talavera, G. A. (2015). Improvement in depressive symptoms among Hispanic/Latinos receiving a culturally tailored IMPACT and Problem-Solving Intervention in a community health center. Community Mental Health Journal, 51, 385-392. doi: 10.1007/s10597-014-9750-7
This study assessed the effectiveness of a culturally-appropriate depression intervention among 189 low-income Hispanic/Latinos at a community health center near the Mexican-California border. Depression affects many people who go to community health centers, and Hispanic/Latinos who seek help at such centers tend to be of lower socioeconomic status and are less likely to seek help for depression. Researchers tailored Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) to Hispanic/Latino culture of the region by translating materials to Spanish and focusing on listening rather than review and homework. Participants attended 60-minute therapy sessions for six months. Overall, participants’ depressive symptoms decreased after the intervention. A strength of the study is that the intervention included cultural adaptations rather than just translation. Though the study included a large sample size, generalization may not be possible because the participants were recruited from one region of the United States. Hispanic/Latino culture may differ in other regions. It might also be beneficial to compare the effectiveness of a culturally-adapted intervention to an intervention that has merely been translated.
Wong, C. C. Y., Correa, A., Robinson, K., & Lu, Q. (2017). The roles of acculturative stress and social constraints on psychological distress in Hispanic/Latino and Asian immigrant college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23, 398-406. doi:10.1037/cdp0000120
Immigrants to the United States may experience acculturative stress, or stress induced by the pressure to assimilate to the United State’s culture. Acculturative stress would be related to psychological distress. Previous research has shown that social support can decrease the association between acculturative stress and psychological distress while social constraints, or the inability to freely express emotions to a social support group, can increase this association. Social constraint may be more likely among immigrant populations. The current study surveyed Hispanic/Latino and Asian immigrants at a large research institution. In alignment with previous studies, the current study found that acculturative stress and psychological distress were associated in Hispanic/Latino and Asian immigrants. Social constraints moderated the association between acculturative stress and psychological distress among Asian immigrants, but not Hispanic/Latino immigrants. The researchers suggest that Hispanic/Latino immigrants may express their emotions in ways other than through social webs. In addition, higher levels of social constraints were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. This study is important in that it highlights the stress that immigrants may experience. However, it does little to suggest a cause or an intervention for such stress. Future research might investigate why social constraint did not moderate the association between acculturative stress and psychological distress in Hispanic/Latino immigrants.