The Relative Influence of Perceived Immigration Laws and Consequences on HIV Testing Among US Latino Immigrants

The CDC recommends that persons aged 13-64 receive an HIV test at least once in their lifetime and that some groups test annually or more frequently. Nearly one-half of US Latino immigrants have never been tested for HIV. To the extent that immigration-related laws deter documented and undocumented immigrants from engaging in communicable disease control measures, these laws undermine public health efforts. 1750 noncitizen adult, sexually active, Spanish-speaking Latino immigrants across four cities in the US completed a cross-sectional survey assessing perceptions of immigration-related laws and immigration consequences related to HIV testing and diagnosis. Participants were recruited in-person by staff in community settings, through flyers posted in places frequented by Latino immigrants, and by word-of-mouth through snowball sampling. Outcomes were whether participants had ever received an HIV test and whether they tested in the previous 12 months. Multivariable analyses examined the relative contribution of perceived immigration laws and consequences on HIV testing behaviors when considering established predictors of HIV testing. Perceptions of HIV-related immigration laws and immigration consequences was a significant predictor of never having had an HIV test even when considered relative to common predictors of HIV testing. The influence of perceived immigration laws and consequences on testing in the previous 12 months was not significant in multivariable analysis. Perceived HIV-related immigration laws and consequences appear to be a substantial contributor to reluctance to be tested for HIV among Latino immigrants who have never been tested. Effective interventions should be developed to address these.

Heterogeneity in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Latino Immigrant Subgroups: Evidence From the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey

Background The Latino population is a growing and diverse share of the US population. Previous studies have examined Latino immigrants as a homogenous group. The authors hypothesized that there would be heterogeneity in cardiovascular disease risk factors among Latino immigrant subgroups (from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Central America, or South America) compared with non-Latino White adults. Methods and Results A cross-sectional analysis of the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) among 548 739 individuals was performed. Generalized linear models with Poisson distribution were fitted to compare the prevalence of self-reported hypertension, overweight/obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, and current smoking, adjusting for known confounders. The authors included 474 968 non-Latino White adults and 73 771 Latino immigrants from Mexico (59%), Puerto Rico (7%), Cuba (6%), Dominican Republic (5%), Central America (15%), and South America (9%). Compared with White adults, Mexican immigrants had the highest prevalence of overweight/obesity (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.17 [95% CI, 1.15-1.19]); Puerto Rican individuals had the highest prevalence of diabetes (PR, 1.63 [95% CI, 1.45-1.83]); individuals from Central America had the highest prevalence of high cholesterol (PR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.04-1.28]); and individuals from the Dominican Republic had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity (PR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.18-1.32]). All Latino immigrant subgroups were less likely to be smokers than White adults. Conclusions The authors observed advantages and disparities in cardiovascular disease risk factors among Latino immigrants. Aggregating data on Latino individuals may mask differences in cardiovascular disease risk and hinder efforts to reduce health disparities in this population. Study findings provide Latino group-specific actionable information and targets for improving cardiovascular health.

Provider perceptions of availability, accessibility, and adequacy of health and behavioral services for Latino immigrants in Philadelphia: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

Latino populations in the United States are disproportionately affected by substance use, HIV/AIDS, violence, and mental health issues (SAVAME). A growing body of evidence demonstrates the syndemic nature of SAVAME and the need for integrated strategies to reduce their impact. This study sought to understand the network of SAVAME services for Latino immigrants in Philadelphia to inform future interventions for SAVAME prevention and mitigation.

METHODOLOGY

Key informant interviews (N = 30) were conducted with providers working in Latino-serving organizations providing SAVAME services. Interviews were analyzed using thematic coding and grounded theory.

RESULTS

Latino-serving providers perceived a large need for, and important limitations in the availability, accessibility, and adequacy of SAVAME services for Latino immigrants. Gaps were seen as especially acute for mental health and substance use services, partly because of insufficient funding for these services. Latino immigrants' lack of health insurance, immigration status, limited English proficiency (LEP), stigma surrounding SAVAME issues, and limited knowledge of available services were identified as significant barriers preventing access to services. Providers noted that scarcity of well-trained, culturally competent, and ethnically concordant providers reduced the adequacy of SAVAME services for Latino immigrant clients. The small size, low levels of infrastructure, and limited capacity were reported as additional factors limiting the ability of many Latino-serving organizations to adopt a syndemic approach in the prevention and treatment of SAVAME services.

CONCLUSIONS

The results call for changes in the structure of funding streams and communitywide strategies to foster collaboration across SAVAME providers working with Latino immigrant clients.

Rural Household Food Insecurity among Latino Immigrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic

U.S. food insecurity rates rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with disproportionate impacts on Latino immigrant households. We conducted a qualitative study to investigate how household food environments of rural Latino immigrants were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-one respondents (42% from low food security households) completed interviews (July 2020-April 2021) across four rural counties in California. A rural household food security conceptual framework was used to analyze the data. Early in the pandemic, food availability was impacted by school closures and the increased consumption of meals/snacks at home; food access was impacted by reduced incomes. Barriers to access included limited transportation, excess distance, and lack of convenience. Key resources for mitigating food insecurity were the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT), school meals, charitable food programs, and social capital, although the adequacy and acceptability of charitable food distributions were noted issues. Respondents expressed concern about legal status, stigma, and the public charge rule when discussing barriers to government nutrition assistance programs. They reported that food pantries and P-EBT had fewer access barriers. Positive coping strategies included health-promoting food substitutions and the reduced consumption of meals outside the home. Results can inform the development of policy and systems interventions to decrease food insecurity and nutrition-related health disparities among rural Latino immigrants.

Latino Immigrant Service Provision in Tennessee and Georgia: Provider Perceptions

Latinos and Latino immigrants are increasingly settling in new immigrant destinations, such as Tennessee and Georgia, that have historically lacked sufficient infrastructure for delivery of culturally and linguistically competent health and social services. This cross-sectional survey study was designed to assess providers' (n = 109) perspectives of the service provision landscape in each state. Descriptive analyses and t-tests (by state) were conducted to explore service concerns, access barriers, and organizational capacity to address concerns and barriers. Among most prevalently reported concerns were income/wages and fear of deportation. Key access barriers included language, lack of driver's license and insurance, and fear of deportation. Most (63%) organizations had sufficient Spanish language proficiency, though building trust was a notable barrier within 58% of organizations. Results provide meaningful data to inform existing strengths and service gaps in two exclusionary policy states. Future research should include perspectives of Latino community members.

Undocumented Older Latino Immigrants in the United States: Population Projections and Share of Older Undocumented Latinos by Health Insurance Coverage and Chronic Health Conditions, 2018-2038

OBJECTIVES

This paper focuses on the older Latino undocumented population and anticipates how their current demographic characteristics and health insurance coverage might impact future population size and health insurance trends.

METHODS

We use the 2013-2018 American Community Survey as a baseline to project growth in the Latino 55+ undocumented population over the next 20 years. We use the cohort component method to estimate population size across different migration scenarios and distinguish between aging in place and new in-migration. We also examine contemporary health insurance coverage and chronic health conditions among 55+ undocumented Latinos from the 2003-2014 California Health Interview Survey. We then project health insurance rates in 2038 among Latino immigrants under different migration and policy scenarios.

RESULTS

If current mortality, migration, and policy trends continue, projections estimate that 40% of undocumented Latino immigrants will be 55 years or older by 2038 - nearly all of whom will have aged in place. Currently, 40% of older Latino undocumented immigrants do not have insurance. Without policies that increase access to insurance, projections estimate that the share who are uninsured among all older Latinos immigrants will rise from 15% to 21%, and the share that is both uninsured and living with a chronic health condition will rise from 5% to 9%.

DISCUSSION

Without access health care, older undocumented immigrants may experience delayed care and more severe morbidity. Our projections highlight the need to develop and enact policies that can address impending health access concerns for an increasingly older undocumented Latino population.

Re-evaluating intergroup dynamics in the South: Racial attitudes among Latino immigrants in Durham, NC

Racial attitudes have long been studied for their salience to inter-group relations and the insight they provide into the nature of ethno-racial hierarchies. While research on racial attitudes among Latinos, now the largest minority group in the United States, has grown in recent decades, critical gaps remain. As such, this paper explores Latino immigrants' attitudes toward Whites, Blacks, and other Latinos across multiple dimensions, including perceived affluence, intelligence, cultural behaviors, and receptivity to contact. We examine cross-group and cross-dimension variation in attitudes in order to evaluate key theories in the literature on racial attitudes, including the effects of socio-demographic factors, social contact, perceived threat, and forms of insecurity. Overall, Latino attitudes do not neatly subscribe to White superiority across dimensions, as they perceive differences in intelligence to be more modest than those in affluence, and rate their own cultural behaviors above those of Whites. Increased contact is associated with more positive views toward Blacks, but more negative views toward Whites and to a lesser extent, other Latinos. Perceived threat results in lower evaluations of all groups, whereas greater insecurity results in negative attitudes toward Whites and Blacks, but appears to push Latinos closer to their own group. Overall, results suggest that among immigrant Latinos, greater integration and social contact reduce White supremacy, rather than simply improving attitudes towards all out-groups, but that the softening of anti-Black prejudice is undermined by perceived vulnerability to crime and anti-immigrant forces.

"They Dumped Me Like Trash": The Social and Psychological Toll of Victimization on Latino Day Laborers' Lives

Although recent rhetoric links undocumented immigrants to criminality, reports indicate undocumented immigrants commit less crime than their native-born counterparts and that this vulnerable group may be at increased risk for criminal victimization. Immigrants living in new immigrant settlement cities may be particularly at risk for exposure to criminal victimization due to the vulnerabilities associated with a lack of an established Latino community and limited availability of culturally appropriate social services to provide support. This ethnographic study examines the experiences of victimization and its social and psychological toll of a street-recruited sample of Latino day laborers (LDLs) (N = 25) living and working in Baltimore, a new immigrant settlement city. Findings elucidate and describe the specific types of victimization experienced by LDLs, including workplace victimization (wage theft, abandonment at the jobsite, poor working conditions, verbal abuse) and street-level victimization (assault and robbery), as well as reveal the social and psychological toll of victimization (sociocultural alienation, despair or desesperación, and problem drinking) on their lives. Findings have implications for community psychology, through research and practice, as they provide insights for prevention and intervention within the intersection of structural vulnerability (i.e., undocumented immigration status), violence, and mental health.

Syndemic Factors and Resiliency Among Latina Immigrant Indirect Sex Workers in an Emergent Immigrant City

Female sex workers (FSW) constitute a highly vulnerable population challenged by numerous co-existing, or syndemic, risk factors. FSW also display resilience to these, and some evidence suggests that resilience may be associated with protective factors that improve health outcomes. We conducted in-depth interviews with indirect sex workers (n = 11) and their clients (n = 18). Interviews were coded utilizing an iterative, modified constant comparison method to identify emergent themes. We identified five syndemic risk factors (difficulty finding work due to undocumented status, shame and mental health hardship, lack of social support, alcohol use, and violence) and five resilient factors (rationalizing sex work, identifying as a "decent" woman, fulfilling immigrant goals, reducing alcohol consumption, and creating rules to reduce risk of violence and HIV/STIs). Understanding the syndemic risk factors and resiliency developed by FSW is important to develop tailored, strength-based interventions for HIV/STIs and other risks.

"We All Have Strengths": A Retrospective Qualitative Evaluation of a Resilience Training for Latino Immigrants in Philadelphia, PA

Background: Limited research has explored sources of resilience for Latino immigrants or the potential of resilience-based interventions to promote Latino immigrant health and well-being.

Purpose: To evaluate Latino immigrants' experiences with a resilience training and application of the training to participants' personal lives and their communities among Latino immigrants.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, qualitative study in Philadelphia, PA from 2017 to 2018. We completed semi-structured, key informant interviews with nine participants who had taken the resilience training, and one facilitator (N=10). Transcripts were analyzed via interpretive content analysis.

Results: The training resonated deeply with participants because of their personal traumas and immigration-related adversity. Participants were primed by past experiences of violence, as well as by daily struggles they encounter as Latino immigrants in the United States amid worsening anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy. The training was found to be transformative by allowing participants to discover and tap into their own inherent resilience. Participants utilized the knowledge and skills acquired from the training to better manage daily situations, as well as worked to strengthen others within their networks.

Conclusions: Resilience-based interventions can help to strengthen communities against adversity. Cultivating resilience in Latino immigrants can have positive effects on psychosocial health. Resilience-building approaches could be implemented as stand-alone or enhancing components of more complex health promotion interventions. More research is needed on resilience, as well as its utility in community-based interventions to promote the health and well-being of Latino immigrants.

Outcomes from a Male-to-Male Promotores Intervention in an Emerging Latino Community

Emerging Latino communities experience social isolation and lack services tailored to their culture. Few male-to-male promotores (community health workers in Spanish) interventions exist. This 6-month participatory study aimed to improve social support, healthcare access, depressive symptoms, and decrease alcohol consumption among Latino immigrant men. Promotores delivered non-directive social support to participants recruited from community venues. We analyzed baseline and 6-month questionnaires data (n = 89) using paired chi square tests. All participants were immigrants; 47% had not finished high school, 29% had depression symptoms, 35% reported past month binge drinking and 93% were uninsured. The intervention significantly improved having a usual source of care (24 to 43%), doctor's visits (41 to 62%) and dentist's visits (27 to 42%) in the past year. Other outcomes did not improve. Male promotores increased healthcare access among vulnerable Latino men. Addressing drinking behavior and depression may require longer interventions or specialized providers.

Help Wanted: Mental Health and Social Stressors Among Latino Day Laborers

Latino day laborers may be especially vulnerable to poor mental health due to stressful life experiences, yet few studies have described patterns of mental health outcomes and their correlates in this population. Patterns of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7), and associations with demographic characteristics, social stressors, and substance use in a recruited sample of male Latino day laborers ( n = 101) are described. High rates of depression and anxiety were identified. Specifically, 39% screened positive for moderate or severe depression and 25% for moderate or severe anxiety. Higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with being single, being homeless or in temporary housing, experiencing discrimination, acculturation stress, and marijuana use. While tobacco and unhealthy alcohol use were common in this sample (39% and 66%, respectively), they were not associated with depression and anxiety. These findings suggest that depression and anxiety are common among Latino day laborers and associated with stressful life experiences. Future research should further assess ways to ameliorate social stressors and reduce risk for poor mental health.

System Failure: Work Organization and Injury Outcomes among Latino Forest Workers

OBJECTIVES

Forestry services is a hazardous industry with high job-related injury, illness, and fatality rates. The Northwest workforce is largely Spanish-speaking, Latino, and immigrant, working in poor conditions with insufficient attention paid to safety and health. Institutional racism fundamentally shapes the structural vulnerability of Latino immigrant workers. Given this context, we sought to understand how workplace organizational factors and safety climate affect job-related injuries in this industry.

METHODS

We developed 23 case studies from personal interviews after selecting from an initial participant survey pool of 99 Latino forest workers in southern Oregon who had been injured at work in the previous 2 years. Workers were recruited through snowball sampling and door-to-door canvassing. Questions spanned work conditions, tasks, employer safety practices, injury experience, medical treatment, and workers' compensation benefits.

RESULTS

Workers reported broken bones, chainsaw lacerations, back pain, heat and pesticide illnesses, and other occupational injuries. One-third of the cases fell into a Systems Functional category in which they reported their injuries to their supervisors and received medical treatment and workers' compensation benefits. The remaining two-thirds experienced System Failures with difficulties in receiving medical treatment and/or workers' compensation benefits, employer direction to not report, being fired, or seeking alternative home remedies.

CONCLUSION

Workers employed by companies with more indicators of safety climate were more likely to obtain adequate treatment for their injuries and fully recover. Workers for whom interpretation at medical exams was provided by someone unaffiliated with their employers also reported better treatment and recovery outcomes.

TALKING ABOUT TEETH: EGOCENTRIC NETWORKS AND ORAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN A MEXICAN AMERICAN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY

Latinos in the United States have poor outcomes for periodontal and dental health. However, a detailed description of the mechanisms driving these patterns has only recently started to be addressed in the literature. In the current study, we explore relationships between individual-level characteristics of Mexican immigrants, properties of their networks, and experiences of dental problems. Specifically, using data from an urban community of Mexican immigrants to the American Midwest (n = 332), this study examines how characteristics of oral health matters (OHM) discussion networks and individual-level sociodemographic characteristics are associated with four adverse oral health outcomes. The results provide strong support for relationships between immigrants' network characteristics and dental problems. We find that people with more dental problems talk about these issues more frequently with network ties. Conversely, stronger relationships with OHM discussion networks, as measured by mean closeness, are predictive of fewer dental problems. In addition, we identify a link between perceptions of alters' knowledge about teeth, mouth, and gums and egos reporting better oral health outcomes. The observed patterns are suggestive of mechanisms of social influence that are well replicated in the social, medical, and public health literatures, but that have seldom been empirically tested in the domain of oral health. Though preliminary, our findings suggest a potential explanatory role for social networks in some of the most important questions and problems in oral health disparities research. In all, our findings suggest that social network members are active participants in the management and response to oral health problems in this immigrant group and should be considered an important factor in the development and course of diseases.

The Effect of a Behavioral Weight-Loss Intervention on Depressive Symptoms Among Latino Immigrants in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Evidence of whether behavioral weight-loss interventions reduce depressive symptoms among Latino immigrants is limited. The effect of a behavioral weight-loss intervention on depressive symptoms was assessed using data from a clinical trial among Latino immigrants. Participants were randomized to a usual care (UC) control (n = 41), case management (CM) alone (n = 84), or CM with community health worker support (CM+CHW) (n = 82). Generalized estimating equation models were used to compare the impact of each intervention with UC. Effect modification by poverty level was further investigated. Overall, treatment groups were not significantly associated with 24-month changes in CES-D scores. Among participants below the 100% federal poverty level (FPL), those randomized to CM+CHW had 24-month CES-D scores significantly lower (Β coefficient = 0.72; 95% CI 0.55-0.93) than those in UC (p = 0.01). A behavioral weight-loss intervention providing case management and support from a CHW reduced depressive symptoms among Latino immigrants below the 100% FPL.

Role of Social Support in the Relationship between Acculturative Stress and Discrimination among Latino Immigrants in the USA

This study aimed to determine both the association between perceived racial discrimination and acculturative stress, and the role of social support in the relationship between discrimination and acculturative stress among three Latino immigrant subgroups. Mexican immigrants had higher acculturative stress (p=0.0007), Puerto Rican immigrants had higher perceived dissemination (p<.0001), and Cuban immigrants had higher social network (p=0.0009) and higher family cohesion (p<0.0001) than their sub-groups counterparts. While family cohesion was negatively associated with acculturative stress among Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants (p=0.0088 and p=0.0007, respectively), social network was not related to acculturative stress (p=0.3170 and p=0.0971, respectively). However, among Mexican immigrants, social network was negatively associated with acculturative stress (p=0.0285) and family cohesion was not related to acculturative stress (p=0.0833). Among Cuban and Mexican immigrants, while family cohesion moderated the association between discrimination and acculturative stress (p=0.0316 and p=0.0076, respectively), social network did not play a moderating role (p=0.4509 and p=0.1482, respectively). Conversely, social network moderated the relationship between discrimination and acculturative stress among Puerto Rican immigrants (p=0.0086). However, family cohesion did not play a moderating role among Puerto Rican immigrants (p=0.5818). Findings suggest that family cohesion was found to be a moderating factor in reducing acculturative stress associated with discrimination among Latino immigrants. Interventions enhancing social support may reduce acculturative stress among Latino immigrants experiencing high discrimination.

Exploring the Role of Depression as a Moderator of a Workplace Obesity Intervention for Latino Immigrant Farmworkers

We explored if and how depression moderated the treatment effect of Pasos Saludables, a successful pilot workplace obesity intervention for Latino immigrant farmworkers. The original randomized controlled study assigned 254 participants 2:1 to a 10-session educational intervention versus control. We assessed the relationship between change in BMI (primary outcome) and interaction of treatment allocation and baseline risk for depression. Baseline CES-D scores indicated that 27.3% of participants were at risk for depression. The interaction between treatment allocation and baseline risk for depression was significant (p = 0.004). In adjusted models among women, intervention participants with no indication of depression at baseline reduced their BMI by 0.77 on average (95% CI - 1.25, - 0.30) compared to controls. The reduction im BMI between the intervention group at risk for depression at baseline and either control was not significantly different from zero. Findings from our post-hoc, exploratory study indicate that depression may inhibit significant weight loss.

Social Support Networks and HIV/STI Risk Behaviors Among Latino Immigrants in a New Receiving Environment

The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe the quantity and quality of social support networks of Latino immigrants living in a new receiving environment, and (2) determine the role such networks play in their HIV/STI risk behaviors, including substance use. Double incentivized convenience sampling was used to collect egocentric social support network data on 144 Latino immigrants. Latent class analysis was used for data reduction and to identify items best suited to measure quality and quantity of social support. Moderate and high quantity and quality of social support were protective of HIV/STI sexual risk behavior compared to low quantity and quality of support, after adjustment for gender, years in New Orleans and residing with family. Neither measure of social support was associated with binge drinking. The findings suggest that increased quantity and quality of social support decrease HIV/STI sexual risk behaviors but do not influence binge drinking. Interventions that improve the quantity and quality of social support are needed for Latino immigrants.

Tailoring Computer-Based Training for Latino Immigrant Workers: Pilot Test of the NIOSH Mouse Tutorial

An interactive tutorial on using a mouse for first-time computer users was developed as part of a training CD-ROM tailored for Latino immigrant workers in trenching and excavation. It was designed for Spanish-speaking users with varying levels of formal education. The tutorial was tested in focus groups with workers who had little or no previous experience using a computer. Findings revealed that while users with less than a fourth-grade education and/or low proficiency in Spanish had some difficulties with the tutorial, they still scored above 67 percent on the performance evaluation; participants with at least a fourth-grade education (the majority) completed it with minimal assistance and scored 80%-100% on the performance evaluation. Feedback from participant focus groups following the computer sessions supported these findings. The results of this study suggest that computer-based training may be able to be made accessible for low computer literacy Latino immigrant workers, if it is tailored to their needs.

Pre- to post-immigration sexual risk behaviour and alcohol use among recent Latino immigrants in Miami

Retrospective pre-immigration data on sexual risk and alcohol use behaviours was collected from 527 recent Latino immigrants to the USA, aged 18-34. Two follow-up assessments (12 months apart) reported on post-immigration behaviours. Using a mixed model growth curve analysis, a six-level sexual risk change variable was constructed combining measures of sexual partners and condom use. The mixed model growth curve was also used to examine associations between changes in sexual risk behaviour and changes in alcohol use and for testing interaction effects of gender and documentation status. Results suggest that individuals with high sexual risk behaviour at pre-immigration converge to low/moderate risk post-immigration, and that those who were sexually inactive or had low sexual risk at pre-immigration increased their risk post-immigration. Individuals with moderately higher initial but decreasing sexual risk behaviour showed the steepest decline in alcohol use, but their drinking at Time 3 was still higher than individuals reporting low sexual risk at Time 1. On average, men drank more than women, except women in one of the highest sexual risk categories at Time 1 - who seemed to drink as much, if not more, than men. Undocumented men reported more frequent drinking than documented men. In contrast, undocumented women reported lower alcohol use than documented women.

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Substance Abuse and Anxiety on Immigrant and U.S. Born Latinos

Latinos are exposed to adverse psychosocial factors that impact their health outcomes. Given the heterogeneity and rapid growth of this population, there is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms through which psychosocial factors impact substance abuse and anxiety between immigrant and U.S. born Latino adults. The present study employs a multi-group path analysis using Mplus 7.2 to examine generational differences in the paths between affiliation culture, years of formal education, contact with important people, and length of full-time employment to substance abuse and anxiety in immigrant and U.S. born Latino adults who completed substance abuse treatment. A total of 131 participants (Mage= 36.3, SD ± 10.5, 86.3% males, 48.1% non-U.S. born with a mean length of stay of 19 years in the U.S. (SD ± 13.71) in recovery from substance abuse completed self-report measures. Results from the multi-group path analysis suggest that being more affiliated to the U.S. culture is associated with substance abuse, whereas years of formal education and longer full-time employment is associated with reduced anxiety in the immigrant group. Conversely, frequent contact with important people and affiliation to the U.S. culture are associated with fewer years of substance abuse, whereas longer full-time employment is associated with substance abuse in the U.S. born group. Anxiety and substance abuse was correlated only in the U.S. born group. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The Juxtaposition of Comiendo Bien and Nutrition: THE STATE OF HEALTHY EATING FOR LATINA IMMIGRANTS IN SAN FRANCISCO

There warrants a discussion regarding how nutrition discourses transform lay health practices. Here, I discuss how the adaptation of nutrition discourses among Latina immigrants in San Francisco produces a negotiation between a discourse of nourishment and a discourse of satisfaction in their practice of comiendo bien (eating well). The discourse of satisfaction refers to eating as a way to fulfill symbolic, material or embodied desires, while a discourse of nourishment focuses on supplying the body with nutrients. Negotiating between these discourses transforms comiendo bien if: (1) Latino immigrant families have the resources to adhere to nutritional recommendations; and (2) the adherence to the nutritional recommendation transgresses a negative emotional or physical experience. Appropriating nutrition discourses produces food restrictions that disengage the body from culture and relegate eating to an alienated task. Although a nutritional approach to comiendo bien produces conflict between satisfaction and nourishment, "healthy eating" remains a juxtaposition between satisfaction and nourishment.

A Longitudinal Study of Social Capital and Acculturation-Related Stress Among Recent Latino Immigrants in South Florida

This study uses social capital to assess the effects of social support on acculturation-related stress among recently immigrated Hispanics in South Florida before and after immigration. At baseline (N = 527), first 12 months in the United States, acculturative stress was negatively related to support from friends (p < .044) and positively related to support from parents (p < .023). At first follow-up (n = 415), 24 months in the United States, emotional/informational support was negatively associated with acculturation-related stress (p < .028). In the second follow-up (n = 478), 36 months in the United States, support from children was negatively associated with acculturation-related stress (p < .016). Limited English proficiency was found to be negatively associated with acculturation stress at all three points (p < .001, p < .025, and p < .001, respectively). Implications of this study can be used in the design of culturally appropriate and family-oriented interventions for recent immigrants to ease the acculturation process.

Disentangling immigrant status in mental health: psychological protective and risk factors among Latino and Asian American immigrants

This study aimed to disentangle the psychological mechanisms underlying immigrant status by testing a model of psychological protective and risk factors to predict the mental health prevalence rates among Latino and Asian American immigrants based on secondary analysis of the National Latino and Asian American Study. The first research question examined differences on the set of protective and risk factors between immigrants and their U.S.-born counterparts and found that immigrants reported higher levels of ethnic identity, family cohesion, native language proficiency, and limited English proficiency than their U.S.-born counterparts. The second research question examined the effect of the protective and risk factors on prevalence rates of depressive, anxiety, and substance-related disorders and found that social networking served as a protective factor. Discrimination, acculturative stress, and family conflict were risk factors on the mental health for both ethnic groups. Clinical implications and directions for future research are provided.

Preimmigration Family Cohesion and Drug/Alcohol Abuse Among Recent Latino Immigrants

Given the growing population of Latino immigrants in the United States, it is critical for counselors to understand pre- and postimmigration social contextual factors affecting the mental health of this heterogeneous ethnic population. The objective of our cross-sectional, retrospective study was to investigate the potential protective influence of preimmigration family cohesion on drug/alcohol abuse just prior to migration among 527 Latino young adults (age 18-34 years). Multivariate Poisson regression indicated that preimmigration family cohesion was inversely related with harmful/hazardous alcohol consumption, the frequency/quantity of alcohol use, and illicit drug use when controlling for the potentially confounding sociodemographic factors of gender, age, education, income, marital status, and immigration status (documented or undocumented). Associations between family cohesion and drug/alcohol use behaviors varied between Central American immigrants and Caribbean/South American regional groups. Preimmigration findings offer a fuller contextual understanding of the lives of Latino young adult immigrants and support the importance of family cohesion as a buffer against drug/alcohol abuse.

Acculturative Stress Among Documented and Undocumented Latino Immigrants in the United States

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 study sought to determine the combined and unique associations of legal status, the three immigration-related challenges listed above, and fear of deportation to acculturative stress related to family and other social contexts. Participants in the study consisted of 416 documented and undocumented Mexican and Central American immigrants living in two major cities in Texas. The Hispanic Stress Inventory-Immigrant form was used to assess acculturative stress in the sample. Results indicated that although undocumented immigrants reported higher levels of the immigration challenges of separation from family, traditionality, and language difficulties than documented immigrants, both groups reported similar levels of fear of deportation. Results also indicated that the immigration challenges and undocumented status were uniquely associated with extrafamilial acculturative stress but not with intrafamilial acculturative stress. Only fear of deportation emerged as a unique predictor of both extrafamililal and intrafamilial acculturative stress.