Making sense of conflicting messages of multiracial identity: a systematic review.

Background: Ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development refers to how individuals' experiences, beliefs, and attitudes influence understanding of ethnic-racial group membership. Messages about race, from multiple ecosystems, influence identity development and how individuals come to form their ERI. There has been a shift in ERI research to focus on Multiracial populations, however, most of the research focus is on Black/white biracial and general, non-specified Multiracial populations. The ERI development process and experience for persons of other Multiracial backgrounds (e.g., AfroLatinx or AsianBlack) is not as extensively studied. This systematic literature review aims to elucidate the existing conceptualization of Multiracial ERI development for non-Black/white biracial and general Multiracial populations in the United States. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was employed across multiple academic databases to identify relevant studies based on explicit inclusion criteria. The initial search resulted in 1,846 articles, but when only Black/white biracial and non-specified general Multiracial studies were eliminated from this review, only 18 articles met the criteria for inclusion. Results: Common themes emerged from the reviewed literature, including the importance of spaces, conflicting social messages directed at Multiracial individuals, and coping responses used by Multiracial individuals when faced with challenges by family members and peers regarding their multiracial identity. Discussion: The findings underscore the need for a more nuanced exploration of ERI development among diverse Multiracial populations. Understanding the unique strengths, experiences, and challenges of different Multiracial populations beyond the Black-white biracial paradigm is essential for understanding ERI development across and between different Multiracial populations in today's world.

Self-Views and Positive Psychology Constructs Among Second Language Learners in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.

The present study is the first to empirically test a hierarchical, positive-oriented model of the self and its relationship to second language (L2) achievement motivation, and compare it in three different cultural contexts of Japan, the United States, and Taiwan. Based on the L2 self-model (Lake, 2016), three levels of constructs were developed: Global Self (i.e., Flourishing, Curiosity, and Hope); Positive L2 domain self (i.e., interested-in-L2 self, harmonious passion for L2 learning, and mastery L2 goal orientation); and L2 Motivational Variables (i.e., reading, speaking and listening self-efficacy). A total of 667 students participated in this study, including 181 first-year college students in Japan, 159 high school students in Taiwan, and 327 community college students in the United States. All the participants were learning L2 in school. Results showed that the measures of positive global self, L2 domain self, and L2 motivational self all had a stronger relationship within their respective levels, and progressively weaker relationships as level of generality/specificity became more distal. Furthermore, the relationships among measures varied in the differing cultural contexts with the Japan-based student participants relatively lower on all measures. Implications for teacher educators in the L2 context have been discussed.

Role of Bilingualism and Biculturalism as Assets in Positive Psychology: Conceptual Dynamic GEAR Model.

Are bilingualism and/or biculturalism good for a person's positive well being? A growing number of studies have shown different positive outcomes of being exposed to two cultures or speaking two languages respectively, but the benefits of being both bilingual and bicultural have rarely been investigated theoretically or empirically. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the main beneficial outcomes of bilingualism and biculturalism, and to integrate these benefits into a new conceptual framework: Positive Bilingualism and Biculturalism GEAR model. The GEAR model suggests that the beneficial outcomes of bilingualism and biculturalism can be systematically classified into four positive dimensions (psychological Growth; cognitive Exploration; linguistic Awareness; and social Reinforcement), in which there are dynamic interactions among these four dimensions. The hypothetical GEAR model provides an intricate theoretical approach to understand the potential benefits to an individual of experiencing more than one language and one culture in their life. The proposed model in this research offers a systematic framework for conducting future research to examine whether bilingualism and biculturalism accrue benefits to the individual.

The Flowering of Positive Psychology in Foreign Language Teaching and Acquisition Research.

The present contribution offers an overview of a new area of research in the field of foreign language acquisition, which was triggered by the introduction of Positive Psychology (PP) (MacIntyre and Gregersen, 2012). For many years, a cognitive perspective had dominated research in applied linguistics. Around the turn of the millennium researchers became increasingly interested in the role of emotions in foreign language learning and teaching, beyond established concepts like foreign language anxiety and constructs like motivation and attitudes toward the foreign language. As a result, a more nuanced understanding of the role of positive and negative learner and teacher emotions emerged, underpinned by solid empirical research using a wide range of epistemological and methodological approaches. PP interventions have been carried out in schools and universities to strengthen learners and teachers' experiences of flow, hope, courage, well-being, optimism, creativity, happiness, grit, resilience, strengths, and laughter with the aim of enhancing learners' linguistic progress. This paper distinguishes the early period in the field that started with MacIntyre and Gregersen (2012), like a snowdrop after winter, and that was followed by a number of early studies in relatively peripheral journals. We argue that 2016 is the starting point of the current period, characterized by gradual recognition in applied linguistics, growing popularity of PP, and an exponential increase in publications in more mainstream journals. This second period could be compared to a luxuriant English garden in full bloom.

The Hispanic Stress Inventory Version 2: Improving the assessment of acculturation stress.

This article reports on a 2-phase study to revise the Hispanic Stress Inventory (HSI; Cervantes, Padilla, & Salgado de Snyder, 1991). The necessity for a revised stress-assessment instrument was determined by demographic and political shifts affecting Latin American immigrants and later-generation Hispanics in the United States in the 2 decades since the development of the HSI. The data for the revision of the HSI (termed the HSI2) was collected at 4 sites: Los Angeles, El Paso, Miami, and Boston, and included 941 immigrants and 575 U.S.-born Hispanics and a diverse population of Hispanic subgroups. The immigrant version of the HSI2 includes 10 stress subscales, whereas the U.S.-born version includes 6 stress subscales. Both versions of the HSI2 are shown to possess satisfactory Cronbach's alpha reliabilities and demonstrate expert-based content validity, as well as concurrent validity when correlated with subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1993) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001). The new HSI2 instruments are recommended for use by clinicians and researchers interested in assessing psychosocial stress among diverse Hispanic populations of various ethnic subgroups, age groups, and geographic location. (PsycINFO Database Record

Synopsis of key persons, events, and associations in the history of Latino psychology.

In this article, we present a brief synopsis of six early Latino psychologists, several key conferences, the establishment of research centers, and early efforts to create an association for Latino psychologists. Our chronology runs from approximately 1930 to 2000. This history is a firsthand account of how these early leaders, conferences, and efforts to bring Latinos and Latinas together served as a backdrop to current research and practice in Latino psychology. This history of individuals and events is also intertwined with the American Psychological Association and the National Institute of Mental Health and efforts by Latino psychologists to obtain the professional support necessary to lay down the roots of a Latino presence in psychology.

Migración y estrés postraumático: el caso de los mexicanos y centroamericanos en los Estados Unidos / Migration and post-traumatic stress disorders: the case of Mexicans and Centro-Americans in the United States

El proceso de inmigración a nivel internacional ha sido asociado con altos grados de problemas psicológicos. Recientemente inclusive se ha determinado la existencia de síntomas de estrés pos-traumático (PTSD) entre los refugiados del sudeste de Asia. El presente estudio examinó primero el impacto de la inmigración en los niveles de depresión, ansiedad y estrés generalizado en una muestra de sujetos de Centroamérica y México. El segundo objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la existencia de sintómas específicos de PTSD y su relación con las razones que los individuos tuvieron para migrar a los Estados Unidos. Se encontró que, comparados con los sujetos nacidos en Estados Unidos, los inmigrantes presentaban niveles altos de estrés generalizado; asimismo, las razones que éstos dieron de su inmigración estuvieron relacionadas con el diagnóstico del PTSD, El 52% de los centroamericanos refugiados de guerra llenaba el criterio del DSM-III para ser diagnosticados con PTSD. Los resultados se presentan y discuten con el objetivo de sensibilizar a los profesionales de la salud mental sobre la secuela de síntomas psicológicos relacionados con el proceso de inmigración forzada (AU)

Migración y estrés postraumático: el caso de los mexicanos y centroamericanos en los Estados Unidos / Migration and post-traumatic stress disorders: the case of Mexicans and Centro-Americans in the United States

El proceso de inmigración a nivel internacional ha sido asociado con altos grados de problemas psicológicos. Recientemente inclusive se ha determinado la existencia de síntomas de estrés pos-traumático (PTSD) entre los refugiados del sudeste de Asia. El presente estudio examinó primero el impacto de la inmigración en los niveles de depresión, ansiedad y estrés generalizado en una muestra de sujetos de Centroamérica y México. El segundo objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la existencia de sintómas específicos de PTSD y su relación con las razones que los individuos tuvieron para migrar a los Estados Unidos. Se encontró que, comparados con los sujetos nacidos en Estados Unidos, los inmigrantes presentaban niveles altos de estrés generalizado; asimismo, las razones que éstos dieron de su inmigración estuvieron relacionadas con el diagnóstico del PTSD, El 52% de los centroamericanos refugiados de guerra llenaba el criterio del DSM-III para ser diagnosticados con PTSD. Los resultados se presentan y discuten con el objetivo de sensibilizar a los profesionales de la salud mental sobre la secuela de síntomas psicológicos relacionados con el proceso de inmigración forzada