Neighborhood, Peer, and Parental Influences on Minor and Major Substance Use of Latino and Black Adolescents.

Self-report survey data were collected from 797 adolescents (47.2% Latino, 52.8% Black) in North Carolina. Path analyses were conducted to examine relationships between youth perceptions of maternal and paternal monitoring, neighborhood crime/drugs, friends' delinquency, peer victimization, minor substance use, and major substance use. After establishing a good fitting model, multigroup models were conducted for Blacks vs. Latinos. The results indicated perceived maternal monitoring (and paternal monitoring for Latinos) was directly related to decreased exposure to neighborhood crime/drugs and friends' delinquency. For Latinos and Blacks, maternal and paternal monitoring were directly related to gateway substance use, and indirectly related to major substance use through gateway substance use. Additionally, friends' delinquency and peer victimization were directly related to gateway and major substance use for Blacks and Latinos. Thus, exposure to neighborhood crime/drugs was indirectly related to substance use through friends' delinquency and peer victimization.

Factor structure and validity of the Affective Style Questionnaire.

Previous studies in different countries have shown variability in the factor structures of the Affective Style Questionnaire, possibly due to differences in cultures, translation, or statistical approaches. We ran exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation using data from 2806 university students in Southern California. A four-factor structure was found instead of the three-factor structure found in the original Affective Style Questionnaire studies in the Northeastern United States. Support for concurrent and convergent validity was found for the Concealing and Adjusting factors. The Tolerating and Holding factors comprised two items each, making it difficult to recommend them in future studies.

Making my family proud: The unique contribution of familism pride to the psychological adjustment of Latinx emerging adults.

OBJECTIVES: Familism values serve to provide key cultural scripts in Latinx families, and these values have been associated with positive psychosocial outcomes for Latinx youth (Stein et al., 2014). Yet, how familism values intersect with the experience of positive emotions remains relatively unknown. In particular, familism pride may be an important positive emotion that links familism values to positive psychosocial outcomes. To fill this gap in the literature, the current study developed a measure of familism pride and examined its unique prediction to psychosocial outcomes. METHOD: Self-report survey data were collected from 2 samples of Latinx emerging adults who were part of a psychology subject pool at a comprehensive university in Los Angeles designated as an Hispanic-serving institution. Sample 1 (n = 352) was 72.2% women with a mean age of 18.9 years, whereas Sample 2 was 68.6% women with a mean age of 19.3 years. RESULTS: Factor analyses supported that familism pride was distinct from familism values (familial support, obligation, reference, respeto). Familism pride was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater experience of joy when controlling for familism values in both samples. CONCLUSIONS: Our study underscores the importance of examining emotional processes in the study of familism and suggests a new dimension of familism that has not received research attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Family Profiles of Cohesion and Parenting Practices and Latino Youth Adjustment.

Using a sample of 279 (52% female) Latino youth in 9th grade (M = 14.57, SD = .56), we examined profiles of family cohesion and parenting practices and their relation to youth adjustment. The results of latent profile analyses revealed four family profiles: Engaged, Supportive, Intrusive, and Disengaged. Latino youth in the Supportive family profile showed most positive adjustment (highest self-esteem and lowest depressive symptoms), followed by youth in the Engaged family profile. Youth in the Intrusive and Disengaged profiles showed the lowest levels of positive adjustment. The findings contribute to the current literature on family dynamics, family profiles, and youth psychological adjustment within specific ethnic groups.

Evaluating the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire's psychometric properties with Mexican and Central American descent university students.

Depression can be a serious aliment influencing the lives of millions of persons. Person's health conditions worsen and daily functioning declines in the presence of depression. However, little attention has been given to how depression is accurately assessed in diverse populations from other countries residing in the United States. Thus, this study examined the factor structure, factorial invariance, concurrent validity, and convergent validity of the widely used 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) among emerging adults of Mexican and Central American (e.g., Salvadorians, Guatemalans) men and women residing in the United States. Undergraduate student participants (n = 2,782) completed an online or paper-and-pencil version of the assessment. Support was found for two-factor and one-factor solutions; however, the unidimensional structure was recommended due to the very high correlation between the two factors (r ≥ .87). The unidimensional scale was invariant between (a) Mexican and Central American descent and (b) men and women. Depressive symptoms (as measured in the PHQ-8) were significantly correlated with another valid and reliable measured of depression, and scores on the PHQ-8 were significantly correlated with theoretically related variables (i.e., quality of life, parental support, and perceived stress). (PsycINFO Database Record

Life Quality of University Students From Immigrant Families in the United States.

The numbers of university students from immigrant families have been increasing in the United States, yet little research exists on factors influencing their life quality. Self-report data were collected from 2,210 students from one university in California. Direct effects of four contextual stressors (i.e., ethnic discrimination, parent-child cultural conflict, family disengagement, and family financial stress) were examined in relation to life quality. Also, the potential moderating and mediating role of perceived stress was examined, as well as the potential moderating role of students' generational status. The results provided strong support for mediation, showing contextual stressors influenced students' life quality through their perceived stress. Some evidence was found for moderation, showing the complex role of perceived stress. Generational status did not play a moderating role.

Family Qualities, Self-Deprecation, and Depressive Symptoms of Zoroastrian Young Adults in Immigrant Families.

The aim of this study was to examine family qualities and self-deprecation in relation to depressive symptoms of young adult Zoroastrians from immigrant families in North America. Using snowball sampling and online surveys, self-report data were collected from 171 Zoroastrian young adults (i.e., 18-30 years old) about their perception of cohesion in their families, conflict with their parents, and the extent that they met parental general expectations (e.g., not embarrassing the family). The findings from a path analysis showed that parent-child conflict and meeting parental expectations were indirectly related to depressive symptoms through self-deprecation. Also, higher family cohesion predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms among Zoroastrian young adults. These results are similar to findings in studies with non Zoroastrians. The results suggested prevention and interventions to decrease depressive symptoms could target self-deprecating thoughts as well as perceived family dynamics.

Adolescents' reports of parental engagement and academic achievement in immigrant families.

The purpose of this study was to add to the understanding of the effects of perceived parental engagement on adolescents' academic achievement in immigrant families. Self-report data were collected from 1,245 adolescents in immigrant families from four high schools in Los Angeles County. The sample characteristics follow: 13-16 years old (M = 14.5); 58.9% female, 41.1% male; 57.5% Latino; 40.6% 1st generation youth (i.e., foreign born), 59.4% 2nd generation youth. After controlling for parental educational attainment, parental engagement variables were indirectly related to grades through youths' academic engagement. Multigroup SEM indicated some differences between genders, generational statuses, and ethnicities (Latinos versus others). Adolescents' perceptions of monitoring by mothers and fathers were indirectly related to grades through academic engagement. Perceived educational advice by mothers was indirectly related to grades through academic engagement for non-Latinos, boys, and 2nd generation youth. Perceived mothers' schoolwork help was positively related to adolescents' academic engagement in all the models (except 2nd generation youth), yet fathers' schoolwork help was significant only for girls and 2nd generation youth.

Comparison of manual therapy techniques with therapeutic exercise in the treatment of shoulder impingement: a randomized controlled pilot clinical trial.

The purpose of this double-blind, randomized controlled pilot study was to compare the effectiveness of four physical therapy interventions in the treatment of primary shoulder impingement syndrome: 1) supervised exercise only, 2) supervised exercise with glenohumeral mobilizations, 3) supervised exercise with a mobilization-with-movement (MWM) technique, or 4) a control group receiving only physician advice. Thirty-three subjects diagnosed with primary shoulder impingement were randomly assigned to one of these four groups. Main outcome measures included 24-hour pain (VAS), pain with the Neer and Hawkins-Kennedy tests, shoulder active range of motion (AROM), and shoulder function (SPADI). Repeated-measures analyses indicated significant decreases in pain, improved function, and increases in AROM. Univariate analyses on the percentage of change from pre- to post-treatment for each dependent variable found no statistically significant differences (P<0.05) between the four groups. Although not significant, the MWM and mobilization groups had a higher percentage of change from pre- to post-treatment on all three pain measures (VAS, Neer, Hawkins-Kennedy). The three intervention groups had a higher percentage of change on the SPADI. The MWM group had the highest percentage of change in AROM, and the mobilization group had the lowest. This pilot study suggests that performing glenohumeral mobilizations and MWM in combination with a supervised exercise program may result in a greater decrease in pain and improved function although studies with larger samples and discriminant sampling methods are needed.

Contextual influences on Latino adolescent ethnic identity and academic outcomes.

This study examined the association between 3 components of ethnic identity (exploration, resolution, and affirmation) and factors related to family, neighborhood, and individual characteristics. The purpose was to identity factors that are positively associated with adolescent ethnic identity among a sample of 187 Latino adolescents with a mean age of 14.61. The findings suggested that family ethnic socialization was directly associated with exploration and resolution, but not ethnic affirmation. Analyses with moderator variables suggested that associations between family ethnic socialization and ethnic affirmation varied based on parental behaviors and neighborhood characteristics. The results also suggested that ethnic affirmation, but not exploration or resolution, was positively associated with teacher reports of school performance.