Suchergebnisse

ObjectiveTo illustrate the use of T3 translational research in the development of a culturally appropriate intervention targeting Latino immigrant youth and their families.BackgroundDemographers estimate that 88% of U.S. population growth over the next 50 years will be from immigrants and their offspring. Much of this growth will come from individuals of Latino heritage. One reason for the lag in developing effective interventions for this rapidly expanding population is the inherent complexity that accompanies working with immigrant populations. In T3 translational research, much of this complexity is managed by generating research closer to the actual setting of practice. Investigators adopt a community‐based participatory research (CBPR) approach that incorporates practitioners, community stakeholders, and members of the target population to explore ways of applying recommendations from research for use in real‐world settings.MethodWe followed the development of the ¡Unidos Se Puede! (United We Can!) program to illustrate the process of T3 translational research with a Latino immigrant population.ResultsInitial program impact indicated a 29% increase in grade point average from Time 1 to Time 2, and absences and tardiness were reduced.ConclusionThe feasibility and acceptance of ¡Unidos Se Puede! implemented with Latino parents and youth offers evidence of usefulness of CBPR to address the complexity of translational research with immigrant populations.ImplicationsThere is an urgent need for T3 translational research that develops novel prevention approaches to help immigrant parents raise healthy and thriving children.

As a result of an inherent selection bias, most longitudinal analyses are biased against corrective actions that parents use to address perceived child problems. This bias can lead to unjustified or even counterproductive recommendations about corrective parental actions. To overcome this bias, this article summarizes current scholarship on improving the validity of causal inferences. Enhancing research designs is preferred, using quasi‐experimental design components and natural experiments. Comparing a typical longitudinal design with a one‐group pre‐post design shows how longitudinal designs can be improved to enhance causal validity. Perfect statistical controls for confounds or perfect instrumental variables to circumvent them could produce unbiased causal evidence. Strategies to approximate that ideal are summarized, as well as methods to check for the adequacy of those approximations.

ObjectiveTo examine the association of parental school involvement with reductions in adolescent substance initiation among Latino immigrant youth.BackgroundParental school involvement is an important determinant of children's academic achievement. Likewise, academic achievement is associated with multiple adolescent health risk behaviors. Little research has examined whether parental school involvement is associated with adolescent drug use, and no research has examined this link among Latino immigrant youth.MethodUsing a census of Latino students (N = 661; mean age = 13.1 years) in 12 urban middle schools, we used a multilevel model with zero‐inflated outcomes to test whether (a) parental school involvement is inversely associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; (b) school‐level parental involvement affects individual‐level drug use; and (c) child gender moderates these associations.ResultsParental school involvement was negatively associated with lifetime prevalence of all substances and with increases in the age of first alcohol use. School‐level parental involvement was negatively associated with lifetime prevalence of substance use and age of first use for girls and marginally significant with boys.ConclusionParental school involvement is a promising target for prevention efforts to reduce early‐onset substance use.ImplicationsParental school involvement may address multiple negative outcomes in youth even for youth whose parents are relatively uninvolved, and may increase program dosage.

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the psychometric properties of Snyder's Children's Hope Scale (CHS) with first‐ and second‐generation Latino immigrant youth, using item response theory, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and measurement invariance tests.BackgroundStress experienced by youth in 2020 has heightened interest in resilience factors such as hope. The CHS is widely used to measure hope but has not been validated for longitudinal assessments with immigrant populations.MethodsParticipants were 233 low socioeconomic status first‐ and second‐generation Latino immigrant youth (50.43% female, 62% U.S.‐born, and 81% of Mexican heritage). Data were collected at two timepoints spanning 4 weeks.ResultsRather than the original six‐item two‐dimensional scale, our results supported a four‐item one‐dimensional scale, with excellent model fit, strong invariance across time, by gender and generation status, good reliability (α = .81), and the expected negative association with stress.ConclusionsThe four‐item Hope scale is suitable for longitudinal assessments with first‐ and second‐generation Latino immigrant populations and can be used for examining differences by gender and generation status in research and practice to assess youth resilience.ImplicationsThis study underscores the need for practitioners and researchers to rigorously investigate the psychometric properties of a measure before its use with diverse populations.

AbstractObjectiveThis study reports on the psychometric properties of a new instrument to assess family fear of deportation in two versions (binary and polytomous response options).BackgroundThe impact of fear of deportation extends beyond foreign‐born youth to U.S. citizen children in families with unauthorized members, and negatively affects their academic achievement and their physical, mental, and behavioral health. A measure assessing levels of fear of deportation among youth is lacking.MethodsParticipants were first‐ and second‐generation Latino immigrant youth (N = 145 in Study 1 and N = 107 in Study 2). Item response theory (IRT), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), correlation analysis, and reliability tests were used to assess the scale's psychometric properties.ResultsThe results supported a five‐item binary version and a six‐item polytomous version of the scale. Both demonstrated excellent model fit, good reliability, and criterion validity.ConclusionsThe six‐item polytomous version is slightly more parsimonious than the five‐item binary version scale, has better internal consistency, and captures a modestly wider range of the construct. The binary version may be preferable for immigrant youth who prefer straightforward response options.ImplicationsResearchers and practitioners can use either version of the Family Fear of Deportation Scale with confidence to assess deportation‐related fear among Latino immigrant youth.