Suchergebnisse

AbstractObjectiveThis study assesses the psychometric properties of the four‐ and eight‐item versions of the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Psychological Stress Measure (PPSM) for use with Latino immigrant adolescents.BackgroundImmigrant Latino youth are exposed to numerous stressors that can have consequences affecting health well into adulthood. However, few studies have assessed the suitability of psychosocial measures for this group.MethodsParticipants included 286 first‐ and second‐generation immigrant Latino youth in middle school in an urban school district in the United States. Analyses included tests for reliability, validity, item characteristics, and measurement invariance across differing levels of acculturation and gender groups.ResultsBoth the four‐ and the eight‐item PPSM are internally consistent, have strong construct validity, and strict factorial invariance across differing levels of acculturation. The four‐item PPSM demonstrates strict invariance, but the eight‐item version shows only configural invariance by gender.ConclusionThe PPSM is a rigorous measure when assessing immigrant Latino youth stress level. The four‐item PPSM is brief, simple to administer, and appropriate for use with Latino youth across differing levels of acculturation and gender groups.ImplicationsThe four‐item PPSM lessens respondent fatigue and may be incorporated into tools practitioners and researchers use to assess perceived stress among immigrant Latino youth.

AbstractObjectiveIn this study, we sought to gain insight into the challenges Latina immigrant mothers in rural Midwest communities encountered during the pandemic, strategies they employed to avoid infection of the virus, and impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being.BackgroundIn rural Midwestern communities, the pandemic disproportionately affected immigrants, many of whom are Latino and worked in meatpacking and food processing plants. Latina mothers are commonly viewed as caretakers of the family. This prescribed role placed mothers at the center of safeguarding their families' health during the pandemic.MethodIn this descriptive study, we conducted individual interviews with 124 Latina immigrant mothers across six rural Midwestern communities who participated in one of two previous studies in the communities. Thematic analyses was used to identify themes that aligned with three areas of interest: challenges experienced, strategies employed to avoid virus infection, and impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being.ResultsMothers enacted behaviors (e.g., sanitation practices, wore masks, stayed home) to lessen negative impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being. Factors beyond their control (e.g., public policies, work policies and practices) placed families at greater risk for poor health and well‐being. Eleven themes were identified that aligned with the three areas of interest.ConclusionFindings build upon and extend prior research that reexposed unjust employment conditions, inadequate health‐care systems, and an anti‐immigrant context during the pandemic that perpetuated health disparities among Latino immigrants and other minoritized populations.ImplicationsEthnographic and longitudinal studies that give voice to populations underrepresented in COVID‐19 research and at high risk for poor health are warranted to inform policies and practices to protect health during public health crises.

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.