Sociocultural and contextual determinants of science career goal at a community college and baccalaureate-granting institution.

Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent et al. in J Vocat Behav 45(1):79-122, 1994), we assessed sociocultural (e.g., home-school cultural value mismatch) and contextual barriers (e.g., institutional climate) in science education and career development at both a baccalaureate-granting institution (BGI) and community college (CC) among 263 students (72.4% female; Mage = 22.96, SD = 5.70) in the USA. For BGI students, path analyses suggest proximal factors such as in-class prejudice negatively predicted science self-efficacy and prejudice from faculty and staff predicted lower career outcome expectations. For CC students, home-school cultural value mismatch directly predicted science career goals. Implications for future research, intervention and policy are discussed.

Déterminants socioculturels et contextuels dans l'objectif de poursuivre une carrière scientifique dans un collège communautaire et un établissement délivrant le baccalauréat Guidés par la théorie sociale cognitive de la carrière (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994), nous avons évalué les barrières socioculturelles (p. ex. le décalage entre les valeurs culturelles de l'école et de la famille) et contextuelles (par exemple, le climat institutionnel) dans l'enseignement des sciences et le développement de carrière dans un établissement conférant le baccalauréat (BGI) et un collège communautaire (CC) parmi 263 étudiant·e·s (72,4% femmes; Mage = 22,96, SD = 5,70) aux États-Unis. Pour les étudiant·e·s de BGI, les analyses suggèrent que les facteurs proximaux tels que les préjugés dans la classe prédisent négativement l'auto-efficacité scientifique et que les préjugés du corps enseignant et du personnel prédisent des attentes plus faibles en matière de carrière. Pour les étudiants CC, le décalage des valeurs culturelles entre la famille et l'école prédit directement les buts de carrière scientifique. Les implications pour les recherches futures, les interventions et les politiques sont discutées.

Determinantes socioculturales y contextuales de las metas en carreras científicas en un colegio comunitario e instituciones que otorgan grados en bachillerato (103R1) Guiados por la teoría social cognitiva de la carrera (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994), evaluamos las barreras socioculturales (p. ej., el desajuste cultural entre el hogar y la escuela) y las barreras contextuales (p. ej., el clima institucional) en la educación científica y el desarrollo profesional tanto en un bachillerato como en una institución otorgante (BGI) y colegio comunitario (CC) entre 263 estudiantes (72.4% mujeres; Edad = 22.96, SD = 5.70) en los Estados Unidos. Para los estudiantes de BGI, los análisis de ruta sugieren factores proximales como el prejuicio en la clase que predijo negativamente la autoeficacia científica y el prejuicio de la facultad y el personal predijeron expectativas de resultados profesionales más bajas. Para los estudiantes de CC, el desajuste de los valores culturales entre el hogar y la escuela predijo directamente las metas de la carrera científica. Se discuten las implicaciones para futuras investigaciones, intervenciones y políticas.

Peer-Peer Cultural Value Mismatch in the Dormitory During the Transition to College: Antecedents and Correlates.

This research focuses on peer-peer cultural value mismatch - perceived mismatch between collectivistic ideologies and practices of one student and individualistic ideologies and practices of another - among students living in the dormitories during the transition to college. Two survey studies examined the antecedents and correlates of two types of mismatch: (1) reciprocation mismatch: giving or offering a material or service to one's roommate but not receiving anything in return; and (2) not thinking of the other: feeling as though roommates are not considerate of one's feelings or schedule. Study 1: A sample of 110 students in their first year of college showed that being a first-generation college student increased the likelihood of experiencing reciprocation mismatch. Both forms of mismatch predicted experiences of psychological distress, reports of academic problems, and lower grades. Study 2: A sample of 152 (76 dormitory roommate pairs) first-year college students revealed that social-class differences in parental education between dormitory roommates predicted students' experiences with reciprocation mismatch. Students of lower parental education than their roommate reported significantly more mismatch. More mismatch experience was in turn linked to significantly higher levels of academic problems during the transition to college. Implications for research, residential life, and intervention are discussed.

Negative perceived context of reception and sociocultural resources on mental health among Hispanic and Somali adolescents.

Although immigrant negative perceived context of reception (PCOR), perceptions of the opportunities and degree of acceptance in an immigrant-receiving community, has been linked with compromised adolescent well-being, receiving contexts may differ by region and for youth from different ethnic backgrounds. The current study examines how negative PCOR and factors that promote resilience differentially shape mental health among Hispanic and Somali adolescents in Minnesota. Hispanic (n = 163) and Somali (n = 186) first- and second-generation youth aged 12-19 completed a survey on negative PCOR, assets and resources (i.e., ethnic identity, social support, religious participation), and mental well-being (i.e., anxiety and depressive symptoms). Parents and caregivers also completed a survey on PCOR and social support. Adolescent negative PCOR, relative to parent/caregiver negative PCOR, was associated with higher adolescent anxiety and depressive symptoms. Religious participation and social support, reported by both parent/caregiver and adolescent, was associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. Additionally, among Hispanic adolescents, social support buffered the effects of negative PCOR on depressive symptoms. Conversely, strong ethnic identity was associated with higher depressive symptoms for both groups, suggesting acculturative and assimilative pressures play an important role in adolescent mental health. Although social ties can be weakened postmigration, our results indicate that social and religious resources remain beneficial. Given that by the end of the next decade over 50% of the US youth population will identify as part of a racial or ethnic minority group, positive postimmigration adaptation is a critical public health concern.

A Cultural Mismatch Intervention to Increase Science Self-Efficacy Among STEM College Students.

Cultural Mismatch Theory (CMT) suggests mismatch between interdependent home norms and independent school norms can hinder academic success for historically marginalized (HM) students who are more likely to be first-generation college students and underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The effectiveness of a CMT intervention to increase science self-efficacy was tested among 213 (Mage = 22.99, SD = 5.74; 8.2% HM) STEM majors from a community college and baccalaureate-granting institution. CMT intervention students reported higher science self-efficacy relative to the control group. The findings support scalable CMT interventions to address STEM workforce disparities.

Providing Support Differentially Affects Asian American and Latinx Psychosocial and Physiological Well-Being: A Pilot Study.

Although substantial evidence suggests receiving social support has positive implications for well-being, less is known about how providing support can confer benefits, particularly for Asian American and Latinx individuals who are more likely to come from interdependent cultures that emphasize family obligation. Asian American and Latinx college students (N = 48; M age = 21.44, SD = 2.61; 68.75% female) reported on anxiety before taking part in a modified laboratory task that elicited a physiological stress response as measured by total cortisol output. They were randomly assigned to write (a) a supportive note to a family member, (b) a supportive note to a close friend, or (c) about their day in a control condition after the mild lab stressor and reported on psychosocial well-being (i.e., post-task anxiety and self-esteem). Those who provided support to a family member experienced higher self-esteem compared to those in the control condition. However, there was variation in Asian American and Latinx participants' physiological stress response (i.e., total cortisol output). The findings suggest that providing support to close others, particularly family members, can be differentially meaningful for individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Cortisol awakening response among Latinx and Black students transitioning to college prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has resulted in abrupt shifts in ecological and social environments, including school contexts, which became predominately virtual. This study (1) examines the role of the COVID-19 pandemic (transitioning to college prior to vs. during the COVID-19 pandemic) on cortisol awakening response (CAR) - a biological marker of chronic psychosocial stress - and university belonging among Latinx and Black first-year college students; and (2) explores whether university belonging serves as a mediator in the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and CAR. Latinx and Black students who were in their first semester at a four-year public university in Los Angeles County - one of the United States' hot spots for COVID-19, were recruited for this study. Across two separate cohorts (fall 2019, fall 2020), participants (N = 136) completed an online survey and provided salivary samples to assess for morning cortisol levels. Findings revealed that students who transitioned to college during the COVID-19 pandemic exhibited a flatter CAR and lower levels of belonging than students who transitioned to college prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for intervention, programs and policies aimed at fostering positive transitions to college during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are discussed.

Experiences of discrimination and language brokering: Exploring risks and protective factors.

OBJECTIVES: Language brokering (LB) often occurs in public places, putting youth who broker at risk for experiencing discrimination while engaging in brokering. Guided by the risk and resilience theoretical framework, the present study goals were twofold: (a) to examine the association between discrimination and LB, and (b) to explore moderating abilities of ethnic identity and family dynamics. METHOD: Data were collected from 458 young adults (Mage = 21.36, 80% female). Participants were from a diverse region in the United States, and a majority of them self-identified as Latino (66.2%). Participants were invited to complete a one-time online survey about their LB and family experiences. RESULTS: We found that discrimination was negatively associated with LB for these young people. Specifically, discrimination was related to higher LB burden and higher LB role reversal, and lower LB efficacy. In addition, we found that ethnic-racial identity (ERI) acted as a moderator of LB role reversal against discrimination, and that negative family dynamics moderated the association between discrimination and LB. Positive family dynamics were not successful in buffering against negative effects of discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that young people who broker seem to be negatively impacted by discrimination. The effects of discrimination on LB role reversal could be alleviated by strong ERI; however, the same is not true for LB burden and LB efficacy. Furthermore, negative family dynamics exacerbated the negative effects of discrimination on LB, and positive family dynamics did not serve as a buffer against discrimination. Implications for those working with language brokers are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Home-School Cultural Value Mismatch: Antecedents and Consequences in a Multi-Ethnic Sample Transitioning to College.

Qualitative work has documented home-school cultural value mismatch-a mismatch between collectivistic family obligations and individualistic academic obligations-experienced by Latinx first-generation college students during their first year of study at a 4-year university. This study extends prior research by examining home-school cultural value mismatch among a larger, multi-ethnic sample from Latinx, Asian and European American backgrounds (N = 155) in order to quantify the phenomenon and generalize it across multiple ethnic groups. Antecedents and consequences of different forms of mismatch were assessed in separate models. In modeling antecedents, we found that Latinx background, first-generation college status and low parental income were interconnected. However, among these three variables, it was first-generation college status that was the sole predictor of strong collectivistic motives for attending college; these motives were, in turn, associated with more frequent mismatch between family obligation and academic obligation. In addition, being female directly related to mismatch prevalence, as did living close to home. In modeling consequences of cultural value mismatch, frequent home-school cultural value mismatch predicted mental and physical health distress, which predicted academic problems; such problems were, in turn, related to lower grades. Our findings document the generalizability of this experience for first-generation college students from all ethnic backgrounds, as well as the unique experiences of students who identify as female or live close to home. Our findings also reveal the health and academic costs associated with this mismatch. Implications for research, intervention, and institutional change are discussed and have become increasingly important, given recent societal events that require most students to remain closer to home during distance learning.

BUILDing Equity in STEM: A Collaborative Undergraduate Research Program to Increase Achievement of Underserved Community College Students.

Undergraduate research programs at community colleges maximize their impact through partnerships with baccalaureate-granting institutions, which provide much needed access to subject matter experts, research labs, and funding to underserved students. The program Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity: Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (BUILD PODER) partners baccalaureate-granting California State University, Northridge with community college faculty and students to facilitate undergraduate research and development at community colleges. Eighty-one community college students and 41 community college faculty mentors have participated in BUILD PODER, performing research in STEM and biomedical disciplines. The authors document student, faculty, and institutional outcomes as well as share best practices in forming community college-university partnerships. Future directions also are offered in the development and implementation of transdisciplinary, multi-institutional community college collaborations.

Mentors Make a Difference: Community College Students' Development in a Biomedical Research Training Program Informed by Critical Race Theory.

This study examined the impact of participation in an undergraduate biomedical research training program (BUILD PODER) on community college students' academic, career, and psychosocial development. The program leveraged Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a guiding theoretical framework to empower students as learners and social justice advocates as well as to build a bridge to science through respectful, supportive research mentoring relationships (Saetermoe et al., 2017). In this quasi-experimental design, community college students (Mage = 21.29, SD = 5.02, 78.6% female) who had been in the program for a year (BUILD treatment group, N = 8) reported significantly greater understanding of research, course materials, and satisfactory mentorship compared to community college students in the pre-treatment, comparison group (Pre-BUILD group; N = 18). Qualitative analysis provided further insight into the academic and psychosocial impact of research training and mentoring for community college students interested in health and health equity.

Context and Timing Matter: Language Brokering, Stress, and Physical Health.

Using a bioecological perspective, the current study explored the dynamic relationship between a proximal process (i.e., language brokering [LB]), LB perceptions, environmental stress context, and timing of LB experiences on well-being. College students (N = 559; 19.6% Asian American, 32.0% European American, 33.5% Latino, and 14.9% multiracial/other ethnicity) reported on LB frequency, feelings about LB as a burden or source of role reversal, perceived stress, age of LB onset, and health (i.e., height, weight, somatic symptoms). Among brokers (M = 23.13, SD = 5.66; 78.3% female), younger LB age onset was significantly associated with higher BMI when perceived stress was high but unrelated when perceived stress was low. For individuals who reported high perceived stress or high LB role reversal, but not both, younger LB age onset was associated with greater somatic symptoms. These results highlight the importance of psychosocial context and timing of life events in capturing the effect of immigrant and family experiences on physical health.

Sleep, stress, or social support?: Exploring the mechanisms that explain the relationship between student recreation center use and well-being.

Objective: The current study explores the role of health-related mechanisms (i.e. sleep, social support, and stress) in accounting for the impact of student recreation center (SRC) use on college-student well-being. Participants: Students (N = 540; Mage =23.67, SD = 7.10; 65.6% female) with membership to the SRC were recruited to complete an online survey. Method: The survey was implemented in Spring 2017 and included questions on SRC use (e.g. hours spent, facilities used), mental well-being (e.g. anxiety, depressive symptoms), physical well-being (e.g. height, weight, somatic symptoms), and the health-related mechanisms. Results: SRC frequency was associated with reduced somatic symptoms and ratings of overall health, though not mental health outcomes. Sleep was the most robust mechanism explaining the link between SRC use and physical health. Conclusion: Given the importance of sleep, educational institutions can promote student well-being by supporting SRC use and sleep quality.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Expectations Regarding Aging Among Older Adults.

Purpose of the Study: The study identifies differences in age-expectations between older adults from Korean, Chinese, Latino, and African American backgrounds living in the United States. Design and Methods: This study uses baseline demographic, age-expectation, social, and health data from 229 racial/ethnic minority seniors in a stroke-prevention intervention trial. Unadjusted regression models and pair-wise comparisons tested for racial/ethnic differences in age-expectations, overall, and across domain subscales (e.g., physical-health expectations). Adjusted regression models tested whether age-expectations differed across racial/ethnic groups after controlling for demographic, social, and health variables. Regression and negative binomial models tested whether age-expectations were consistently associated with health and well-being across racial/ethnic groups. Results: Age-expectations differed by race/ethnicity, overall and for each subscale. African American participants expected the least age-related functional decline and Chinese American participants expected the most decline. Although African American participants expected less decline than Latino participants in unadjusted models, they had comparable expectations adjusting for education. Latino and African American participants consistently expected less decline than Korean and Chinese Americans. Acculturation was not consistently related to age-expectations among immigrant participants over and above ethnicity. Although some previously observed links between expectations and health replicated across racial/ethnic groups, in adjusted models age-expectations were only related to depression for Latino participants. Implications: With a growing racial/ethnic minority older population in the United States, it is important to note older adults' age-expectations differ by race/ethnicity. Moreover, expectation-health associations may not always generalize across diverse samples.

Parental support buffers the association of depressive symptoms with cortisol and C-reactive protein during adolescence.

Social experiences can affect the relationship between depression and physical health. The current study examined how social support from parents and friends may moderate the association of depressive symptoms with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and C-reactive protein among adolescents (N=316, Mage=16.40, SD=.74; 57% female) from diverse ethnic backgrounds (23.1% Asian, 29.1% European, 41.8% Latino, and 6.0% other backgrounds). Results indicated that parent support, but not friend support, moderated the link between depressive symptoms and both total daily cortisol output (a measure HPA activity) and C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation). These patterns did not differ by ethnicity. Overall, the study highlights the continued, and perhaps accumulated, importance of parents during adolescence despite increasing needs for autonomy from and exploration outside of the family unit.

Everyday discrimination and diurnal cortisol during adolescence.

PURPOSE: To examine the associations of the frequency and type of everyday discrimination with diurnal cortisol and whether those associations depend upon adolescents' ethnicity and gender. METHODS: Adolescents (N=292, Mage=16. 39years, SD=0.74; 58% female) reported the frequency of perceived everyday discrimination and whether they attributed that discrimination to race, gender, age, or height and weight. Five saliva samples were collected per day across 3days and assayed for cortisol. RESULTS: Higher frequency of everyday discrimination was associated with greater total daily cortisol output (area under the curve; AUC), lower wake and bedtime levels of cortisol, and less of a decline in cortisol across the day. These associations generally did not depend upon ethnicity or gender and attributions for the discrimination were not as consequential as the actual frequency of any type of unfair treatment. CONCLUSION: Everyday discrimination, regardless of its type, may contribute to heightened HPA activity among adolescents of different ethnic backgrounds and genders.

Youth Internet use: risks and opportunities.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The Internet has become all pervasive in the lives of young people and this paper will review studies that examine the risks and opportunities that it affords. We will examine research that investigates the more negative aspects of youth online behavior such as addiction as well as online risks such as harassment/cyber bullying and sexual solicitation. In addition, positive aspects of Internet use such as its potential for learning and enhancing social relations as well as delivering health interventions will be examined. RECENT FINDINGS: The results show that online risks such as addiction, cyber bullying, and sexual solicitation are associated with negative consequences for youth. It is important to note that not all children are equally susceptible and more research is necessary to identify the youth most at risk as well as to develop effective interventions. The Internet can also provide benefits in the areas of cognitive, social, and physical development, and can also be used to deliver treatment interventions. SUMMARY: The Internet represents both risks and opportunities for young people. To protect youth who are at risk for online addiction, bullying, and solicitation, we need more research to understand which youth may be most susceptible and to develop targeted interventions to protect them. The Internet also has many positive aspects and can be used to enhance youth learning and empowerment; although it is a tremendous health resource and can be used to cheaply deliver interventions, we need to understand how to better implement them to enhance their effectiveness.