The Crisis Migration Experience Scale: Developing and validating a tool for Venezuelan youth and adults residing in Colombia.

OBJECTIVE: Although prior research has shown that an array of distinct experiences related to crisis migration are associated with mental health, there is a pressing need for a theory-driven, multidimensional measure to assess the broad spectrum of crisis migration experiences. As such, the present study focused on developing and validating the Crisis Migration Experience Scale (CMES) with a sample of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. METHOD: Participants were adolescent (ages 12-17; n = 430) and adult migrants from Venezuela (ages 18+; n = 569). Randomly splitting the adolescent and adult samples in half, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with 26 original items. After identifying a satisfactory factor structure to generate a 16-item CMES (CMES-16), we examined the associations of the CMES-16 with mental health outcomes. RESULTS: We provide evidence for reliability, factorial validity, and concurrent validity of scores generated by the CMES-16 in a sample of Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia. Whereas our a priori conceptualization included seven domains, the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that four are especially salient: material hardship, desperation, danger, and unplanned departure. CONCLUSIONS: Crisis migration is an increasingly important construct frequently referenced in the literature on migrant health and by international humanitarian organizations. The number of crisis migrant groups worldwide is increasing, with Ukrainians and Afghans recently added to the list of such groups, along with Venezuelans, Syrians, South Sudanese, Iraqis, and Central Americans. Developing and validating the CMES-16 with Venezuelan crisis migrants opens up important avenues of research, including work that incorporates other crisis migrant populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Cultural stress, personal identity development, and mental health among U.S. Hispanic college students.

The present study examines the extent to which culturally stressful experiences may predict impaired well-being, increased internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety), and increased externalizing problems (social aggression, physical aggression, and rule breaking) among a sample of Hispanic college students in Miami across a 12-day period. The predictive effects of cultural stressors on these outcomes were examined both (a) directly and (b) indirectly through daily fluctuations in students' personal identity synthesis and confusion. Results indicated direct predictive effects of cultural stress on four forms of well-being (self-esteem, life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and eudaimonic well-being), on symptoms of depression and anxiety, and on physical aggression and rule breaking. The predictive effects of cultural stress on all four forms of well-being and on symptoms of depression and anxiety were partially mediated through daily fluctuations (instability) in students' sense of personal identity synthesis. Findings were consistent across genders and between U.S.- and foreign-born students. Results are discussed in terms of implications for intervention and for policy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Measuring Anxiety Among Latino Immigrant Populations: Within-Country and Between-Country Comparisons.

Anxiety is the most prevalent mental health disorder among adults worldwide. Given its increased prevalence among migrants due to their marginalized position in the societies where they reside, psychometric evaluations of anxiety measures such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) are needed for use with migrants. The present study is the first attempt to compare the structure of GAD-7 scores for (a) different Latino groups in the same country and (b) the same Latino group in two different countries. Using three samples of Mexican and Venezuelan migrants (total N = 933), we provide reliability and validity evidence of the GAD-7 for use with adult Latino migrants. Utilizing confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory, we demonstrate that the GAD-7 is internally consistent, possesses a strong single-factor structure, and generates scores with equivalent psychometric properties. GAD-7 is appropriate for use with Mexican and Venezuelan migrants across differing gender groups and education levels.

What is well-being? A scoping review of the conceptual and operational definitions of occupational well-being.

Well-being is a multifaceted construct that is used across disciplines to portray a state of wellness, health, and happiness. While aspects of well-being seem universal, how it is depicted in the literature has substantial variation. The aim of this scoping review was to identify conceptual and operational definitions of well-being within the field of occupational health. Broad search terms were used related to well-being and scale/assessment. Inclusion criteria were (1) peer-reviewed articles, (2) published in English, (3) included a measure of well-being in the methods and results section of the article, and (4) empirical paper. The searches resulted in 4394 articles, 3733 articles were excluded by reading the abstract, 661 articles received a full review, and 273 articles were excluded after a full review, leaving 388 articles that met our inclusion criteria and were used to extract well-being assessment information. Many studies did not define well-being or link their conceptual definition to the operational assessment tool being used. There were 158 assessments of well-being represented across studies. Results highlight the lack of a consistent definitions of well-being and standardized measurements.

Hope for Latino immigrant youth: A longitudinal test of Snyder's Children's Hope Scale.

Objective: To 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. Background: Stress 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. Methods: Participants 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. Results: Rather 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. Conclusions: The 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. Implications: This study underscores the need for practitioners and researchers to rigorously investigate the psychometric properties of a measure before its use with diverse populations.

Validation of the Family Fear of Deportation Scale for youth.

Objective: This study reports on the psychometric properties of a new instrument to assess family fear of deportation in two versions (binary and polytomous response options). Background: The 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. Methods: Participants 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. Results: The 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. Conclusions: The 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. Implications: Researchers and practitioners can use either version of the Family Fear of Deportation Scale with confidence to assess deportation-related fear among Latino immigrant youth.

PROMIS Pediatric Psychological Stress Measure: Validity for immigrant Latino youth.

Objective: This 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. Background: Immigrant 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. Methods: Participants 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. Results: Both 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. Conclusion: The 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. Implications: The four-item PPSM lessens respondent fatigue and may be incorporated into tools practitioners and researchers use to assess perceived stress among immigrant Latino youth.

Preventing substance use among Latino youth: Initial results from a multistate family-based program focused on youth academic success.

Background: Early initiation of alcohol or other substance use places adolescents at high risk for subsequent substance use disorders. Research on preventing substance use among Latino youth significantly lags behind the growth of this population.Objectives: To assess the effects of a family-based intervention on past 30-day substance use in a population of Latino early adolescents (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03642106).Methods: A first study followed a sample of 265 Latino adolescents (51% female) over 4 years (7th thru 10th grades) using an interrupted time series design to compare pre- to post-intervention trajectories. The second study compared post-trajectory slopes from the intervention group to a subsample of participants from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY) who identified as Latino and were matched on age and gender. Both studies used a zero-inflated Poisson modeling approach.Results: A piecewise random intercept growth model showed non-significant differences between pre- to post-intervention trajectories for both the probability and frequency of alcohol (p = .30, .47) and tobacco use (p = .10, .37), and a significant increase in the probability of illegal drug use (p < .01) but not frequency (p = .65). The NLSY group significantly increased their probability of use across substances (all p < .01), and increased their frequency of use for alcohol (p < .05) and tobacco (p < .01).Conclusion: Longitudinal assessments comparing Latino youth to a non-equivalent control group indicate that strengthening family involvement in youths' schooling and promoting youth personal agency can prevent and/or reduce substance use during a developmental period in which use traditionally increases.

Shared Language Erosion: Rethinking Immigrant Family Communication and Impacts on Youth Development.

In this paper we make the case for Shared Language Erosion as a potential explanation for the negative outcomes described in the immigrant paradox for second- and third- generation immigrants (e.g., declines in physical, mental, and behavioral health). While not negating the important role of cultural adaptation, we posit that parent-child communication difficulties due to a process we are calling Shared Language Erosion is driving the observed affects previously attributed to changes in cultural values and beliefs. Shared Language Erosion is the process during which adolescents improve their English skills while simultaneously losing or failing to develop their heritage language; at the same time their parents acquire English at a much slower rate. This lack of a common shared language makes it difficult for parents and their adolescent children to effectively communicate with each other, and leads to increased parent-child conflict, reduced parental competence, aggravated preexisting flaws in parent-child attachment, and increased adolescent vulnerability to deviant peer influences.