State and local integrationist policies and the physical and psychological health of undocumented immigrants.

Protracted daily preoccupation with the federal immigration policing infrastructure, restrictive policy, and antagonistic rhetoric take a substantial toll on the psychological and physical health of undocumented immigrants and their families. A growing network of states and municipalities are adopting policies to promote immigrant wellbeing through integration. Recent advances in research suggest subfederal healthcare access, sanctuary, and ID policies increase access to healthcare and health resources and decrease fear and stress. However, health impacts of these policies are modulated by national socio-political forces that spur misinformation, distrust, and fear. To help overcome this, states and municipalities should layer integrationist actions. Critically, more policy impact research is needed to support understanding, uptake, and renewal of state and local policymaking promoting immigrant health.

Immigration Policy as a Social Determinant of Health: Development and Initial Validation of a Measure to Assess Attitudes toward Immigrant Integration.

Anti-immigrant policymaking in the U.S. is a critical social determinant of health compromising the wellbeing of immigrants and, by extension, communities of color. It is imperative that social work, public health, and other allied professions unite to address anti-immigrant policymaking by improving intergroup attitudes and building broader public support for immigrant integration. This study fills a gap in the literature by psychometrically developing and initially validating a measure of attitudes toward integrationist immigration policymaking. A three-stage study was conducted to explore, calibrate, and validate the factor structure using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Findings suggest there are two distinct but interrelated dimensions of attitudes toward integrationist immigration policies: support for the (a) extension of pathways to legal status and (b) expansion of eligibility for social rights and benefits. Initial evidence of criterion validity for the scale is offered. The utility of the measure for intergroup intervention testing is discussed.

Reciprocal Effects of Alcohol Use and Violence Perpetration Among Early Adolescents in Mexico: A Gendered Analysis.

Although substance use and violent behaviors often emerge together in adolescence, and both have similar widely cited causes and negative consequences for development, it remains unclear whether and how they may be linked causally. This study of early adolescents in Mexico's three largest cities tested whether alcohol use and violence perpetration are temporally related, whether their relationship is unidirectional or reciprocal, and whether the relationship differs by gender and the type of violence. The study employed longitudinal data from seventh grade students (N = 4830; M age = 12.0, range 11-15; 49% female) in 18 public middle schools in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Students completed questionnaires at the beginning, middle, and end of the 2014-2015 academic year. Students' responses to a multi-dimensional violence assessment emerged in two distinct patterns: criminally violent acts, and bullying/aggression. Although males engaged in both types of violence more frequently than females at all three time points, they used alcohol more frequently than females only at the first survey, after which the gender gap disappeared. Cross-lagged multi-group path models showed that, for both males and females, more frequent alcohol use predicted subsequent increases in criminally violent behavior, and bullying/aggression predicted later increases in alcohol use. Reciprocal associations varied by gender and type of violence: Alcohol use was reciprocally linked to criminally violent behavior among males only, and reciprocally linked to bullying-aggression among females alone. The results are interpreted in the context of sharply increasing rates of violence in Mexico and changing gender norms, with implications for youth prevention programs.

Reducing inhalant use in Latino adolescents through synchronized parent-adolescent interventions.

This article presents the effects of a synchronized Latino youth/parent intervention on adolescent inhalant use. The analytic sample included only Latino adolescents (n = 487) between the ages of 12 and 14. Randomized at the school-level, the design included three possible conditions: (1) child and parent received the prevention interventions, (2) only the parent received the prevention intervention, (3) neither child or parent received the prevention interventions. Drawing from the eco-developmental perspective, the overall hypothesis was that youth randomly assigned to the condition with both interventions will report the strongest inhalant use prevention outcomes. Descriptive statistics and regression tests of significant group differences by treatment condition confirmed the overall hypothesis. Children receiving the youth intervention and whose parents received the synchronized parenting intervention reported the strongest desired inhalant prevention effects. The findings are interpreted from an eco-developmental perspective and implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

In Pursuit of Belonging: Acculturation, Perceived Discrimination, and Ethnic-Racial Identity among Latino Youths.

Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems framework and informed by the rejection-identification model, this study examined the relationship between acculturation, discrimination, and ethnic-racial identity (ERI) searching and affirmation among a sample of Latino youths (N = 830; mean age = 12.2 years). Results revealed that higher levels of acculturation were associated with lower levels of searching and affirmation. Furthermore, higher perceived discrimination was associated with higher affirmation, but unrelated to searching. Finally, perceived discrimination significantly attenuated the negative associations between acculturation and adolescents' ERI searching and affirmation. The article concludes with a discussion of practice implications.

Substance Use Profiles of Urban American Indian Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis.

UNLABELLED: A growing majority of American Indian adolescents now live in cities and are at high risk of early and problematic substance use and its negative health effects. OBJECTIVE: This study used latent class analysis to empirically derive heterogeneous patterns of substance use among urban American Indian adolescents, examined demographic correlates of the resulting latent classes, and tested for differences among the latent classes in other risk behavior and prosocial outcomes. METHOD: The study employed a representative sample of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade American Indian adolescents (n = 2,407) in public or charter schools in metropolitan areas of Arizona in 2012. Latent class analysis examined eight types of last 30 day substance use. RESULTS: Four latent classes emerged: a large group of "nonusers" (69%); a substantial minority using alcohol, tobacco, and/or marijuana [ATM] (17%); a smaller group of polysubstance users consuming, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, other illicit drugs, and prescription or OTC drugs in combination (6%); and a "not alcohol" group reporting combinations of tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drug use, but rarely alcohol use (4%). The latent classes varied by age and grade level, but not by other demographic characteristics, and aligned in highly consistent patterns on other non-substance use outcomes. Polysubstance users reported the most problematic and nonusers the least problematic outcomes, with ATM and "not alcohol" users in the middle. CONCLUSIONS: Urban AI adolescent substance use occurs in three somewhat distinctive patterns of combinations of recent alcohol and drug consumption, covarying in systematic ways with other problematic risk behaviors and attitudes.

Latino Critical Perspective in Social Work.

Although a Latino critical perspective (LatCrit) is consistent with social work's professional mission and values, it is largely absent from its literature. With a focus on the Latino population in the United States, LatCrit elucidates an oppressive structure of social inequality and discrimination and promotes systemic change through self-advocacy. Thus, LatCrit supports the call for the revival of mezzo- and macro-level practice in social work. This article discusses the utility of LatCrit for social work practice through a discussion of its origins, main tenets, and primary aims. A critique of the theoretical perspective is also offered; its insights for social work practice, philosophical assumptions, and challenges for use in the field are highlighted. Social workers are offered an analysis of LatCrit enabling them to apply the theoretical perspective discretionarily rather than universally to meet diverse challenges and client needs. Specific ways in which social workers can facilitate the LatCrit praxis are discussed, such as community organizing and grassroots advocacy campaigns.

Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Food Insecurity: Prevalence, Impact, Risk Factors, and Coping Strategies.

In the United States, nearly 15% of the general population is considered food insecure; ethnic minorities, particularly Latinos, experience disproportionately higher rates. Food insecurity is particularly endemic among the migrant and seasonal farmworker population. This article systematically reviews current knowledge related to the prevalence of food insecurity among migrant and seasonal farmworkers. The impact, risk factors, and coping strategies of food insecurity are also presented. The authors argue for targeted social work efforts at mezzo- and macrolevels and make recommendations aimed at the prevention and amelioration of food insecurity.

A Latent Profile Analysis of Latino Parenting: The Infusion of Cultural Values on Family Conflict.

The purpose of the present study was to (a) examine how acculturation and social support inform Latinos' parenting behaviors, controlling for gender and education; (b) describe parenting styles among Latino immigrants while accounting for cultural elements; and (c) test how these parenting styles are associated with family conflict. A 3 step latent profile analysis with the sample (N = 489) revealed best fit with a 4 profile model (n = 410) of parenting: family parenting (n = 268, 65%), child-centered parenting (n = 68, 17%), moderate parenting (n = 60, 15%), and disciplinarian parenting (n = 14, 3%). Parents' gender, acculturation, and social support significantly predicted profile membership. Disciplinarian and moderate parenting were associated with more family conflict. Recommendations include integrating culturally based parenting practices as a critical element to family interventions to minimize conflict and promote positive youth development.