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I've Learned So Much from My Mother: Narratives from a Group of Chicana High School Students
... The influence of family, on the other hand, has been identified as a powerful protective factor against substance use (Herman et al., 1997;Howard, 1996;Swaim et al., 1998), as has investment in school and good academic performance (Seydlita & Jenkins, 1998;McWhirter et al., 1998;Swaim et al., 1998) and involvement in after-school and religious activities (Mahoney & Stattin, 2000;Johanson et al., 1996). In addition, biculturalism and ethnic pride have been identified as strengthening the resiliency of Latino adolescents against drug abuse (Belgrave et al., 1997;Marsiglia et al., 2001;Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999;Kulis et al., 2000). Connectedness to home and school is hypothesized here to be a key protective factor against drug use (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). ...
... These findings confirm other research identifying family bonding and school commitment as sources of resiliency for Latino youth (Cabrera Strait, 1999;Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999;Robertson et al., 1998. The neighborhoods of the large Southwestern city where the study took place are characterized by a demographic explosion, with a growing Latino population, high poverty rates, high mobility rates, and high drug use rates. ...
... A key role social workers can play is the role of cultural mediator (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). As such, social workers will provide services that nurture and maintain the protective effects of family and culture of origin as youth go through the acculturation process. ...
An ecological risk and resiliency framework was applied to explore how social contexts, especially the role of families and schools, are affecting Latino/a pre-adolescent substance use in the urban Southwest. A mixed research design, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, guided the study. Quantitative data were collected through surveys administered as part of a school-based prevention intervention experiment (N = 2,125). Individual interviews conducted with a randomly selected number of matched students (N = 60) provided the qualitative data. The main theme emerging throughout both data sets was a strong resilience against drug use of the participating 7th grade urban youth. The vast majority of students did not use hard drugs, and agreed that alcohol use was inappropriate at their age. A high degree of attachment and strong ties to their parents and their school environment emerged as a shared protective factor. Recommendations include social work interventions that support the resiliency characteristics of urban Latino/a youth in different social contexts such as communities, schools, and families. Limitations of the study are reviewed and suggestions for future research are offered.
... Marianismo attributes great personal strength to women even while it restricts the social experiences of girls and emphasizes a collectivist approach and obligation to family (Kulis et al., 2003). Research that has focused on Mexican and Mexican American gender roles suggests that adherence to traditional gender roles may protect adolescents from substance use risk (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999; Moon et al., 1999). Girls raised under a marianista culture often experience a greater degree of parental monitoring and a lower degree of permissiveness. ...
... It is important, therefore, to consider the sources of resiliency within the Mexican and Mexican American community. Sources of resilience can be found in Spanish language preference (Marsiglia and Waller, 2002), female adherence to traditional gender roles (Kulis et al., 2003; Marsiglia and Holleran, 1999; Moon et al, 1999), and positive ethnic identity (Gamst, Dana, Der-Karabetian, Aragon, Arellan, & Kramer, 2002; Holleran and Waller, 2003; Marsiglia, Kulis, & Hecht, 2001; Orozco and Lukas, 2000). Additionally, Marsiglia, Miles, Dustman, and Sills (2002) observed the emergence of three resiliency themes, which have been supported in the literature (e.g. ...
... Machismo, associated with such characteristics as commitment, dignity, honor, and respect for self and others, can be undermined by the acculturation experience as individuals struggle with the dominant society's tendency to denigrate the status of Mexican and Mexican American men in the United States (Hondagneu-Sotelo, 1994). Similarly, the traditional female quality of marianismo, which emphasizes women's spiritual grace and connection to the Virgin Mary through acts of submission and self-denial for the sake of the family (Gil & Vasquez, 1996; Hondagneu-Sotelo, 1994; Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999), could protect Mexican and Mexican American girls through expectations that girls will keep close to home with their social interactions closely supervised (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999; Moon et al., 1999). These cultural values might also explain some of the variance by gender in the effects of permissiveness and monitoring of whereabouts for anti-drug norms. ...
The prevention literature has given little attention to how parental influences affect substance use among Mexican origin adolescents, even though they form part of the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. This study explored the effects of three types of parental influences-parental monitoring of the child's whereabouts, degree of parental permissiveness, and the strength of parental injunctive norms discouraging substance use-on alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use and anti-drug norms. Results showed that parental permissiveness and parental injunctive norms, particularly anti-drug injunctive norms, had the strongest effects on the substance use outcomes, but parental monitoring generally was not a significant predictor. These results and implications for prevention are discussed in light of Mexican cultural norms toward substance use, gender roles, and family roles.
... The use of a narrative to describe the realities faced by women allowed the researcher to present "a …Women's situation in the context of her…setting and encourages the reader to acknowledge both her complexity and her humanity" (Heilman, 1998, p. 184). Stories were the newspaper, the history books, and the bible for Latinas/os as the transfer of knowledge, socialization, and politicization, occurred through cuentos (Anzaldúa, 1999;Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). ...
... The three counter-stories presented in this chapter were formed with the voices of the women and girls that participated in this endeavor. The presentation of the data is consistent with prior use of counter-narratives in that it provides an alternative reality that is not captured in traditional academia (Delgado, 2000;Fernandez, 2002;Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999;Solorzano & Yosso, 2002a). The counter-stories were developed from a socially and culturally specific standpoint. ...
... The threat ofjail was not identified as a deterrent, yet the investment of a family member, his step-dad, and involvement with his church steered the youth away from drugs. DISCUSSION These findings confirm other research identifying family bonding and school commitment as sources of resiliency for Latino youth (Cabrera Strait, 1999; Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999; Robertson et al., 1998). The neighborhoods of the large Southwestern city where the study took place are characterized by a demographic explosion, with a growing Latino population, high poverty rates, high mobility rates, and high drug use rates. ...
... A key role social workers can play is the role of cultural mediator (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). As such, social workers will provide services that nurture and maintain the protective effects of family and culture of origin as youth go through the acculturation process. ...
An ecological risk and resiliency framework was applied to explore how social contexts, especially the role of families and schools, are affecting Latino/a pre-adolescent substance use in the urban Southwest. A mixed research design, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, guided the study. Quantitative data were collected through surveys administered as part of a school-based prevention intervention experiment (N = 2,125). Individual interviews conducted with a randomly selected number of matched students (N = 60) provided the qualitative data. The main theme emerging throughout both data sets was a strong resilience against drug use of the participating 7th grade urban youth. The vast majority of students did not use hard drugs, and agreed that alcohol use was inappropriate at their age. A high degree of attachment and strong ties to their parents and their school environment emerged as a shared protective factor. Recommendations include social work interventions that support the resiliency characteristics of urban Latino/a youth in different social contexts such as communities, schools, and families. Limitations of the study are reviewed and suggestions for future research are offered.
... An hombre does not beat his wife, sees to his family responsibilities, and is helpful in the home (Gutmann, 1996). Marianismo has traditionally been seen as a source of strength (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999) by which women are spiritually superior to men and therefore can endure the suffering inflicted by men. La mujer is sometimes used to capture the positive aspects of Marianismo (Kulis et al., 2008); that is, a capable, strong, and proactive woman who is concerned with the care and nurturance of her family (Rocha-Sanchez & Diaz-Loving, 2005). ...
... Mexican-American girls coming from a tradition of Marianismo might be particularly vulnerable when confronted with a mainstream American culture that does not value submissive femininity as expressed by Marianismo. This can lead to a sense of alienation and lack of belonging from both cultures (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). Here, interventions to reduce substance use need to target the psychological distress and acculturation stress associated with this marginalization from both the Mexican and U.S. cultures (Berry, 2006) with an understanding of the cultural transitions of girls' expected gender roles. ...
A sample of 60 male and 91 female Mexican-American adolescents (age 13-18) were administered measures of positive (i.e., assertive masculinity, affective femininity) and negative (i.e., aggressive masculinity, submissive femininity) gender roles, internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, peer substance use, and own substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana). Negative gender roles were significantly correlated with internalizing and externalizing problems for both boys and girls, with aggressive masculinity also predicting peer substance use for both genders. Assertive masculinity significantly predicted lower alcohol use in boys, and this effect was not mediated by internalizing problems, externalizing problems, or peer substance use. Negative gender roles significantly predicted higher alcohol use in girls, but this effect was almost completely mediated by internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and peer substance use. Results are discussed in terms of gender role socialization among Mexican Americans.
... Students and teachers recognized that these skills were made accessible through effective curriculum and video messaging, and the participatory teaching and learning style. From the eco-evolutive perspective (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999), a contextualized preventive intervention that develops assertive responses and resilience in adolescents in their own relational environments is essential for improving the learning of social and behavioral skills. In this regard, a key contribution to the social validity of Mantente REAL was that regular teachers were able to implement the intervention with fidelity, rooted in the established social contexts of their school classrooms (Horner et al., 2005). ...
Studies focusing on the relevance or impact of a program, not just on its efficacy or effectiveness, can make important contributions to prevention science. This article documents the social validity (i.e., a construct encompassing feasibility, acceptability, and utility) of a universal substance use prevention program for early adolescents in Spain. The Mantente REAL (keepin’it REAL) program was culturally adapted to the Spanish context, implemented, and evaluated in six public middle schools in two regions of Spain. Participating teachers (N = 15), students (N = 354), and research team members (N = 6) reported on the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of the program implemented with first grade secondary school students. Qualitative and quantitative data about the program, its curriculum, and the implementation process were collected through teachers’ focus groups, students’ surveys, and observation forms completed by members of the research team. Mantente REAL was perceived to be a prevention program that was feasible for implementation in Spanish middle schools, although some logistics related to school structural constraints should be addressed in future implementations. The topics and activities in the curriculum were highly accepted by teachers and students, and they reported that the program was useful in teaching resistance strategies to cope with substance use and other risky situations. The findings support the social validity of the culturally adapted Mantente REAL program for early adolescents in Spain, and highlight how feedback from stakeholders involved in the implementation can improve the dissemination of effective prevention approaches.
... These findings may suggest that traditional Latino gender-based norms prevalent since Spanish colonialism (Rocha-Sánchez & Díaz Loving, 2005) are losing power in some parts of Latin America. Global markets, consumerism, and influences from mass media have exposed young people to more flexible gender roles (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999), which may include increased exposure to peers that exhibit externalizing behaviors. ...
This study explored how peer deviant behavior and peer drug use differentially mediated the paths from unsupportive parenting to youth externalizing behavior and both the probability and extent of current drug use in a sample of Venezuelan youth. Models were further extended to test for group differences by gender and age. Results suggested that peer influences are domain specific among Venezuelan youth. That is, deviant peer behavior mediated the path from unsupportive parenting to youth externalizing behaviors, and peer drug use mediated the path to the drug use outcome. Mediation effects were partial, suggesting that parenting influenced the outcomes beyond its impact on affiliations with negative peers. Notable exceptions to the models were found when moderated by either gender or age. Implications for the development of screening tools and for formulating intervention programs targeting this age group are discussed.
... These findings may suggest that traditional Latino gender-based norms prevalent since Spanish colonialism (Rocha-Sánchez & Díaz Loving, 2005) are losing power in some parts of Latin America. Global markets, consumerism, and influences from mass media have exposed young people to more flexible gender roles (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999), which may include increased exposure to peers that exhibit externalizing behaviors. ...
This study explored how peer deviant behavior and peer drug use differentially mediated the paths from unsupportive parenting to youth externalizing behavior and both the probability and extent of current drug use in a sample of Venezuelan youth. Models were further extended to test for group differences by gender and age. Results suggested that peer influences are domain specific among Venezuelan youth. That is, deviant peer behavior mediated the path from unsupportive parenting to youth externalizing behaviors, and peer drug use mediated the path to the drug use outcome. Mediation effects were partial, suggesting that parenting influenced the outcomes beyond its impact on affiliations with negative peers. Notable exceptions to the models were found when moderated by either gender or age. Implications for the development of screening tools and for formulating intervention programs targeting this age group are discussed.
... Studies have found that ecological factors, such as parental monitoring and peer relationships, are correlated with substance use (Adamczyk-Robinette, Fletcher, & Wright, 2002;Schinke, Schwinn, & Cole, 2006;Simons-Morton, 2004). Also, certain cultural factors may produce resiliency in individuals and serve as protective factors against negative behaviors, such as substance use (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999;Yabiku et al., 2010), but cultural factors may also put individuals at risk for certain negative behaviors. Latino culture places an emphasis on strong parent-child relationships, which may serve as a protective factor, while dysfunctional or permissive parenting practices may increase the risk of adolescent substance use. ...
This study utilized data drawn from a study of 980 adolescents living in Tijuana, Mexico, in February 2009 to examine whether parental monitoring had a moderating impact on the influence of peer pro-drug norms on lifetime and past-30-day alcohol and cigarette use among a group of adolescents living along the United States-Mexico border. The results of primary analyses indicated that parental monitoring did moderate the influence of peer pro-drug norms for past-30-day cigarette use for males but not for females. Research and practice implications for U. S. and Mexican culturally grounded prevention programs are discussed.
... Other research has shown that parental injunctive norms against substance use, though an effective deterrent, had little variation by ethnicity (Elek, Miller-Day, & Hecht, 2006). Even though traditional gender roles are often criticized from the perspective of an individualistic culture, some research has found that adherence to traditional gender roles exerts a protective function against substance use for Mexican and Mexican American youths (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999; Moon, Hecht, Jackson, & Spellers, 1999). These findings suggest that culturally grounded programs designed to reduce the risk of substance use among Latino youths use the traditional values of machismo for boys, marianismo for girls, and familismo for all youths and their families. ...
Research has indentified numerous risk and
protective factors related to adolescent alcohol
and other drug (AOD) use. However, most
theoretical models do not account for nuances
attributable to variations in culture or how
these may influence prevention and treatment
models. In this article, we have 4 primary purposes:
First, we present an extensive and critical
review of the literature on adolescent AOD use
among Latino youths; second, we point out the
idiosyncrasies associated with AOD use among
Latino youths; third, we organize the literature
according to Bronfenbrenner’s bioecodevelopmental
framework to bring together findings
from a number of fields and disciplines in a
thoughtful manner; and fourth, we point out
different implications for researchers and practitioners.
... Research on gender, acculturation, and alcohol consumption among Mexican Americans has found that males consume about twice the amount of alcohol that women do and have a higher rate of using many types of drugs (Alaniz, Treno, & Saltz, 1999). Mexican American adolescents and adolescents from other ethnic minority groups are often confronted with contradictory gender norms at home and at school (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999) as they go through major changes in parental and peer influences and are increasingly exposed to drug use (Chassin et al., 1986). ...
This article examines the intertwined roles of gender labels (male/female) and gender identity in predicting drug-use behaviors and experiences of middle school students in a large, ethnically diverse, southwestern city. Three dimensions of gender identity are derived through factor analysis, one relating to femininity and nurturance, an- other relating to masculinity and self-confidence, and a third relating to masculinity and dominance. In bivariate and multivariate tests the authors find that masculine dominance is associated with higher frequency of recent drug use, particularly for boys' use of marijuana and hard drugs, with more drug offers and a greater variety of drugs used over their lifetimes. Gender identity measures do not supersede gender la- bels in predicting drug outcomes, but they are shown to be more powerful predictors in combination than separately. Possible relationships between gender identity and early adolescents'relationships with their ethnic groups, families, peers, groups of reference, and school environments are discussed.
... Most mediated messages designed for adolescents, as well as other consumers, focuses on the narration of characters' personal stories. Narrative Theory conceptualizes a people's beliefs and actions as stories, or narratives, which are an ever-present "mode of discourse through which people organize information and experiences" (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). Adolescents are cognitively and developmentally amenable to creating stories to explain their lives. ...
This article describes and critiques the pilot phase of a project in which an ethnically diverse group of students from a large southwestern urban high school created culturally based substance abuse prevention videos for urban middle school students. The rationale evolved from research that suggested that a peer-created, culturally-specific approach to drug abuse prevention would be more effective than would programming created by adults operating from a “so-called” culturally-neutral” perspective. The dual perspective of this article includes both the field experiment per se and the data collected, using a case study perspective. Overarching themes of culture and power are discussed, as are the elements of age and gender. Implications extending beyond the pilot offer insights for researchers and practitioners.
... The focus group sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and adaptation sessions included diligent note taking. The basic procedure involves coding of the data in "tree structures" at more and more integrative levels (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). The transcripts were analyzed for themes related to substance use, attitudes toward substances, attitudes toward the curriculum, and helpful prevention strategies for participants. ...
Historically, substance abuse prevention programs are created with samples that conform to the majority population. Research shows that substance use risk factors are higher for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youths (Eisenberg & Wechsler, 2003), and LGBT youths report higher use of substances than their heterosexual counterparts (Lampinen, McGhee, & Martin, 2006; Marshal et al., 2008; Russell, Truong, & Driscoll, 2002). However, when compared to LGBT adults, knowledge of youth substance use is limited. Unfortunately, few interventions are tailored to LGBT youths. It is necessary to investigate the factors associated with substance use that are unique to this population in order to tailor interventions to their needs. A preliminary study was conducted which adapted an evidence-based prevention program with guidance from LGBT youths at a drop-in center. This article explores the qualitative findings of the curriculum adaptation and a focus group through use of a grounded theory method. Findings suggest that this population of youths are easily engaged in the adaptation process and provide unique and relevant adaptations. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
... 9). This concept is used to bind women to their roles as servants and caretakers of the family (Marsiglia and Holleran, 1999). In particular, the themes of serving, anticipating the needs of men, and submission to men were embedded in all participants' descriptions of family gender role expectations. ...
The author discusses the little-examined tensions that female and Latina first-generation college students (FGS) experience while negotiating their ethnic and professional identities. Despite having general parental support for pursuing an education, Latina and female FGS who are graduate students in the author's university department must juggle multiple identities of gender role expectations with being students, family members, and parents.
... However, acculturation is not a one way-street. Students from one minority ethnic group may be acculturating into another minority ethnic group and not necessarily into mainstream culture, and the speed and direction of accul-turation may vary greatly among ethnic minority youth (Marsiglia, 1998;Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). ...
This article explores differences in the self-reported drug use and exposure to drugs of an ethnically diverse group of 408 seventh-grade students from a large city in the southwest. We contrast the explanatory power of ethnic labels (African American, non-Hispanic White, Mexican American, and mixed ethnicity) and two dimensions of ethnic identity in predicting drug use. One dimension focuses on perceived ethnically consistent behavior, speech, and looks, while the other gauges a sense of ethnic pride. Ethnic labels were found to be somewhat useful in identifying differences in drug use, but the two ethnic identity measures, by themselves, did not generally help to explain differences in drug use. In conjunction, however, ethnic labels and ethnic identity measures explained far more of the differences in drug use than either did alone. The findings indicate that the two dimensions of ethnic identity predict drug outcomes in opposite ways, and these relations are different for minority students and non-Hispanic White students. Generally, African American, Mexican American, and mixed-ethnicity students with a strong sense of ethnic pride reported less drug use and exposure, while ethnically proud White students reported more. Ethnic minority students who viewed their behavior, speech, and looks as consistent with their ethnic group reported more drug use and exposure, while their White counterparts reported less. These findings are discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.
... For example, intra-group studies of Mexican Americans reveal that English speakers are often criticized for being more ''American'' than ''Mexican,'' and for not adhering to traditions of stability in marriage, reflecting a shift in family values that is perceived as a loss to Mexican culture as a whole (Niemann, Romero, Arredondo, & Rodriguez, 1999). In turn, English speaking respondents have reported experiences of discrimination due to their lack of knowledge of Spanish (Holleran 2003;Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999) and have expressed feelings of remorse, embarrassment and guilt for not speaking Spanish fluently (Ochoa, 2000). These tensions have manifested in reports of English speakers distancing themselves socially from Spanish speakers by declining invitations to social gatherings and frequenting stores and religious gatherings in other neighborhoods (Ochoa, 2000), thereby diminishing opportunities for the exchange of health-specific social capital. ...
A higher prevalence of infant low birth weight (<2500 g) has been observed among more acculturated mothers of Mexican descent living in the U.S. when compared to their less acculturated counterparts. Tests of the “acculturation hypothesis” have established that disparities in certain risks for low birth weight exist between subgroups of women of Mexican-origin. However, disparities observed by neighborhood of residence have yet to be explained. Most tests of the acculturation hypothesis assume a classical path of assimilation, whereby Mexican American health is expected to deteriorate with time spent residing in the U.S. and across the generations. The theory of segmented assimilation suggests that alternative paths are possible depending upon individual characteristics and the context of the neighborhood into which immigrant families and their children reside. This study tested the theory of segmented assimilation as a framework for examining the geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic underpinnings of population differences in infant low birth weight among women of Mexican descent in California using the 2000 U.S. Census and population-based data from the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (1999–2005) (n = 6442). Little support was found for the theory's hypotheses. Rather, increased odds for infant low birth weight were observed for English speakers residing in Latino immigrant neighborhoods when compared to English speakers in other neighborhoods, an effect attenuated for Spanish speakers. Elevated odds of low birth weight were also observed among English speakers residing in Latino immigrant neighborhoods when compared to Spanish speakers in the same neighborhoods. Findings suggest the transfer of health-specific social capital in ethnic neighborhoods may depend upon sociocultural consonance between individuals and neighborhood residents. The authors call for additional research that sheds light on the sociocultural dynamics of maternal and infant health at multiple levels.
... One final possibility to consider is that ethnic minority families living in the U.S. may encourage values of independence as a response to their family's financial struggle. For instance, Marsiglia and Holleran (1999) found that Mexican-origin adolescent females indicated that their mothers instilled values of self-sufficiency and independence for their survival. Thus, it is possible that Mexican-origin females, whether immigrant or U.S. born, are interpreting these socialization messages from their mothers as messages encouraging the importance of achieving independence and autonomy. ...
This study examined differences in behavioral autonomy age expectations between Mexican-origin mothers and their adolescent daughters (N = 319 dyads); variability in behavioral autonomy age expectations as a function of nativity and maternal educational attainment also was examined. Findings indicated significant differences between mothers and daughters, such that mothers reported later expectations for the timing of behavioral autonomy than did daughters. Follow-up analyses indicated that findings appeared to be driven by maternal nativity, with dyads comprised of Mexico-born mothers reporting the latest age expectations for behavioral autonomy when compared with dyads comprised of U.S. born mothers. Findings underscore the need to examine normative development among Latino adolescents and their families with a specific focus on how sociocultural characteristics can contribute to within-family differences.
... This second meaning of machismo is centered on traits such as honor, respect, bravery, dignity, and family responsibility (Marsiglia et al., 2001; Neff, 2001). Although these two conceptualizations of machismo appear to coexist in the minds and behaviors of many Mexican American adolescents of the Southwest (Kulis et al., 2002; Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999), the two dimensions have been shown to be distinguishable empirically with separate sets of indicators (Neff, 2001). In a manner that is often portrayed as complementary to machismo (Gil & Vazquez, 1996), female gender roles in Mexican culture are governed by norms that are captured in the notion of marianismo. ...
This article presents the findings of a survey completed by 1351 predominantly Mexican American middle school students residing in a large urban center in the U.S. Southwest. The study explores possible associations between drug use attitudes and behaviors and gender (biological sex), gender identity, ethnicity, and acculturation status. Based on the concepts of "machismo" and "marianismo" that have been used to describe Mexican populations, four dimensions of gender identity were measured: aggressive masculinity, assertive masculinity, affective femininity, and submissive femininity. In explaining a variety of indicators of drug use behaviors and anti-drug norms, gender alone had limited explanatory power, while gender identity-often regardless of gender-was a better predictor. Aggressive masculinity was generally associated with higher risk of drug use, while the other three gender identity measures had selected protective effects. However, the impact of gender identity was strongly mediated by acculturation. Less acculturated Mexican American students reported lower aggressive masculinity scores than non-Latinos. Less acculturated Mexican American girls reported both the lowest aggressive masculinity scores and the highest submissive femininity scores. More acculturated Mexican American students, along with the less acculturated Mexican American boys, did not appear to be following a polarized approach to gender identity (machismo and marianismo) as was expected. The findings suggest that some aspects of culturally prescribed gender roles can have a protective effect against drug use behaviors and attitudes, possibly for both girls and boys.
... Relying on research (Hecht & Ribeau, 1984; Hecht et al., 1989; Hecht, Ribeau, & Sedano, 1990; Kochman, 1981) that illustrated ethnic differences in common communication styles, competencies, and norms, the intervention demonstrates how youths could resist offers of substance use without violating the social structures cherished by their culture (Marsiglia & Holleran, 2000). A central component of the intervention is a 10-lesson curriculum with direct instruction, in-class participatory exercises, enhanced video illustrations, and homework assignments (for details on curriculum development see Gosin, Marsiglia, & Hecht, 2003). ...
A randomized trial tested the efficacy of three curriculum versions teaching drug resistance strategies, one modeled on Mexican American culture; another modeled on European American and African American culture; and a multicultural version. Self-report data at baseline and 14 months post-intervention were obtained from 3, 402 Mexican heritage students in 35 Arizona middle schools, including 11 control sites. Tests for intervention effects used simultaneous regression models, multiple imputation of missing data, and adjustments for random effects. Compared with controls, students in the Latino version reported less overall substance use and marijuana use, stronger intentions to refuse substances, greater confidence they could do so, and lower estimates of substance-using peers. Students in the multicultural version reported less alcohol, marijuana, and overall substance use. Although program effects were confined to the Latino and multicultural versions, tests of their relative efficacy compared with the non-Latino version found no significant differences. Implications for evidence-based practice and prevention program designs are discussed, including the role of school social workers in culturally grounded prevention.
... Marianismo is a concept that portrays women as spiritually superior to men and therefore can endure all suffering inflicted by men. This concept takes its name from the cult of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic tradition and was first identified by Stevens in 1973 (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). ...
The purpose of this research study is to explore the role of culture in how Mexican Americans respond to mental health treatment. Cultural background is likely to affect not only the meaning attributed to mental illness, but also help-seeking and responses to treatment. Creating a match between treatment modalities and people's cultural backgrounds requires consideration of a person's cultural context. Cultural characteristics can vary not only across cultural groups, but even within groups can change across time. This study used a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest comparison group design to analyze culturally adapted cognitive behavioral therapy (CACBT) with Mexican Americans diagnosed with depression. A purposive nonprobability sample of 81 adult Mexican Americans diagnosed with depression was recruited from a mental health agency in El Paso, Texas. Forty-eight participants were assigned to a treatment group, which received CACBT, and 33 to a comparison group, which received treatment as usual. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Participant acculturation level was measured using the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II. Independent and paired t tests were used to examine the effectiveness of the culturally adapted intervention. OLS regression analyses examined whether acculturation mediated the relationship between the culturally adapted intervention and depression. No direct effect was found between CACBT and depression relative to treatment as usual. The results showed that CACBT and treatment as usual both decreased depression scores. However, the interaction effect between acculturation and group assignment was significantly related to posttest depression scores. Thus, the effect of CACBT varied according to acculturation level. This study demonstrates the role that acculturation plays in how Mexican Americans respond to mental health treatment. An implication for social work practice is the need to use evidence-based practices that have been tested for their cultural appropriateness with Mexican Americans.
... In crosssectional studies Latino girls were found to vary from Latino boys in the effects of monitoring for drug use (Voisine, Parsai, Marsiglia, Kulis, & Nieri, 2008). The traditional characterization of Latino females as nurtures and keepers of family traditions, and family unity, could protect Latino females through expectations that girls will keep close to home and closely supervised (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999; Moon et al., 1999). Higher levels of parental monitoring among the Latino girls in this sample resulted in smaller increases of marijuana use, perhaps a reflection on cultural beliefs. ...
Prior research shows parental monitoring is associated with less substance use, but these studies have some limitations. Many examine older adolescents from White, Euro-American heritage, and cross-sectional studies are unable to test if parental monitoring decreases substance use over time. We address these limitations with longitudinal data of 2,034 primarily Latino preadolescents in Phoenix, Arizona, USA in 2004-2005. We use multilevel regression with multiple imputation of missing data. We find parental monitoring has beneficial, longitudinal effects on youth's substance use and related intentions, norms, and attitudes. Effects are invariant to gender or Latino ethnicity, except in the case of marijuana.
... Another side of machismo emphasizes more positive masculine traits centered around honor, earned respect, bravery, dignity, and a sense of family responsibility (Neff, 2001). These two aspects of machismo appear to coexist in the cultural norms espoused by many Mexican American adolescents of the southwest (Kulis, Marsiglia, & Hurdle, 2003; Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). Marianismo, the complement to machismo, is said to govern female gender roles in Mexican culture (Gil & Vazquez, 1996). ...
This study tested for gender differences in the impact of linguistic acculturation on pro-drug norms, substance use intentions, and actual substance use among youth of Mexican heritage in a large metropolitan area in the Southwest United States. The authors analyzed baseline survey data provided by 2,487 middle school students of Mexican heritage who were part of a larger, multiethnic randomized efficacy trial of a drug abuse prevention program. Using multi-group structural equation modeling, the authors found that linguistic acculturation was positively and directly related to adherence to pro-drug norms, substance use intentions, and recent alcohol use, controlling for age, poor grades, and socioeconomic status. In addition, linguistic acculturation had an indirect effect on substance use intentions and recent alcohol use through pro-drug norms. The direct effect of linguistic acculturation on pro-drug norms was stronger for girls than for boys, as was its indirect effect on substance use intentions.
... Despite gains by women in Mexico many individuals of both genders continue to follow strict gender role expectations which continue to deprive some women of opportunities for social advancement (Ariza & Oliveira, 2001; Jelin, 2005; Rocha-Sanchez & Diaz-Loving, 2005). Younger Mexican and Mexican American men and women are at the same time exposed to media-based portraits of more flexible gender roles and may need to reconcile contradictory messages they receive at home and from the media and their peers which may include expectations that encourage substance use (Marsiglia & Holleran, 1999). Research conducted in the United States with largely Mexican born and Mexican American samples indicates that gender and ethnicity have a significant effect on drug offers and that gender is associated with the type of resistance strategies used (Marsiglia, Kulis, Wagstaff, Elek, Dran, 2005; Moon, Hecht, Jackson, & Spellers, 1999). ...
This study tests the applicability among adolescents in Mexico of the keepin' it REAL (refuse, explain, avoid, and leave) strategies that are common and effective ways that U.S. youth resist substance use. Following a social learning, communication competence and ecological theory integrated approach, the study draws on self-reported questionnaire data from a non-probability sample of 327 adolescents attending two public high schools in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Multivariate regressions were used to test whether the respondents' use of the REAL strategies by the participants could be predicted by key demographic variables. Separate models were estimated for the frequency of use of each strategy and for different substances. Findings indicate that most adolescents in this sample utilized each of the REAL strategies as well as other strategies to respond to offers of alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana. Mexican and U.S. youth residing close to the US border appear to use similar drug resistance strategies. Use of the strategies varied considerably by the level of exposure to offers, but only minimally by gender and age. There were no notable differences by socioeconomic status or academic performance. Implications for prevention science, social work practice and social work research are discussed in the context of the bi-national border region and the applicability and prospect for dissemination of U.S. evidence based youth substance use prevention interventions.
... The mother-daughter relationship is central to, and a fundamental unit for, the dissemination of nurturing and learning [27][28][29]. The bond between mothers and their children generally has been characterized as unique and fundamental to intergenerational learning and behavior modeling [30][31][32][33]. ...
The prevailing paradigm of health exchange within the family is for health advice to flow from parent to child. Consistent with this pattern of exchange, most research has focused on the one-directional influence of the parent on the child and there is thus an absence of literature that explores the ability of adolescents to influence their parents' health behaviors. This qualitative study addressed this gap by exploring the feasibility of daughters providing health advice to their mothers. Twelve focus groups were conducted with 78 African-American and Latina daughters between the ages of 12 and 17 from low-income neighborhoods in a Mid-Western city in the United States. This study utilized a grounded theory approach to examine the focus group data. The findings indicate that many daughters report that they are already giving their mothers a wide spectrum of advice, including health advice. Differences were found in the reported willingness of African-American daughters when compared to Latina daughters to provide their mothers with specific cancer advice. These data suggest that some of these daughters have the potential to be valuable health education conveyers in the family.
... An hombre does not beat his wife, is helpful in the home, and sees to his family responsibilities with dedication and honor (Gutmann, 1996). Although the two conceptualizations of machismo coexist in the views of Mexican-origin youth about the nature of masculinity (Kulis et al., 2002; Marsiglia and Holleran, 1999), the two dimensions can be measured and analyzed separately (Neff, 2001). Marianismo also can represent both positive and negative aspects of female behavior. ...
This study explored relationships between several hypothesized dimensions of gender identity and substance use outcomes within a non-probability sample of adolescents in Monterrey, Mexico. Based on Mexican concepts of machismo and marianismo, four gender identity constructs were measured: aggressive masculinity, assertive masculinity, affective femininity and submissive femininity. The study assessed how well these gender identity measures predicted substance use behaviors, substance use intentions, expectancies, and normative approval, and exposure and vulnerability to substance offers. Data were drawn from questionnaires completed by 327 students from 2 Monterrey secondary schools. Multivariate ordered logistic and linear regression analyses, adjusted for school level effects, indicated that aggressive masculinity was associated with higher risk of drug use on most outcomes, while affective femininity was associated with lower risk on selected outcomes. Assertive masculinity was associated with only one of the outcomes examined and submissive femininity with none of them. Most gender identity effects persisted after controlling for biological sex, academic performance, age, and other gender identity measures. For two of the outcomes, the gender identity measures had significantly stronger effects for males than for females. The findings are interpreted in light of males' higher risk for drug use and changes in gender roles and gendered behavior that are now occurring in Mexico as in the U.S.
The primary goal of the current study was to test whether parent and adolescent preference for a common language moderates the association between parenting and rank-order change over time in offspring substance use. A sample of Mexican-origin 7th-grade adolescents (Mage = 12.5 years, N = 194, 52% female) was measured longitudinally on use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. Mothers, fathers, and adolescents all reported on consistent discipline and monitoring of adolescents. Both consistent discipline and monitoring predicted relative decreases in substance use into early adulthood but only among parent-offspring dyads who expressed preference for the same language (either English or Spanish). This moderation held after controlling for parent substance use, family structure, having completed schooling in Mexico, years lived in the United States, family income, and cultural values. An unintended consequence of the immigration process may be the loss of parenting effectiveness that is normally present when parents and adolescents prefer to communicate in a common language. (PsycINFO Database Record
Few studies have examined exposure to drug use and the lag between exposure and use. This paper estimates prevalence of opportunity to use a substance, for use, and for use given an opportunity to use among a sample of Venezuelan adolescents. Several covariates on the opportunity to use and the transition to use are also examined. Findings show that lifetime prevalence of substance use among Venezuelan adolescents increases dramatically and more closely resembles rates among US and European samples when having had an opportunity to use was taken into account. A majority of youth who transitioned to use did so the same year exposure occurred, and females had a shorter time difference compared to males. Covariates primarily predicted exposure rather than having used after controlling for exposure, and their effects varied by substance. Implications for prevention efforts are discussed.
Mental health services in the border region lag behind the nation. The situation is aggravated by a difference in the type of treatment individuals from different ethnic groups receive. Although the border is a minority majority region, minorities have less access to mental health services. This chapter discusses mental health disparities prevalent on the US-Mexico border which include access to mental health services, lack of mental health providers, and underutilization rates. Data are presented from major studies on the prevalence of mental health disorders and utilization of mental health services by Hispanics, more specifically Mexican Americans. A discussion is provided about the role of culture in mental health service utilization. The chapter concludes with recommendations for addressing mental health disparities on the US-Mexico border, considering the political context of the region. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. All rights reserved.
Past research supports the utility of studying cultural values within organizations as a way to predict organizational outcomes. We propose that one specific value of interest, the Hispanic value of machismo, may influence a number of important behaviors and outcomes within organizations. Therefore, the current chapter reviews and examines various conceptualizations of machismo as they relate to organizational behavior. Additionally, we propose a conceptual model of the relationships between machismo values, job-related expectations, job-related attitudes, and organizational outcomes that is intended both to enhance the effectiveness of diversity management applications among Hispanic populations and to stimulate future organizational research.
Although studies have identified the importance of the mother-daughter relationship and of familism in Mexican culture, there is little in the literature about the mother-daughter experience after daughters have migrated to the United States. This study explores relationships between three daughters in America and their mothers in Mexico, and describes ways in which interdependence between mothers and daughters can be maintained when they are separated by borders and distance. Data collection included prolonged engagement with participants, field notes, and tape-recorded interviews. Narrative analysis techniques were used. Findings suggest mother-daughter interdependence remains. Some aspects may change, but the mother-daughter connection continues to influence lives and provide emotional and, to a lesser extent, material support in their lives.
This article identifies the interactions among a group of high school students, their teachers, and a university research team as they evolve from an adult-directed to a student-led collaboration that resulted in the creation of a set of culturally grounded prevention messages that effectively prevented or delayed the onset of adolescent drug use. Beginning with an overview of the theoretical triad that served as the project's foundation, we describe the processes used to understand the unfolding dynamics within the collaboration and provide a checklist for those who might wish to replicate the collaborative process.
Hispanic adolescent females are the largest group of minority adolescents in the nation and appear to be at great risk for substance use. This research is based on data generated from a cross-sectional study of 150 Mexican American gang-affiliated adolescent females to predict substance-use recurrence. Findings reveal that positive family relationships, and in particular, mother-daughter relationships are protective factors for alcohol- and tobacco-use recurrence. Furthermore, the ability of the immediate family to cope with difficulties, stress, and conflicts were significant in averting illicit drug recurrence. This research provides evidence of the role of the family as a protective factor among these adolescents, despite their gang affiliation and street orientation. Discussed is how these findings contribute to formulating effective intervention, prevention, and treatment responses aimed at this “beyond risk” population.
This ethnographic study explores the relationship between ethnic identity, particularly identification with traditional Mexican values and beliefs, and contemporary Chicano/a adolescents' perceptions of life challenges. Findings suggest that identification with core values and beliefs rooted in traditional Mexican American culture may be a protective factor contributing to resilience among second generation Mexican American adolescents. The authors discuss implications for practice and research based on the respondents' narratives.
Elementary, middle, and high school student attitudes toward teacher ethnicity, bilinguality, and gender were assessed by means of student ratings of 12 hypothetical teachers. The sample consisted of 186 mostly Latino and African American students, ranging in age between 9 and 17years oldandattending eitherEnglish-only orbilingual and English-language-development classrooms in six inner-city schools. ANOVA revealed significant main effects but no interactions between any of the three within-subject variables. Students rated African American, bilingual, andfemale teachers highest. A number of between-subject variables were alsofound to have significant main effects on student attitudes, including language of response, length of U.S. residency, and current teacher's bilinguality. Evidence was found of student preference for same ethnicity teachers but only partial evidence of student preference for same bilinguality teachers. No evidence of student preference for same gender teachers was found. Practice and research implications of these findings are discussed.
Two-year follow-up data (from inner-city, minority adolescents) were collected to test the effectiveness of 2 skills-based substance abuse prevention programs and were compared both with a control condition and with each other. Students were originally recruited from 6 New York City public schools while in 7th grade. Schools were matched and assigned to receive a generic skills training prevention approach, a culturally focused prevention approach, or an information-only control. Students in both prevention approaches had less current alcohol use and had lower intentions to engage in future alcohol use relative to students in the control group. Students in the culturally focused group also engaged less in current alcohol behavior and had lower intentions to drink beer or wine than those in the generic skills group. Both prevention programs influenced several mediating variables in a direction consistent with nondrug use, and these variables also mediated alcohol use.
Narrative (or storytelling) approaches to understanding human action have recently become more popular in several areas of psychology. Treating human thinking as instances of story elaboration offers numerous implications for many domains of psychological theory, research, and practice. For example, several instances of cultural diversity take on a different hue when viewed from a narrative perspective. Finally, several authors (e.g., Bruner, 1986; Howard, 1989; Mair, 1989; McAdams, 1985; Polkinghorne, 1988; Sarbin, 1986) see the development of identity as an issue of life-story construction; psychopathology as instances of life stories gone awry; and psychotherapy as exercises in story repair.
This article explores how notions of power, femininity, and ethnicity permeate the discourses of and around girls involved in gangs. I explore how the cholas ‐ Latina gang girls ‐ of Foxbury perform and inscribe on their bodies a specific kind of femininity that not only confounds wider community notions of how girls should act, dress, and talk, but throws into question the very gendered category that girls are expected to inhabit.
This is a qualitative field study of Hispanic househusbands in Southern California. It focuses upon 22 men who assume roles which emphasize household maintenance and emotional family support in direct contrast to the norms and traditions of the Latino subculture. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews revealed that most respondents viewed their role reversals as brought about by external economic circumstances and as temporary. Respondents reported greater involvement in family life and a greater understanding of their partners and children. The division of labor remained somewhat traditional although the availability of time influenced task responsibility. Positive self-concept and male gender identity were enhanced when family and friends were supportive and accepting of the role transcendence. Although machismo remained a powerful influence and the women's movement was frequently denied or mistrusted, increased information exchange resulted in crosssex empathy and identification which may ultimately weaken traditional sex role separation. The perceived short-term role reversal may have long-term effects on machismo, ascriptive sex role statuses and social order in the Hispanic community.
Vocational researchers interested in the career development of women and people of color have noted the potentially strong influence of perceived barriers in the formulation and pursuit of educational and career goals. In this study, ethnic and gender differences in perceived educational and career barriers were investigated in a sample of 1139 Mexican-American and Euro-American high school juniors and seniors. Differences in perceived barriers were assessed using MANOVA and ANOVA procedures. Results were consistent with the hypotheses, suggesting that (1) female participants anticipated more barriers than male participants; (2) Mexican-American participants anticipated more barriers than Euro-Americans; and (3) these differences were consistent within ethnic and gender groups. Implications for future research are discussed.
This digest identifies cultural values that may affect the learning processes of Hispanic-American students, reviews research on the learning styles of Hispanic-American students, and discusses the implications of this research for counseling and teaching Hispanic youth. One cultural value that is of paramount importance in most Hispanic cultures is family commitment. Other values and characteristics suggested by research are a greater inclination among Hispanic than Anglo adolescents to adopt their parents' religious beliefs and lifestyle; stereotyped sex roles; and more and earlier independence among Hispanic male adolescents than male adolescents of the general U.S. population. Several studies have compared students of various ethnic groups in terms of five categories of learning style. These studies suggest that: (1) cool temperatures and formal design are important for Mexican-American students (environmental learning style); (2) Mexican-Americans require a higher degree of structure than other groups (emotional learning style); (3) Mexican-American students prefer solitary learning less than Caucasian students (sociological learning style); (4) Latinos' strongest perceptual strength is kinesthetic (physiological learning style); and (5) Mexican-American students are more field dependent than are non-minority students (psychological learning style). There are several implications of this research for counseling and teaching Hispanic-American students. Schools can provide Spanish-speaking teachers and counselors. Group counseling with peers can be helpful for Hispanic adolescents with identity-related problems. Educators can address self-image problems of Hispanic-American students that may result from a rejection of their ethnicity by using interventions that celebrate cultural diversity. In general, counselors and teachers can be aware that Hispanic-Americans are a diverse group with differing customs and values. They should emphasize the learning style strengths of each individual and match instructional resources and methods to individual learning style preferences. (BC)
A comprehensive theoretical model of adolescent substance abuse, the Social Ecology Model, was developed. The model includes peer influence, school bonding, self-efficacy, and family and school climate variables. Several competing variations of the model were empirically tested using a confirmatory multivariate methodology (LISREL) on a high school sample (N = 1,373). Self-efficacy and school bonding collapsed into a single factor, which was significantly predicted by the family and school climate latent variables. These findings suggest that prevention approaches should include interventions effective in improving family and school climate for youths in addition to improving self-efficacy, school bonding, and peer relations.
Described an intervention program designed to prepare elementary school (K-8) eighth-grade students for their transition to high school the following year. Participants in the study were 145, predominantly Hispanic, inner-city public school adolescents. The experimental group received an augmented condition, consisting of Education and Peer Support Components. The control group received a minimal condition consisting of only the Education Component. While no group effects were observed, time effects indicated experimental and control students' improved perceptions of school readiness, but deteriorated perceptions of support from both home and school and diminished grade-point averages and attendance. Time effects also revealed variable changes in school perceptions. Findings are discussed in terms of a developmental perspective of the school transition process. Implications for high school transition programming with the target population and directions for future research are also addressed.
As more community-based substance-misuse prevention and intervention programs are funded by government and private agencies, innovative evaluation designs are required. Traditional impact or outcome evaluations based on quantitative experimental designs are not enough. Without discarding the use of statistically analyzed survey instruments, a triangulate evaluation approach centered on ethnographic fieldwork has proven successful in fulfilling this need. This paper discusses changing attitudes about ethnography in the evaluation field, describes the development and usefulness of ethnography in evaluation research, and reports on the incorporation of ethnography as part of a triangulation evaluation design as used by National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.
Data from an ethnically diverse sample of middle school (Grades 6-8) students (n = 5,423) are analyzed for ethnic differences in major depression. The point prevalence of major depression was 8.4% without and 4.3% with impairment. Data were sufficient to calculate prevalences for nine ethnic groups. Prevalences adjusted for impairment ranged from 1.9% for youths of Chinese descent to 6.6% for those of Mexican decent. African and Mexican American youths had significantly higher crude rates of depression without impairment, but only the latter had significantly higher rates of depression with impairment. Multivariate (logistic regression) analyses, adjusting for the effects of age, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES), yielded significant odds ratios for only one group. Mexican American youths were at elevated risk for both depression without (OR = 1.74, p < .05) and depression with impairment (OR = 1.71, p < .05). There was no significant interaction of ethnicity and SES in relation to depression. Females had higher prevalences of depression with and without impairment, as did youths who reported that their SES was somewhat or much worse off than their peers. The data add to growing evidence that Mexican American youths are at increased risk of depression, and that community intervention efforts should specifically target this high-risk group.