1 Understanding Latinos and Latinas Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.

2 The link between physical and emotional believe that strong emotions may cause physical illness and thus perceive the psyche as affecting one’s physical condition. They would rather seek medical treatment.

3 Slow to accept mental health services Why?  high tolerance for psychopathology among Latino/Latina families.  barriers such as economics, language, environment and sociocultural factors.  Issues with the therapy.

4 Reference Issues Hispanic (e.g. census descriptor)  Latino is a nongendered term.  Latinos refer to males and Latinas to females.

5 Population Estimates 2000 US Census  12.5 percent  35.3 million in the US  Projection 2030 – 63 million  Projection 2050 – 88 million

6 Education Over 1/4 th have less than a 9 th grade education. Approximately 2/5 have not graduated from high school. Latino/Latina children are often  misplaced into special ed classrooms  directed into non-college bond tracks (Gay, 2000).

7 Employment & Income By 2000, almost 7% of Latinos/Latinas age 16 and older were unemployed as compared to 3.4 % Whites. Puerto Ricans have the highest unemployment rates (8.1%) whereas Central and South Americans have the lowest (5.1%). For those employed FT – 1/4 th earned $35,000 or more as compared to 50% of Whites.

8 Religion Predominant religion – Catholicism.

9 The Latino/Latina College Student Issues:  lower SES status  underemployment  experiences of oppression and racism.

10 Some Issues Acculturation

11 Traditionalism-Modernism  Strict and separate role definitions for men and women  Strong family and community (group) identity and loyalty as contrasted with individualism  Time orientation to the past and present vs the future

12 Traditionalism-Modernism  Valuing of age (elderly) vs youth  Valuing of traditions and rituals  Subservience to conventions and authority vs questioning of authority  Valuing of spirituality vs secularism

13 Familismo Familism or familismo refers to Latino/as’ profound sense of family.  Strong feelings of loyalty  Interdependence  Family needs vs. individual needs

14 Family extended kinship systems Nonrelated family members  compadres or comadres  padrinos or madrinas  hijos de crianza

15 Family La familia serves as a natural support system  providing support  acting as a buffer against stress  Latino/a nuclear families to expand to include extended family members, nonblood-related members, new generations, and adult members

16 Family as a liability In the Latino/a culture, family support can be both a strength and a liability.

17 Great value placed upon: Great value is placed on manners, courtesy, and harmonious relationships. As a result, conflict, direct argument, and contradiciton are considered rude. Such a cultural script  deviate from the simpatia are likely to be rejected by more traditional Latinos/as.

18 Gender Roles Gender roles in the Latino/a cultures are frequently represented as negative stereotypes. Latinos/as continue to adhere to traditional gender roles. Modification?

19 Gender Machismo: traditional sex roles Historically, Mexican concepts of machismo.

20 Machismo Machismo has both positive and negative connotations; but it is almost always negatively defined.

21 Negative Stereotypes The negative stereotypes and perceptions of Latinos/as are many.  marianismo and hembrismo Marianismo: the value that women are expected to revere and emulate the Virgin Mary and endure suffering. Hembrismo: embodies “femaleness”

22 Latino/a youth  unique mental health issues  acculturation gap  lower SES  Undereducation  negative stereotypes  experiences of oppression and racism.  Other issues

23 Older Adults Problems:  Physical and emotional difficulties of aging compounded with: Cultural alienation Racial discrimination Language barriers Lack of health insurance Limited financial resources Different cultural customs and beliefs poverty