Latino youth's internalising behaviours: links to immigrant status and neighbourhood characteristics

OBJECTIVES: Latinos are the fastest-growing immigrant group in the USA. Yet, little is known about the emotional well-being of this population, such as the links among family, neighbourhood context and Latino immigrant youth mental health. Understanding this link will help determine which contexts negatively impact Latino immigrant youth mental health. DESIGN: Drawing data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighbourhoods collected in 1994–1995 and 1997–1999, this study examined links between Latino youth’s internalising behaviours, based on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and neighbourhood characteristics as a function of immigrant status. The sample included 1040 (aged 9–17) Latino immigrant youth seen twice over three years and identified as first, second or third generation. In this study, neighbourhoods are made up of two to three census tracts that reflect similar racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Using hierarchical linear regression models, the study also explored links between internalising behaviours and neighbourhood characteristics, including concentrated disadvantage, immigrant concentration and residential stability. RESULTS: First- and second-generation youth had higher internalising behaviour scores (i.e., worse mental health) than third-generation youth after controlling for youth internalising behaviours at Wave 1, maternal depression and family characteristics. First- and second-generation youth were more likely to live in high immigrant-concentrated neighbourhoods and first-generation youth were more likely to live in residentially unstable neighbourhoods. Controlling for neighbourhood clusters eliminated the immigrant-generation internalising association. However, second-generation Latino youth living in neighbourhoods with higher residential stability had higher levels of internalising behaviour problems compared to first- and third-generation youth living in similar neighbourhoods. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the interaction between immigrant generation and neighbourhood context helps to explain differences observed in the mental health of second-generation immigrant youth, a result that may help other communities in the USA and other countries better understand the factors that contribute to immigrant youth well-being

Gender, Poverty, and the Work-Family Interface

Book Summary: Conflict between work and family has been a topic of discussion since the beginning of the women\u27s movement, but recent changes in family structures and workforce demographics have made it clear that the issues impact both women and men. While employers and policymakers struggle to navigate this new terrain, critics charge that the research sector, too, has been slow to respond. Chapter Summary: Much of our understanding of gender and the work-family interface has been through the lens of middle- and upper-class, as well as professional-level, employees\u27 experiences. As such, the work-family experiences of low-income individuals and those living at or below the poverty line are less understood. This chapter examines how gender and the work-family interface interact for individuals who are working in low-wage jobs, and are often found to be living at or below the poverty line

Socioeconomic status and asthma control in African American youth in SAGE II

OBJECTIVE: African Americans are disproportionately burdened by asthma. We assessed the individual and joint contribution of socioeconomic status (SES) on asthma morbidity among African American youth. METHODS: We examined 686 African Americans (8–21 years) with asthma. To account for the joint effects of SES, a composite index was derived from maternal educational attainment, household income, and insurance status. Ordinal logistic regression was used to estimate the individual and joint effect of SES on asthma control. Models were adjusted for age, sex, controller medication use, in utero smoke exposure, family history of asthma, family history of rhinitis, breastfeeding, daycare attendance, and mold exposure. RESULTS: Participants were classified as Poorly Controlled Asthma (40.8%), Partially Controlled Asthma (29.7%), or Controlled Asthma (30.2%). Of the individual SES indicators, low income was the strongest predictor of poor asthma control. Children with low income had worse asthma control than those with higher income (OR 1.39; 95%CI 0.92–2.12). The SES index ranged from 4–9. SES was associated with 17% increased odds of poor asthma control with each decrease in the index (95%CI 1.05–1.32). The SES index was associated with asthma-related symptoms, nocturnal awakenings, limited activity, and missed school days. CONCLUSIONS: The negative effects of SES were observed along the entire socioeconomic gradient, and the adverse asthma outcomes observed in African American youth were not limited to the very poor. We also found that the SES index may be a more consistent and useful predictor of poor asthma outcomes than each indicator alone