Advancing work to effectively study, understand, and serve the fastest growing U.S. ethnic minority population, this volume explicitly emphasizes the racial and ethnic diversity within this heterogeneous cultural group. The focus is on the complex historical roots of contemporary Latino/as, their diversity in skin-color and physiognomy, racial identity, ethnic identity, gender differences, immigration patterns, and acculturation. The work highlights how the complexities inherent in the diverse Latino/a experience, as specified throughout the topics covered in this volume, become critical elements of culturally responsive and racially conscious mental health treatment approaches. By addressing the complexities, within-group differences, and racially heterogeneity characteristic of U.S. Latino/as, this volume makes a significant contribution to the literature related to mental health treatments and interventions.

Mapping explanations of academic variability and racial/ethnic identification -- Methods -- Portraits of self-identification -- Negotiating identification with other students and teachers -- Perceptions of life chances -- Conceptualizing and navigating the school space -- Toward an understanding of the educational implications of skin color variation.

Congratulations to Aida Hurtado and Karina Cervantez- winners of the 2009 Women of Color Psychologies Award! This award, given by the Association of Women in Psychology Association, is voted on by AWP members for contributions of new knowledge and importance to the advancement of the psychology of women of color. Offering broad coverage of all U.S. Latino groups, this volume synthesizes cutting-edge research and methodological advances and provides culturally sophisticated information that can be used by researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. The editors and contributing authors summarize theories and conceptual models that can further our understanding of the development and adaptation of U.S. Latino populations. In addition, they focus on the importance of cultural sensitivity and competence in research and intervention approaches and how to achieve it. Key Features • Highlights the normative development and strengths of U.S. Latino populations • Elaborates on the heterogeneity of Latinos in that it does not assume that all Latino populations, and the contexts of their development, are identical. • Emphasizes on cultural sensitivity and competence at all levels • Focuses on the importance of cultural identity amongst Latinos and its contribution to healthy developmental outcomes.

How can psychology contribute to our understanding of Hispanics in the United States? Edited by Amado M. Padilla, Hispanic Psychology offers students, researchers, and practitioners the most contemporary and complete view of psychological writings available today. The topics tackled by a team of social scientists include adaptation to a new culture in the United States, the role of the family in acculturation, ethnic identification for Hispanics, health and mental health service and research needs of Hispanics, and changing gender roles in Hispanic culture. This volume examines such complex subjects as Chicano male gang members, homeless female AIDS victims, and educational resiliency of students with authority and perceptivity. This book brings together diverse psychological issues that will spark an interest in anyone wishing to have a current perspective on the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. "Libraries serving graduate students in the areas of psychology, education, child development, or Latino studies should find this book helpful." --Choice "The growing presence and relevance of ethnic and cultural issues in many mental health disciplines has a cogent demonstration in this handsome volume. The strength of this volume is in its well-conceived and realized research studies. Indeed, the "new scholarship" of conceptual models, measurement instruments, and interpretive approaches, drawing heavily on the social context in which Hispanics live, gives this book a prominent place among its peers. This volume will become a landmark in the task of defining the realities and the fate of Hispanics in the United States of the twenty-first century." --Renato D. Alacrón in Transcultural Psychiatric Research Review

Using the Cross Racial Identity Model (Cross, 1991), Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity (Sellers, et al. 1998), and Helm's White Racial Identity Model (Helms, 1995), this web-based quantitative cross-sectional survey study was designed to examine the associations between selfreported skin color, racial discrimination, racial identity, parental racial socialization, selfesteem, and depressive symptoms in a convenience sample of 205 United States of America (USA) born Latinos (ages 18-25). Most participants were between 18 and 21 years old (64%) and were women (78.5%). Participants were asked to self-identify their race and approximately one-third [27% (n=56)] reported their race as White, and only 10.2% (n=21) reported their race as Black. Most self-reported their skin color as a lighter shade (89% rated their skin color between 1 and 4) and 31.2% (n=64) reported their skin color as "2=very light". Only 10.8% (n=22) reported their skin color as 5 and above (darker skin color). Approximately one-quarter reported their parent's country of origin is Mexico 24.9% (n=51) and others reported their parent's country of origin is the United States of America (15.1% n=31), or various countries in Latin America (e.g., Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Honduras, Cuba) and European Countries (e.g., Scotland, Spain, Ireland, Hungary). More than half were single when they completed the survey (58.5%), 39% were in a relationship, and 2.9% were married. Approximately, 70% reported they spoke another language while growing up; 64.9% reported speaking Spanish. Most were in college when they completed the survey (68.8% n=141). More than half reported their annual income as less than $10,000 (n=138; 67.3%) and approximately half reported their family's social economic status as working class (43.9%). Participants first completed a demographic questionnaire and then 5 valid and reliable self-report surveys to examine their skin color, racial identity, perceived racial discrimination, parental racial socialization, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Results suggest that racial identity, specifically the self-hatred and anti-dominant stages of the cross identity stages of development, and not skin color or parental racial socialization is a significant mediator between perceived racial discrimination and self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Participants who perceived more racial discrimination and who were in the self-hatred stage tended to report more depressive symptoms (partial mediation). Results of the second mediation analysis suggest that the self-hatred and anti-dominant scales are significantly associated with lower self-esteem and is a fully mediated model because the racial discrimination path was not significant. Thus, for USA born Latinos who report experiencing racial discrimination, the more grounded in self-hatred or anti-dominant identities, the lower their self-esteem and the more depressive symptoms they tend to experience. This is a noteworthy finding which supports Cross's (1991) racial identity development. Results also suggest that parental socialization towards equality despite racial differences is a significant predictor of higher self-esteem and less depressive symptoms. This dissertation study has important implications for family therapists who are working with young adult USA born Latinos. First, more comprehensive clinical assessments should be done to better understand Latinos' experiences of racial discrimination, racial identity, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Clinicians should focus on the importance of parental socialization toward equality, in particular when Latino youth report experiencing discrimination, depressive symptoms, and lower self-esteem. In future research studies, two or more racial identity models should be used to capture the diverse ways Latinos tend to racially identify in the USA. Studies should also be designed to prospectively evaluate the importance of racial identity development over time from childhood to young adulthood to better understand Latino mental health and well-being in order to develop culturally sensitive family prevention programs for parents and youth.