Caminos al Bienestar
Caminos al Bienestar
Caminos al Bienestar (Pathways to Health) uses cutting-edge research methods and an interdisciplinary team of investigators to advance knowledge of how neighborhoods, schools, policy contexts, and families shape the health and development of U.S. Latino/a adolescents. Research insights from the project inform the development of policies and programs supporting positive pathways to health and well-being for the growing U.S. Latino/a youth population.
Research Summary
The sharp rise in anti-immigrant policy and rhetoric since early 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic raises serious stress-related public health concerns for today’s Latinx youth and exacerbates existing health disparities. This NICHD-funded research project investigates how experiences of adversity influence later health risks and social mobility as Latinx youth transition from early adolescence into adulthood.
The project identifies protective factors that mitigate negative impacts to health and social mobility. These include neighborhood cohesion, peer support, familialism, and ethnic identity. The project provides new insights on the roles of individual, family, and community-related factors that exacerbate or mitigate well-being among this understudied population.
The findings of this study have the potential to inform policies and interventions aimed at supporting Latinx youth, particularly those who continue to grapple with the aftermath of pandemic and immigrant-related adversities. The project holds the promise of contributing to the well-being of a vulnerable population and addressing the unique challenges they face in our ever-changing sociopolitical landscape. Additionally, the project incorporates several undergraduate research assistants, supporting their development by providing them with opportunities to learn about methodological approaches and participate in data analysis.
Publications and Presentations
Peer Reviewed Publications
By Topic
- Discrimination in Schools
- Family-Level Discrimination
- Parent-Child Relationships
- Mental Health
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Roche, K. M., Ehrlich, K. B., Vaquera, E., & Little, T. D. (in press). Mental health during early adolescence and later cardiometabolic risk: A prospective study of US Latinx youth. Journal of Adolescent Health.
- Immigration
Scholary Presentations
By Year
- 2023
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Kho, C., White, R. B. M., Roche, K. M., & Knight, G. (2023). Acculturative Family Distancing and Familism among Latinx Youth: Influences on Youth Psychological Adjustment. Paper to be presented at the 2023 Meeting for the Society for Research on Adolescence. April, 2023, San Diego, CA.
Zhao, J., White, R. B. M., Kho, C., Roche, K. M., Vega, C., & Osborn, K. (2023). Developmental Changes in Latinx Parenting Behaviors during Adolescence: Variation by Neighborhood Structural Characteristics. Paper to be presented at the Latinx Parenting Behaviors in Context Flash Talk session at the 2023 Meeting for the Society for Research in Child Development. March 24, 2023. Salt Lake City, Utah.
- 2022
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Partovi, R., Lambert, S. F., Roche, K. M., Schulenberg, J. (2022). Patterns of substance use behaviors among Latino/a adolescents: Exploring the role of early ethnic discrimination. Paper presented at the 2022 Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research on Adolescence. Session Title: Course, Causes, and Consequences of Latino/a Adolescent Substance Use. March 5, 2022, New Orleans, LA and Virtual.
Roche, K. M., White, R. B. M., Lambert, S. F., Calzada, E. J., Schulenberg, J., Kuperminc, G. P., & Little, T. D. (2022). Link Between Family Member Deportation and Detention and Latino/a Adolescents’ Later Adjustment. Paper presented at the 2020 Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research on Child Development. Session Title: The effects of immigration climate and policy changes on Latinx youth and families. May 4-6, San Juan, Puerto Rico. RESCHEDULED FROM 2020 TO 2022 DUE TO COVID-19
Walsdorf, A. A., Roche, K. M., Caughy, M. O., & Rivera, M. I. (2022). Parents’ Perceptions of the Influence of Immigration Actions and Documentation Status on Latinx Adolescents. Paper presented at the 2020 Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research on Child Development. Session Title: The effects of immigration climate and policy changes on Latinx youth and families. May 4-6, San Juan, Puerto Rico. RESCHEDULED FROM 2020 TO 2022 DUE TO COVID-19
Partovi, R., Lambert, S. F., Roche, K. M. (2022). The mediating role of attention problems in linking ethnic/racial discrimination and Latino/a adolescents’ academic success. Poster presented at the 2022 Special Topic Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
- 2021
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Meléndez Guevara, A. M., White, R. B. M., Lindstrom-Johnson, S., Nair, R., Roche, K. M., Zhao, C., Vega, C., Kho, C., Matriano, R. (2021). School Racial/Ethnic Discrimination, Rule Breaking Behavior and the Mediating Role of Trauma Reactions Among Latinx Adolescents. Paper presented at the 2021 Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research on Child Development. Session Title: Examining Diversity in the School-Based Experiences of Latinx Families: Stressors, Support Processes, and Well-Being. April 7 - 9 2021, Virtual.
White, R. B. M., Nair, R., Vega, C., & Roche, K. M. (2021). Implications of Residential Neighborhoods and Mothers’ Activity Spaces for Socialization of Latinx Adolescents. Paper presented at the 2021 Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research on Child Development. Session Title: Objective and Subjective Approaches to Examining Neighborhood Environments for Youth Development. April 7 - 9 2021, Virtual.
Kho, C., White, R. B. M., Knight, G., Roche, K. M., Zhao, C., Vega, C., Meléndez Guevara, A. M. (2021). Developmental Trajectories of Enculturative Values among Latinx Adolescents in an Emerging Immigrant Community: The Role of Parental Warmth and Acceptance. Flash talk session at the 2021 Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research on Child Development. Session title: Acculturation and Cultural Values. April 7 - 9 2021, Virtual.
- 2020
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Walsdorf, A. A., Roche, K. M., & Jordan, L. (2020). “Our future isn't stable for any of us:" How Latinx Adolescents in 2019 Perceive their Futures in the United States. Paper presented at the 2020 Biennial Meeting for Society for Research on Adolescence. Session Title: How the Contemporary U.S. Immigration Environment may Matter for Latino/a Adolescents’ Adjustment. March 29-31, San Diego, CA. RESCHEDULED DUE TO COVID-19
Falusi, O. O., Newman, D., & Roche, K. M. (2020). Associations Between Parental Residency Status and Latinx Adolescents' Mental Health in Today's US Immigration Environment. Poster presented at Children’s National Research, Education and Innovation Week, April 20, Washington, DC.
- 2019
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Miller, J. A., Kuperminc, G. P., & Roche, K. M. (2019). The Impact of Anti-Immigrant Policies on the Emotional Health of Latinx Immigrant Families. Poster presentation. Biennial Meeting of the Society for Community Research and Action, June 26, Chicago, IL.
Roche, K. M., Vaquera, E., White, R. B. M., & Rivera, M. I. (2019). U.S. Latino/a Parents' Responses to Recent Immigration Changes: A Mixed Methods Study. Session Chair and Paper 2014 presented in the Session: The Pervasiveness of Stress and Adversity in the Lives of Today's U.S. Latino/a Adolescents, Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development, March 20-24, Baltimore, MD.
Research Team
Principal Investigators
Kathleen M. Roche, Ph.D.
Professor Roche's research seeks to investigate intersecting influences of community, culture, and parenting in relationship to the healthy development of adolescents, particularly those in Latin American-origin families. Her work examines parent-adolescent relationships, and adjustment within the context of racial-ethnic discrimination, acculturation to the U.S., economic disadvantage, and restrictive immigrant environments.
Elizabeth Vaquera, Ph.D.
Director of the GW Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute. She holds appointments in Sociology and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. Her research focuses on the physical, emotional, and social wellbeing of vulnerable and diverse groups, particularly Latinos/as, immigrants, and children. Dr. Vaquera is the recipient of several federal grants by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Sharon Lambert, Ph.D.
Sharon Lambert is a professor of clinical and community psychology in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. She has expertise in developmental and quantitative psychology, and a focus on the development of racial and ethnic minority youth. Dr. Lambert’s research focuses on how adolescents and families manage neighborhood and race-related stressors, particularly the role of community violence exposure and racial discrimination in youth depression.
Co-Investigators
Rebecca White, PhD.
Professor of Family and Human Development at Arizona State University
Gabriel Kuperminc, PhD.
Professor of Public Health at Georgia State University
Roushanac Partovi
Education Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Irvine
Undergraduate Research Team
Delilah Cruz
Political Science Major
Jackie Dioses
Political Science Major
Georgette Encinas
Civil Engineer Major
Christopher Flores-Morenos
Cognitive Neuroscience Major
Annabelle Manzo
Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Major
Resources
- Fact Sheets
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The impact of Social Contexts on Latinx Students’ Health and Educational Outcomes: COVID-19 Pandemic
- Georgia-Area Resources
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Provides parenting programs, workshops for parents and youth, the GA Latin@s Against Domestic Violence Program. Counseling and therapy for Family, Couple and Youth as well as Cultural ands Linguistic Proficiency Training. Call: (678) 363-3079
Provides rental and housing assistance, food pantries, transportation assistance, GED prep classes and life skills training. Call: (770) 428-2601
Provides after school tutoring, parenting workshops, immigration and legal aid support, Anímate Summer Academy, and Estrellitas a program that empowers Latina teens in Atlanta through leadership development. Call: (404) 842-5873
Provides family law (domestic violence, marriage, divorce, adoption), consumer law (bankruptcy, scholarships & student loans), housing (discrimination in housing, eviction), children and education (adult education, children with disabilities) and public benefits (food stamps and food programs; health care for children) assistance. Call: (404) 894-7707 or (404) 524-5811
Provides veteran services, housing counseling, parenting education (services mainly focus on family support, child development and early intervention), educational services (ESL & citizenship classes), case management, refugee services and immigration legal services. Call: (404) 920-7725
Provides Georgia residents with access to a women’s program (support and reflection groups, court accompaniment, assistance with temporary protective orders, etc.), men’s program (critical-consciousness and education groups focusing on domestic violence, etc.) and youth program (sharing groups for young adults, adolescents and children, liaison with schools and juvenile courts, tutoring, etc.). Call: (404) 413-6348
Counseling Institute of Atlanta
Provides clinical mental health support and educational services. Call: (404) 630-1361
Provides mental health support to families in Georgia. Call: (404) 853-2844
Goizueta Foundation Scholarship
Provides education scholarship support. Call: (404) 239-0390