Oscar Fernando Rojas Perez

Caregiver strain or stress resulting from caring for a child with emotional/behavioral problems—can negatively impact the psychological health of caregivers and may underly decisions to seek mental health services for their youth. The Caregiver Strain Questionnaire‐Short Form 11 (CGSQ‐SF11) was developed to assess caregiver strain, but a Spanish language form has yet to be evaluated, limiting its utility with Latinx families. This study evaluated the CGSQ‐SF11 as a tool for assessing caregiver strain among Latinx caregivers. The sample included 511 Latinx caregivers of youths aged 6–18 who self‐selected into English ( n = 275) or Spanish ( n = 236) questionnaires. In general, caregivers reported moderate levels of caregiver strain, and caregivers who completed the Spanish survey reported significantly lower youth mental health problem severity and caregiver strain relative to those in the English survey. Confirmatory factor analyses suggest that a three‐factor structure fit the data better (i.e., objective, subjective internalized, and subjective externalized strain) than a global factor. However, a bifactor model suggested that the variance in the total score was best represented by a unidimensional structure. The CGSQ‐SF11 achieved metric invariance, which suggests that the latent variable and strength of factor loadings for the global scale were similar across language forms. Finally, we provide evidence of convergent validity through associations between the CGSQ‐SF11 global scale and measures of youth internalizing and externalizing problems. Our findings support the use of CGSQ‐SF11 English and Spanish language forms with Latinx caregivers.

Introduction: Among the 3.2 million Latinos in the United States with serious mental illness (SMI) in 2024, less than 15.5% received any treatment or medication. Research on mental health treatment engagement among Latinos has largely conceptualized engagement broadly, overlooking nuances in the engagement process, disorder severity, and community heterogeneity. Most studies on treatment engagement among Latinos with SMI have explored macro-level factors without a guiding framework or theory. Thus, the aim of the current study was to identify barriers to and facilitators of treatment engagement among Latinos with SMI using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Methods: Sixteen Latino adults with SMI ( n = 8 in treatment; n = 8 not in treatment) participated in qualitative semi-structured interviews in their preferred language via Zoom. The interview questions were informed by the CFIR and the available literature on Latinos with serious mental illness. The interview questions were reviewed and revised through a collaborative validation process with an all-Latino community advisory team. Results: Thematic analysis of the data identified a range of barriers to and facilitators of engagement in mental health treatment. Inner setting domain barriers included incongruence between treatment and Latino culture, and limited availability of bilingual and bicultural providers. Individual characteristic domain barriers included negative experience with mental health providers, lack of trust in providers and systems of care, and mental health stigma. Inner setting domain facilitators included mental health psychoeducation and providers who listen and are compassionate. Individual characteristics domain facilitators included preferences for behavior-based, context-based, and faith-based care. Conclusion: These findings contribute to existing literature by shedding light on non-social determinants of health (SDOH)-related barriers to and facilitators of treatment engagement for Latinos with SMI.

Historical as well as ongoing sociocultural and sociopolitical contexts deeply affect trauma exposure and recovery among Latine immigrants. Violent immigration policies, xenophobia and racism, as well as social disadvantages all contribute to a high trauma burden among Latine immigrants in the United States. However, Latine immigrants also display deep resilience and strengths that support their continued survival in these contexts-a phenomenon we call soul endurance. Method: The justice-based interdisciplinary thriving framework is a novel approach, grounded in clinical observation and research, for conceptualizing trauma recovery among Latine immigrants, addressing their lived realities while leveraging key strengths. Key elements of this framework include integrating multiple disciplines into trauma treatment, employing culturally responsive treatment modalities, and designing treatments that address not only individual- but also community-level needs. The overarching goal of this framework is to promote trauma healing in the Latine immigrant community, which represents a more holistic and tailored approach to trauma treatment. By taking a justice-oriented, interdisciplinary approach, we aim to promote thriving rather than merely surviving among Latine immigrants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Despite a general decline in smoking rates among the U.S. population, smoking among low-income populations remains disproportionately high, likely due to the social determinants of health. To inform tailored approaches and responsive public health policies, the aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the sociocultural contexts, attitudes, and behaviors regarding smoking and quitting in a sample of low-income adults who smoke. In-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 adults. Participants were recruited through local safety-net primary care clinics and community sites. A thematic analytic approach was utilized to analyze transcribed interviews. In exploring smoking and quitting within the context of low-income individuals, the following six themes were identified: caught between health and tobacco use; the nuances of context; roadblocks to quitting; motivation without movement; a temporary escape; and one size does not fit all. Insights into sociocultural and environmental contexts that shape smoking and quitting among low-income individuals revealed a complex interplay of factors that perpetuate smoking behavior and make it difficult to achieve sustained cessation. The study findings point to the importance of patient-centered and collaborative approaches that tailor smoking cessation efforts to the unique needs and lived experiences of low-income people who smoke.

In the face of harmful disparities and inequities, it is crucial for researchers to critically reflect on methodologies and research practices that can dismantle systems of oppression, accommodate pluralistic realities, and facilitate opportunities for all communities to thrive. Historically, knowledge production for the sciences has followed a colonial and colonizing approach that continues to silence and decontextualize the lived experiences of people of color. This article acknowledges the harm to people of color communities in the name of research and draws from decolonial and liberation frameworks to advance research practices and psychological science toward equity and social justice. In this article, we propose a lens rooted in decolonial and liberatory principles that researchers can use to rethink and guide their scientific endeavors and collaborations toward more ethical, equitable, inclusive, respectful, and pluralistic research practices. The proposed lens draws on literature from community psychology and our lessons learned from field studies with historically marginalized Latinx communities to highlight six interrelated tensions that are important to address in psychological research from a decolonizing and liberatory lens. These interrelated tensions involve conflicting issues of (a) power, (b) competence, (c) practices and theories, (d) rationale, (e) approach, and (f) trust. In addition, seven practical recommendations and examples for decolonial and liberatory research practices are outlined. The recommendations can assist researchers in identifying ways to ameliorate and address the interrelated tensions to give way to decolonial and liberatory research practices. Community and social justice scientists have the responsibility to decommission oppressive research practices and engage in decolonization and liberation toward a valid, ethical, equitable, and inclusive psychological science. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Racist and xenophobic policies in the United States (e.g., family separations and lack of access to protected immigration statuses for undocumented immigrants) have historically excluded immigrants of color from accessing full civil rights, thus contributing to widening racial inequities in the US. Racism and xenophobia intersected with other systems of oppression during the COVID‐19 pandemic, exposing immigrants of color to detrimental health effects. Research shows that activism helps immigrants of color cope with systemic stressors and protect their psychological well‐being. In this manuscript, we introduce the antiracist activism for immigrant rights (AAIR) framework to clarify how activism in response to systemic stress may promote healthy coping. This framework was developed together by scholars and immigration activists in the US Critical and liberatory theory and research on empowerment and healing also informed AAIR. Using structural equation modeling, we tested the framework in a community sample of 204 immigrants of color. Results support the model, depicting antiracist immigration activism as a latent construct manifested as a combination of engagement in racial justice, immigrant rights, and electoral activism. Further, results support the link between antiracist immigration activism and healthy coping in response to stress from immigration and health. We provide recommendations for behavioral health professionals to promote antiracist immigration activism and healthy coping among immigrant communities.

Psychologists are positioned to help address societal and public health crises in beneficial ways, including collectively working with public sectors to serve marginalized communities. This article highlights the relevance of helping to address societal and public health crises with collectivistic psychological leadership approaches and uses Latinx psychology leaders for addressing the current immigrant needs among Latinx communities. We draw attention to the domains needed for collectivistic psychological leadership that are culturally nuanced and equity, diversity, and inclusion-focused to advance the well-being of historically marginalized immigrant communities. Finally, the article highlights how our collectivistic approach operates in the public sector by describing the creation of the Latinx Immigrant Health Alliance (LIHA) and targeted outcomes. Briefly, the LIHA informally started in 2017 and was founded in 2020 to fill a gap in Latinx immigrant health at the heart of systemic inequalities during the global pandemic, explicit anti-immigrant rhetoric, and anti-Latinx policies. The LIHA aims to collectively work with community organizations to promote Latinx immigration health research, policy, education, training, and effective interventions. We include future directions and opportunities for collectivistic psychological leadership to address today's complex social issues. In particular, we call for the translation of psychological methods and other skills (e.g., research, clinical skills, policy, quantitative and qualitative methodology) into public action for better wellness of our communities, as well as the advancement of social justice, health equity, and inclusion for historically marginalized communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Mental health concerns among juvenile-justice-involved youth (JJIY) continue to be a major health crisis in the United States (US). While scholarship has explored mental health concerns among JJIY, and the link to negative life outcomes, there are gaps in the existing research, particularly in effective interventions and models aimed at addressing both the mental health concerns and criminogenic risk contributing to recidivism and other negative life outcomes of this population. In this paper, we present Justice-Based Interdisciplinary Collective Care (JBICC), an innovative framework to address both the mental health needs and delinquent behavior of youth offenders. The model bridges community partners, with the purpose of informing future interventions, implementations, and research in this area. Increased justice-based interdisciplinary collective collaboration between the juvenile justice system and community programs/organizations would be a major benefit to youth offenders and their families. We also focus on the need for cultural responsiveness to be interwoven throughout all aspects of treatment. JBICC offers an opportunity to expanded services outside traditional settings and methods to ensure that youth offenders and their families receive validating and culturally responsive access to services.

The mental health burden associated with anti-immigrant rhetoric and ever-changing immigration policies is undeniable, though the psychological and emotional sequalae may remain invisible for years to come. Exclusionary immigration policies, as a form of structural racism, have also led to an epidemic of stress-related health within the Latinx community, particularly the Latinx immigrant community, across the United States. Recent examples of anti-Latinx and anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies include the 45^th President's implementation of the Zero Tolerance policy, Migrant Protection Protocols, and Title 42. The recognition of previous and existing anti-immigrant policies, and the impact on Latinx immigrants, is critical in understanding the manifestation of psychological stress to prevent it from becoming chronic. For mental health providers, attention to existing policies that can be detrimental to the Latinx immigrant community is essential to understanding their mental health trajectory and applying frameworks that honor an individual's psychological stress to prevent pathologizing the immigrant experience and negative health outcomes. The objective of the present brief review is to shed light on recent research and offer recommendations for practice (eg, educating the Latinx community about the link between the immigrant experience and psychological stress) and policy (eg, drafting of legislation aimed at rescinding harmful immigration policies) regarding the relation between aggressive anti-immigration rhetoric and psychological stress among Latinx immigrants in the United States.