{"title":"Centering Latinx immigrant knowledge for wellbeing, liberation, and justice in community-university research partnerships.","authors":"Susana Echeverri Herrera, Bianca Ruiz-Negrón, Alejandra Lemus, Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzmán, Julia Meredith Hess, Janet Ramírez, Sonia Ramírez, Norma Casas, Margarita Galvis, Ivonne Aguirre, Jessica R Goodkind","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12782","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajcp.12782","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Structural inequities impacting immigrant health in the United States were intensified during two recent time periods-the anti-immigrant socio-political context of 2017-2021 and the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020. Our community-university research team adapted and implemented a community-based mental health intervention with Latinx immigrants during these periods, which allowed us to reflect on the role of our community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership in addressing the disparate impacts of these events on Latinx immigrants. We documented the factors and processes that enabled our partnership to navigate crises, address immediate needs, and promote long-term social change. We analyzed focus groups with community-based organization staff, research team meetings, retreat notes, and interviews with Latinx immigrants. Exacerbated challenges included fear, uncertainty, limited resources, and restricted mobility and isolation. By prioritizing immigrant individual, community, and organizational knowledge and epistemologies, our team built upon immigrants' experiences of survival and resistance in the face of ongoing exclusion to navigate the difficulties of both periods. Instead of developing reactive processes, our partnership centered on immigrants' existing strategies, ensuring responses were rapid, effective, and aligned with community needs. These findings highlight that immigrant communities survive continual \"crises\" and engage in ongoing resistance and survival strategies that can provide the basis for effective CBPR and other social change efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143456737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ana Christina da Silva Iddings, Macarena Lamas, Carola Lourdes Aravena Rojas, Katherine Malhue Vasquez
{"title":"Educating teachers toward immigrant empowerment and liberation in the United States and Chile: A funds of knowledge perspective.","authors":"Ana Christina da Silva Iddings, Macarena Lamas, Carola Lourdes Aravena Rojas, Katherine Malhue Vasquez","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12797","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12797","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article examines how university-based teacher education programs in diverse historical, sociocultural, and political settings in the U.S. and in Chile, served to foster immigrant empowerment and liberation. Using a Funds of Knowledge approach, the study analyzed the educational practices of migrant families and their integration into early childhood teacher education curricula in both countries. Ethnographic methods, including teacher interviews, household visits, and case studies, revealed that engaging with immigrant families fostered critical thinking among teachers, deepened their respect for the families' values and aspirations, and highlighted the rich educational resources within immigrant households. The study underscores the importance of recognizing and incorporating these practices to support young immigrant children's development. However, it also stresses the urgent need to address systemic oppression and entrenched colonial-racial ideologies that persist in educational systems in both contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143456758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hearing the voices of Ukrainian refugee women in Italy to enhance empowerment interventions.","authors":"Elisa Guidi, Anna Enrica Tosti, Patrizia Meringolo, Halina Hatalskaya, Moira Chiodini","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12791","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12791","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 2022 Russian invasion displaced millions of Ukrainians, many of whom sought refuge in Italy. War refugees face heightened mental-health risks but can also activate resilience and empowerment. This study employed the Transtheoretical Model of Empowerment and Resilience (Brodsky & Cattaneo, 2013) to explore resilience and empowerment processes implemented by Ukrainian refugee women in Italy to cope with war-related challenges and living in a new country. Twenty Ukrainian refugee women completed questionnaires and participated in semi-structured interviews. Results indicated perceived psychological distress following traumatic war experiences. Utilizing individual and shared resources, respondents enacted resilience processes stemming from the context of risk in their home country and the receiving country but not empowerment actions. However, some mentioned empowerment goals, such as changes in the formal support system for refugees and creating a network of Ukrainian refugees for mutual support. Results highlighted how some participants held individual characteristics of relative privilege, which could be crucial for transitioning from resilience to empowerment. The study suggests that facilitating this transition may require tailored interventions for the specific needs of Ukrainian refugee women and community-based interventions for promoting access to shared opportunities with the local community and other migrants.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143456778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexis J Handal, Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios, Mislael A Valentín-Cortés, Marie S O'Neill
{"title":"Experiences of women farmworkers in Michigan: Perspectives from the Michigan Farmworker Project.","authors":"Alexis J Handal, Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios, Mislael A Valentín-Cortés, Marie S O'Neill","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12792","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12792","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Agricultural work presents significant physical and social challenges globally and in the United States, with women farmworkers facing unique risks that remain underexplored. This study examines the social and occupational hazards confronted by women farmworkers in Michigan using data from the Michigan Farmworker Project. In-depth interviews with farmworkers were thematically analyzed. Results highlight five main dimensions of working and living conditions: gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, reproductive health concerns, pregnancy challenges, and work-life balance issues. Women and men participants (n = 35; average age of 42 years; 57% women) reported hazardous and exploitative conditions including sexual harassment, chemical exposures, and challenges with proper hygiene and sanitation-especially during menstruation-including lack of bathroom access and other problems leading to urinary tract infections. Participants discussed pregnancy-specific concerns and concerns regarding work-life balance and childcare (i.e., insufficient time for family, challenges with coordination of childcare). Findings underscore the need for policies to address these disparities, especially for single women farmworkers. Interventions and policies informed by this study can improve the well-being of women workers and their families in agricultural settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143412961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francesca Esposito, Federica de Lellis, Federica De Cordova, Erica Briozzo
{"title":"\"Who's breaking the law … not us, them!\": Inside immigration detention in Portugal.","authors":"Francesca Esposito, Federica de Lellis, Federica De Cordova, Erica Briozzo","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12784","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12784","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper, we examine immigration detention in Portugal, a system whose daily operations and inherent violence are overlooked in both public and academic discourses. Even within community psychology, discussions on immigration detention have largely remained on the fringes of scholarly debates. Guided by a justice-centered ecological lens, we map the contours of daily life in detention by centering the intersectional struggles of detained cisgender and transgender women. These struggles illuminate the politics of power and resistance at play in these sites, contributing to interrelated ecologies of knowledge and advancing a critical understanding of the systems of power and oppression articulated around borders, citizenship, and the \"making of migration.\" Our findings reveal Portuguese detention centers as uncaring environments where women feel constantly threatened, unsafe and disregarded, with their well-being severely compromised. Ignorance reigns in these sites, wielded as a form of power. Yet, despite this, detained women create counterspaces and cultivate ecologies of knowledge and resistance from the ground up. We conclude by reflecting on how community-engaged scholars and activists can contribute to transformative and liberatory efforts against carceral border systems, working toward futures of freedom, dignity, and justice for all.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143405057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Viviendo con dignidad: Lived experiences of Latina immigrant survivors of intimate partner violence with housing in the US.","authors":"Gabriela López-Zerón, Mayra Guerrero, Dilcia Molina, Leslie Moncada, Gabriela Hurtado, Marisela Chaplin, Michelle Terrones, Rafael Paz, Ashley Caballero","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12793","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12793","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intimate partner violence (IPV) increases the risk of homelessness and housing instability, particularly among Latine immigrant survivors in the USA. Latina immigrant women face disproportionate impacts of IPV and heightened risks for homelessness and housing instability, yet remain underrepresented in the IPV and housing literature, where methodologies regularly fail to center their voices and lived experiences. This study addresses this gap by utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR) to investigate the housing experiences of Latina immigrant survivors (N = 14) through in-depth interviews conducted in Spanish. Study findings reveal multifaceted housing experiences and challenges, including unsanitary and unsafe living conditions, landlord abuse, as well as discrimination and language barriers. The concept of dignidad (dignity) was central to survivors' narratives, which survivors identified as integral to safe and stable housing. Recommendations highlight the need for holistic, culturally-grounded housing services in survivors' preferred language. By highlighting Latina immigrant survivors' lived experiences and definitions of safe and stable housing, and punctuating the importance of language justice, this study underscores the need for tailored interventions that address the unique needs and challenges of this population. Additionally, survivors' recommendations offer actionable insights for policy makers and practitioners seeking to improve housing services for Latina immigrant survivors.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143412963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A conceptual model for co-developing a culturally tailored intervention for Latina immigrant caregivers of children with disabilities.","authors":"Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, Amy Pei-Lung Yu, Stephany Brown, Jasmine Brown-Hollie, Adriana Crostley, Deborah Parra-Medina, Mariela Saenz, Mansha Mirza, Aileen Velasquez, Sandra Vanegas, Sandy Magaña","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12789","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12789","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The growing diversity of the U.S. population, partly due to immigration, has called attention to scholars and practitioners to attend to immigrants' cultural beliefs, values, and ways of doing when designing interventions to promote health and wellbeing. In this paper, we propose a contextual and dynamic model for co-developing a culturally tailored intervention with the community to advance equity and empowerment of Latinx immigrant caregivers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Grounded in the literature and voices of the community, the proposed model includes six interactive dimensions (LARREDS) that guided the development of the PODER Familiar intervention described here. These include language and linguistic preferences; accessibility factors; reflecting the group's values, ways of thinking and doing; reflecting generational differences; dimensions of delivery and learning style; and the social, ecological, and cultural environment. Informed by principles of family engagement, the model also includes eight strategies for engaging caregivers throughout the intervention. The conceptual model was co-developed with promotoras who also provided input on the PODER Familiar intervention. While describing the model in action, we highlight the voices of the promotoras. The implications of culturally tailored interventions and the application of the model to designing interventions for other migrant populations are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143381483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bradley D Olson, Noé Rubén Chávez, Caleb J Kamplain, Jordan Tackett Russell
{"title":"Leveraging community psychology to counter harmful policies and foster well-being in migrant children.","authors":"Bradley D Olson, Noé Rubén Chávez, Caleb J Kamplain, Jordan Tackett Russell","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12787","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12787","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Harmful child detention and deportation policies, along with dehumanizing migrant narratives, are part of a global pattern of systemic oppression targeting people on the move. This paper reviews the psychological harms experienced by migrant children caused by detention, separation, and deportation, critiquing the limitations of trauma-focused, individual therapeutic approaches often adopted by service-oriented fields. Community psychology principles are presented as an alternative framework, emphasizing ecological and systemic approaches to design more just and humane immigration policies at societal, organizational, and community levels. The paper explores evidence of harm, the strengths and limitations of therapeutic approaches, and harmful policies such as Trump's zero-tolerance policy and emerging US deportation plans. It also highlights positive frameworks, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, such as organizational policies and legal standards centered on the child's best interests. Using a social-ecological lens, the paper examines harmful policies that escalate risks, stressors, and barriers and highlights humane and protective factors. The authors examine how community psychology challenges oppressive systems, promotes community-based alternatives, and amplifies the voices of migrant children and families. These efforts underscore the transformative potential of community psychology in addressing immigration injustices through collective action and systemic change.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143187644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David T Lardier, Alexandra N Davis, Carolina S Verdezoto, Sabrina Magliulo, Lindsey M Bell, Andriana Herrera, Pauline Garcia-Reid, Robert J Reid
{"title":"Intrapersonal psychological empowerment: Assessing measurement invariance of the Brief Sociopolitical Control Scale for youth between LGBQ+ and non-LGBQ+ youth of color.","authors":"David T Lardier, Alexandra N Davis, Carolina S Verdezoto, Sabrina Magliulo, Lindsey M Bell, Andriana Herrera, Pauline Garcia-Reid, Robert J Reid","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12786","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and Questioning+ (LGBQ+) Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) youth experience significant stigmatization and injustice compared to their non-LGBQ+ BIPOC peers. Empowerment, civic engagement, and social connection are protective factors that reduce negative psychological outcomes for these youth. Despite this, validated measures to assess empowerment among LGBQ+ BIPOC youth are scarce. This study evaluated the applicability of the newly revised Brief Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (BSPCS-Y) through multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) to examine configural, metric, and scalar invariances between LGBQ+ and non-LGBQ+ BIPOC youth (N = 1789). Convergent validity was assessed with psychological sense of community and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results indicated a good model fit for the abbreviated BSPCS-Y, with no significant group differences in metric and scalar invariances. Subscales for leadership competence and policy control were positively associated with psychological sense of community and negatively associated with depression and anxiety symptoms, with stronger effects of psychological sense of community observed in non-LGBQ+ BIPOC youth and more robust associations with reduced depression and anxiety among LGBQ+ BIPOC youth. These findings support the BSPCS-Y as a valid tool for measuring empowerment in diverse BIPOC youth populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faviola Robles Saenz, Julissa Castellanos Regalado, Larry Martinez, Greg Townley
{"title":"Seguir adelante: A qualitative exploration of Latino farmworkers' work and nonwork resources.","authors":"Faviola Robles Saenz, Julissa Castellanos Regalado, Larry Martinez, Greg Townley","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.12790","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12790","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Latino immigrant workers have been an exploited community within many dangerous workforces, but especially within the agricultural industry. They are a crucial population for the labor and economy of the U.S., yet Latino farmworkers report feeling expendable, discriminated against, and exposed to hazardous working conditions. Due to these experiences, it is essential to explore the resources that farmworkers find valuable in improving their working conditions. This study draws upon qualitative interviews conducted with 41 Latino farmworkers in Oregon. Themes pertaining to work and nonwork resources were uncovered through thematic analysis, illustrating that farmworkers receive support from their proximal communities and feel empowered by them, but lack support from their distal communities and need basic work necessities, fair wages, supportive supervisors, legislative labor protection, and a pathway to citizenship. Findings make clear that employers and elected officials must do more to advocate for Latino immigrant farmworkers and provide resources to protect their well-being. We demonstrate the need for future research related to changes in farmworkers' resources over time, their reporting of workplace violations, the impact of labor legislation on their health, and how information sharing or unionization occurs among farmworkers.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143078354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}