Objective: The authors of this study aimed to evaluate 2-factor structures for the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) reported in the literature to determine which one proves to be a better fit with the data on low-income Puerto Ricans living on the island. Method: The sample consisted of 3,504 civilian noninstitutionalized…

Objective: The authors conducted a meta-analysis of empirical studies investigating associations between indices of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intimate relationship problems to empirically synthesize this literature. Method: A literature search using PsycINFO, Medline, Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress (PILOTS),…

Objective: Knowledge of acculturative processes and their impact on immigrant families remains quite limited. Acculturative family distancing (AFD) is the distancing that occurs between immigrant parents and their children and is caused by breakdowns in communication and cultural value differences. It is a more proximal and problem-focused…

Individuals react in a variety of ways when experiencing environmental challenges exceeding their capacity to cope adaptively. Some researchers have suggested that Asian populations tend to react to excessive stress with somatic symptoms, whereas Western populations tend to respond more with affective or depressive symptoms. Other researchers,…

Investigated age of onset of any lifetime depressive disorder in community-based adults. One-fourth of those with major depressive disorder reported onset during childhood or adolescence; over one-half reported onset by age 25. Women were likely to have earlier onset of depression than men; non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans born in United…

Assessed referability index (RI), frequency with which child problem stimulates clinic referral, across 118 child problems as function of problem type (overcontrolled versus undercontrolled), gender, and culture (United States versus Thailand). Problems of both types were more referable in girls than boys; undercontrolled problems were more…

Students from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States were categorized by sex and country of origin and evaluated for belief in external control over their lives. The scale used was the Internal-External Locus of Control, devised by Rotter. (EK)

English-language Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPI's) were administered to 40 bilingual Mexican-American and 109 Anglo-American psychiatric patients in a community mental health center. With K corrections, Mexican-American subjects scored higher on the L and K scales, but no significant differences were found on clinical scales…

Reviews current data on adolescent drug use, noting that, for drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and stimulants, lifetime prevalence continues to increase through high school; for inhalants and heroin, lifetime prevalence may decline, suggesting that students who use these drugs early may drop out. Examines drug use among rural, barrio, ghetto,…

Discussed relationships between cultural variables and psychosocial treatment. Value Orientations Scale was developed. Cuban immigrant and Anglo-American adolescents were compared. Cubans preferred lineality, subjugation to nature, present time, and not to endorse idealized humanistic values. Americans preferred individuality, mastery over nature,…

Notes that clinical psychological research has explored relevant cultural variables and their effects on mental health and treatment of ethnic minority group members. Reviews literature pertinent to the cultural proscriptions of several ethnic minority groups and their relevance to mental health issues and treatment of gay and lesbian members.…

Studied clinical referrals of two different societies (Jamaica, where Afro-British culture discourages child aggression, and United States, where uncontrolled child behavior appears more accepted) to determine influence of cultural factors in clinical referral patterns. Found significant difference in clinic-referred problems of American and…

In this study, the authors measured grief processing and deliberate grief avoidance and examined their relationship to adjustment at 4 and 18 months of bereavement for 2 types of losses (spouse, child) in 2 cultures (People's Republic of China, United States). Three hypotheses were compared: the traditional grief work assumption, a conditional…

WISC performance of Jewish children has revealed a highly consistent and stable pattern, characterized by relatively low scores on Picture Completion, Picture Arrangement, Block Design, and Object Assembly. Some of these findings might be understood by reference to relative weakness of Jewish subjects on tasks related to psychological…

Investigated geographic differences in Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) results by comparing 60 Hawaiian and 60 mainland United States psychiatric outpatients. The influence of pidgin English led to expectations that Hawaiian subjects would have significantly lower WAIS Verbal scores than mainland subjects. Data verified these…