Reasons proposed by researchers to account for the underutilization of public mental clinics by Mexican Americans are summarized and then tested using data from a survey of 666 Mexican Americans in three Southern California communities. It is suggested that ethnic perceptions of emotional problems are most important in determining mental health…

To examine the relationships between acculturation, sociodemographic characteristics, and social supports and between network characteristics and personal distress, 259 adult Mexican Americans were surveyed. More acculturated Mexican Americans reported larger support networks, more contact with network members, more reciprocal helping, and more…

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and an acculturation inventory consisting of 15 semantic differential and sociocultural items were administered to Chicano college students. Factor analysis produced a four-dimensional measure of acculturation. Implications for future cross-cultural research and the difficulties in the…

Stress response among 150 physically injured Spanish-speaking/surnamed workers in the Los Angeles area was assessed through one-and-one-half-hour individual psychiatric evaluations. Most were first-generation Mexican American males with little formal education, an agrarian background, and in unskilled jobs prior to their injuries. Psychiatric…

Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the study assessed the strengths of selected components of the Mexican American ethnic medical system within the local community of Casper, Wyoming. Findings indicated that few local Hispanics adhered to much of the system, except in the realm of some easily available home remedies.…

The study tested the hypothesis that field dependence may be a significant cognitive variable when comparing Anglo, Central and South American, Mexican American, and Black adolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings failed to differentiate these ethnic groups although significant differences were noted between sexes and certain…

Interviews with 634 Hispanics living in California's San Francisco Bay Area provided data on their drinking patterns by sex, age, income, education, marital status, occupation, and religion. Results confirmed previous findings that indicate that Hispanics have a higher rate of heavy drinking and alcohol problems than other ethnic groups. (NQA)

A telephone survey of 270 adults of Hispanic origin determined the characteristics of well-adjusted "Latinos" residing within San Francisco's Mission District, a bicultural/bilingual urban milieu. The well-adjusted Latinos when compared to least well-adjusted Latinos had better paying jobs, better education, more years in the United…

Examines impact of different definitions of Hispanic ethnicity on sociodemographic characteristics, drinking patterns, and rate of alcohol problems among 1,453 Hispanic-American respondents. Defines Hispanic ethnicity by ethnicity of family of origin, national group, country most ancestors came from, and birthplace. Finds major differences between…

Alcohol use among 107 Hispanic seventh- and eighth-grade students, 13 to 16 years, was explored using self-administered questionnaires concerning demographic issues, social characteristics, family composition, alcohol consumption, school performance, and other behaviors. Findings suggested definite patterns to alcohol consumption, sex-based…

Teacher norms for students are specified on three dimensions --behavioral, social, and academic. Teacher expectations for their students' success are analyzed using 1,000 Hispanic and Anglo sixth-grade students and their classroom teachers. Findings indicated that teachers reward assertiveness, leadership, and action when considering success in…

Seventeen Mexican American women (aged 28-40) from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who had completed J.D., M.D., and Ph.D. degrees were interviewed about their backgrounds. Most important background variables contributing to the high educational achievement were: strong models provided by mothers, emotional support of families, attendance at…

A study, involving 119 interviews, obtained a demographic sketch of descendants of approximately 5,000 Puerto Ricans who emigrated to Hawaii as plantation laborers in the early 1900s, recorded some of their experiences in the archipelago, and noted areas in which Puerto Ricans have contributed to the Hawaiian cultural mosaic. (Author/MH)

Differentiating and ranking (D/R) mechanisms (norm-referenced testing, grouping, competition, busing differences) within the school isolate the culturally foreign and define them as inferior to the culturally dominant. The D/R factors constitute a vehicle by which the school commits symbolic violence. (Author/CM)

Interviews with 30 successful undergraduate Latino students in a highly selective university revealed that although most students came from "at-risk" socioeconomic backgrounds, they had access to specific personal and environmental resources that made them invulnerable to negative consequences of educational risk. Stresses the importance…