Barriers to and facilitators of community participation among Latinx migrants with disabilities in the United States and Latinx migrant workers in Canada: An ecological analysis

Disability rights and empowerment: Reflections on AJCP research and a call to action

People living with physical, sensory, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities experience complex social, environmental, political, and cultural challenges along with stigma and marginalization in education, employment, and community life. These multiple and complex barriers often hinder their full and effective participation in society. In this reflection, we curated articles on physical, sensory, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities published in the American Journal of Community Psychology from 1973 to 2022. We reviewed titles and abstracts to identify themes that grouped manuscripts in relevant community psychology core concepts and values. From our analysis, five themes emerged: (a) promoting empowerment and advocacy; (b) promoting organizations and settings that support people with disabilities; (c) including people with disabilities in knowledge production; (d) promoting social justice in disability research, and (e) promoting support networks of families of people with disabilities. We conclude this reflection with a discussion of recommendations for future research, practice, and a call to action.

Associations between parenting strategies and BMI percentile among Latino children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Introduction

Maintaining healthy weight is a challenge for all children, and particularly for children with IDD compared to nondisabled children and for Latino children compared to non-Latino White children. Parenting practices related to food intake and physical activity have been found to be important in maintaining children's weight. In this study, we describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity status among Latino children with IDD and their maternal caregivers and determine the relationship between food and physical activity parenting practices and childhood obesity among Latino children with IDD.

Methods

We interviewed 94 Latino parent/child dyads and collected information about parenting practices, home environment, and parent and child height and weight using standardized measures. Parent body mass index (BMI) and child BMI percentile were calculated from height and weight.

Results

The combined overweight/obesity status for children in our sample was high (60.3%) compared to national rates among nondisabled Latino children (56%) and non-Latino White children with autism (37%). Contrary to research on nondisabled children, we found that greater parental use of controlling dietary strategies was associated with lower BMI percentile in Latino children with IDD. These findings may be indicative of the fact that children with IDD tend to have unique dietary behaviors that warrant more disability and culturally sensitive strategies.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that overweight and obesity is especially prevalent for Latino children with IDD and that more research is needed on family factors that promote health in Latino families of children with IDD.

Romani Girls Matter: Developing a Participatory Action Research Protocol for Reproductive Justice

Despite the last few decades' advances towards social and gender justice, reproductive decisions are still a source of oppression for many European Romani women and girls. This protocol aims to propose a model to empower Romani women and girls' reproductive decisions, inspired by Reproductive Justice-the recognition of women and girls' ability to make safe and free decisions about their bodies and reproduction. Through Participatory Action Research, 15-20 Romani girls and their families, two Romani platforms, and key agents from a rural and an urban context in Spain will participate. They will (1) contextualize Romani women and girls' inequities, (2) build partnerships, (3) implement Photovoice and advocate for their gender rights, and (4) assess the initiative's related changes, using self-evaluation techniques. Qualitative and quantitative indicators will be collected to assess impacts among participants, while tailoring and assuring the quality of the actions. Expected outcomes include the creation and consolidation of new social networks, and the promotion of Romani women and girls' leadership. For this, Romani organizations must be transformed into empowering settings for their communities, spaces where Romani women and girls assume responsibility of the initiatives, being these tailored to their real needs and interests, and guaranteeing transformative social changes.

Community-engaged asset mapping with Latinx immigrant families of youth with disabilities

Asset mapping is a participatory methodology that engages community members in identifying services and settings that promote health and well-being. This study aimed to identify community assets from the perspective of Latinx immigrant families with youth with disabilities. Latinx immigrant families (n = 21) participated in the mapping, followed by a reflection session and an open forum (n = 30). The findings revealed that families identified faith-based organizations and social service agencies as some of the main assets in their communities, while they identified mental health services as the most needed. The results also showed that participants preferred to utilize services and resources that are within walking distance of their homes, provide safe spaces, treat them well, offer bilingual services, do not require documentation, and are affordable. This study has important implications for community scholars and practitioners interested in implementing asset-based methodologies that focus on participants as experts of their own realities and agents of change and that promote advocacy and empowerment actions.

Association Between Intergenerational Support, Social Integration, and Subjective Well-Being Among Migrant Elderly Following Children in Jinan, China

Background

In China, as domestic urbanization progresses and immigration expands, an increasing number of older people are choosing to follow their migrant children to new cities. Such people are referred to as "migrant elderly following children." However, few studies have explored the subjective well-being of these older adults. The present study aims to investigate the factors that influence the subjective well-being of this population of older adults.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 656 older migrants who had followed their children to Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Multistage cluster random sampling was used. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to explore, the relationships between intergenerational support, social integration, and subjective well-being.

Results

Overall, 96.3% of the older migrants showed good subjective well-being. Analysis of intergenerational support showed that those who had a female child (odds ratio [OR] = 0.401, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.180, 0.893) and those whose children had terrible conjugal relationships (OR = 0.223, 95% CI: 0.099, 0.504) were less likely to have better subjective well-being. Analysis of social integration showed that migrants who liked their current city (OR = 5.358, 95%CI: 1. 631, 17.599) and those who had a basic understanding of the local dialect (OR = 2.869, 95%CI: 1.203, 6.843) were more likely to have good subjective well-being. Migrants who had used in-patient service in the past year (OR = 0.216, 95%CI: 0.094, 0.497) were more likely to have poor subjective well-being.

Conclusion

Intergenerational support and social integration are positively associated with the subjective well-being of migrant elderly following children in China. Efforts should be made, including the creation of specialized policies, to improve the family atmosphere of such migrants and their integration into their new cities, as this would contribute to improving their subjective well-being.

Promoting justice through community-based research: International case studies

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to promoting justice focus on working from the ground up and giving a voice to marginalized communities regarding their concerns, potential solutions, and how to address social justice issues that matter to them. The pursuit of justice is often related to efforts to attain personal as well as collective well-being. In this paper, we illustrate three exemplars of community psychologists' efforts to promote justice. Within each case study, we discuss the social and community context and examine how the researchers built partnerships and solidarity, developed ways of doing, and approached challenges and solutions. First, we present an example to promote economic justice through an entrepreneurship initiative developed in collaboration with young Black youth with disabilities in the United States. The second case illustrates an effort to promote reproductive justice in collaboration with Roma women and girls in Spain. The third exemplar depicts the use of life stories as a method to raise the voices of displaced, marginalized indigenous women in Peru. Based on these three case studies, we present a synthesis model of social justice. We also discuss implications for future studies emphasizing the importance of engaging community participants in research meaningful ways, developing sustainable partnerships, and decolonizing research.

Goal Setting with Latinx Families of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Case Studies

Behavioral community psychology focuses on studying issues that matter to communities, unpacking contextual factors that impact people's behaviors, and identifying strategies to address such issues. Goal setting is one such strategy often used by behavioral psychologists. Grounded in the values of behavioral community psychology and a behavior analysis paradigm, this study illustrated two case studies of Latinx parents of children with disabilities where goal-setting strategies were implemented to promote behavior change. The first case study focused on the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors and routines among Latinx families of children with disabilities in the United States. The second case study examined goal setting related to youth development by parents of adolescents with disabilities in Colombia. In both cases, participants received training on goal setting and had opportunities to discuss progress toward achieving their goals, share action steps taken, and discuss the contextual challenges or barriers that they experienced. The results indicate that behavioral goal-setting procedures can be effective in helping parents attain their goals and brainstorm strategies for addressing behavioral and contextual challenges. Implications for future research advancing behavioral community psychology are discussed.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Latinx Caregivers of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the entire world in unprecedented ways. However, populations that have had a history of marginalization have experienced a more profound impact. One such group is Latinx families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the Unites States. In this study, we used a mixed methods approach to explore the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Latinx caregivers of children with IDD. Specifically, we (1) identified which social determinants of health are correlated with maternal caregivers perceived general health, mental health, and well-being; (2) explored the impact of the pandemic on families' overall eating and physical activity routines; and (3) identified emergent themes from caregivers' experiences during the pandemic. Thirty-seven Latinx caregivers participated in three interviews in which several validated instruments were administered. The results indicated that perceived social support, annual family income, food security, and receipt of financial benefits were correlated with fewer depressive symptoms. Annual family income was also significantly correlated with perceived general health. Most caregivers reported that the pandemic had placed a strain on their economic situation; increased their isolation; and disrupted their child's therapeutic supports, online education, eating routines, and engagement in physical activity. Meanwhile, some caregivers reported positive changes as a result of the pandemic. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.