Latino children and adolescents have higher rates of behavior problems and academic failure compared with chilldren and adolescents from other ethnic groups. The developmental outcomes of Latino youth appear to be related to family functioning variables and to parenting practices in particular. Yet, there is limited understanding of Latino parenting and of the relation between Latino parenting and child outcomes. The purpose of this application is to study Latino parenting of preschool-aged children using a culturally informed framework of parenting that focuses on cultural childrearing values and Latina mothers' value-driven behavior in different cultural contexts, as well as a traditional framework of parenting, to predict child behavior and pre-academic functioning. An understanding of parenting practices that are predictive of child behavioral and pre-academic functioning in Latino preschoolers is critical in the design of preventive interventions that enhance functioning among Latino preschoolers by promoting specific parenting practices. Such services are key in addressing mental health disparities seen between Latino and non-Latino youth. To accomplish these goals, a career development plan will focus on training for the Candidate in: 1) culturally informed research, 2) ethnographic methodology, 3) behavioral observation and coding of parentchild interactions, and 4) statistical methods and analyses related to measure development, qualitative studies, model testing, and prevention trials. Training will be accomplished through formal coursework, individual tutorials with mentors and consultants, and participation in conferences on relevant topjcs. Moreover, this training plan will be supplemented by a research plan that includes a qualitative study of cultural childrearing values that will be used for measurement development and a quantitative study of Latino parenting, assessed from both cultural and traditional perspectives, and its relation to child behavior and pre-academic functioning.
| Calzada, Esther J; Huang, Keng-Yen; Covas, Maite et al. (2016) A Longitudinal Study of Cultural Adaptation among Mexican and Dominican Immigrant Women. J Int Migr Integr 17:1049-1063 |
| Calzada, Esther J; Huang, Keng-Yen; Hernandez, Miguel et al. (2015) Family and Teacher Characteristics as Predictors of Parent Involvement in Education During Early Childhood Among Afro-Caribbean and Latino Immigrant Families. Urban Educ (Beverly Hills Calif) 50:870-896 |
| Calzada, Esther J; Huang, Keng-Yen; Anicama, Catherine et al. (2012) Test of a cultural framework of parenting with Latino families of young children. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 18:285-96 |
| Calzada, Esther J; Fernandez, Yenny; Cortes, Dharma E (2010) Incorporating the cultural value of respeto into a framework of Latino parenting. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 16:77-86 |
| Calzada, Esther J (2010) Bringing Culture Into Parent Training With Latinos. Cogn Behav Pract 17:167-175 |
| Calzada, Esther J; Brotman, Laurie Miller; Huang, Keng-Yen et al. (2009) Parent Cultural Adaptation and Child Functioning in Culturally Diverse, Urban Families of Preschoolers. J Appl Dev Psychol 30:515-524 |
