Fostering social–emotional resilience among Latino youth

Abstract

National statistics reveal that Latino youth face significant challenges and engage in many risky behaviors that can hinder positive development and well-being, such as attempted suicide, lifetime cocaine use, unprotected sex, and dropping out of school. However, these statistics obscure the fact that many Latino youth are developing well despite exposure to significant adversity. A critical question that lies before researchers, educators, and policy makers is how to improve the health, well-being, and achievement of more Latino youth. This article considers conceptual issues related to resilience and culture, risk, and protective factors relevant to Latinos and the role schools play in promoting resilience. Special attention is paid to the building of child-based resources, such as social-emotional competencies, and social system resources, such as a caring school climate. C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Access and Retention of Marginalized Populations Within Undergraduate Music Education Degree Programs

“…Although participants did not want to be singled out for their differences, they placed high value on the opportunity to see and interact with others like them who had succeeded. In line with previous research that espoused the importance of social connections (Grant-Vallone et al, 2004;Herrera et al, 2011;Hirt et al, 2008;Morales, 2010;Palmer & Young, 2009;Reyes, 2011;Torres & Hernandez, 2009), our participants all reported that personal attention received from professors and friends provided important motivation and helped nurture inward perseverance.…”

Mapping the Social World of Classrooms: A Multi‐Level, Multi‐Reporter Approach to Social Processes and Behavioral Engagement

“…In addition, few studies are conducted in classrooms with a high concentration of Latino students. Given the relationally oriented values in many Latino communities (Reyes & Elias, 2011;Rivera & RogersAtkinson, 1997), Latino students' relationships with teachers and peers may be particularly important to students' behavioral engagement.…”

“…In classrooms where the teacher may not be providing support, these connections may provide access to emotional and academic resources that facilitate academic development (Dika & Singh, 2002). Peer connections may be particularly important for students from Latino families and communities where relationally oriented values such as helping others and building positive relationships are culturally emphasized (Clauss-Ehlers & Lopez Levi, 2002;Reyes & Elias, 2011). Emerging research examining interaction patterns in social relationships (e.g., non-linear dynamics: Dishion, Forgatch, Van Ryzin & Winter, 2012) may further our understanding of social connections and the transmission of social capital among students.…”

“…In particular, social relationships and daily interactions in classrooms may influence Latino O R I G I N A L A R T I C L E immigrant origin students' engagement, considering the strong emphasis on relationally oriented values in many Latino cultures (e.g., Respecto, Personalismo: Reyes & Elias, 2011). Latinos are the largest racial minority group in the United States today, with over 20% of school children from Latino families (Taylor, Kochhar, Livingston, Lopez & Morin, 2009).…”

Non-parental adults in the social and risk behavior networks of sexual minority male youth

“…Both African American (Hines & Boyd-Franklin, 1982; Tyler, Boykin, Miller, & Hurley, 2006) and Latino (Cardoso & Thompson, 2010; Reyes & Elias, 2011) cultures historically have emphasized the importance of interpersonal relationships with individuals outside of the nuclear family, including extended family members and fictive kin. Consistent with this idea, studies of relationships with NPAs have found that ethnic minority adolescents report higher numbers of NPAs, as well as closer relationships with NPAs, compared to White adolescents (Hirsch, Mickus, & Boerger, 2002; Pallock & Lamborn, 2006 ).…”