Title:
Hispanic families and structural familism in the child welfare system
Author:
Angelique M. Snyder
Thesis Advisor:
Sharon Green-Hennessy
Committee Member:
Matthew W. Kirkhart
Committee Member:
Heather Z. Lyons
Committee Member:
Amanda M. Thomas
Committee Member:
Rachel L. Grover
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2017
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
While child maltreatment has been a large public health concern, there has been limited research devoted to how Hispanic families, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, interact with the Child Welfare System. In particular, an appreciation of the concepts of familism and machismo, may assist in better understanding such families and their receptivity to the various services offered by the Child Welfare System (CWS). The current study used the LONGSCAN public access dataset. LONGSCAN is a multi-site, longitudinal study which followed at risk and maltreating families to assess familial characteristics, maltreatment history, and satisfaction with services used. Data from three of the study sites, with a significant number of Hispanic participants, were used, yielding a subsample of 704 children, ages 6 to 7, and their caregivers. Ethnic groups were examined for differences in the number of adults, particularly adult males, in the home, the involvement of fathers/father-figures, service use, and service satisfaction. Results indicated that ethnicity was a significant predictor of service use, such that Hispanic families used less services as compared to White, Black and Other ethnic groups. Demographic factors (e.g., marital status, income, religious identification, and involvement with Child Protective Services) accounted for a significant portion of the variance in family composition, father figure involvement, service use, and service satisfaction. Post hoc analyses, exploring ethnicity's association with type of service, revealed significant associations for six out of 14 services examined, with four services utilized statistically less often by Hispanics (e.g., adult mental health, daycare, education, and employment). The pattern of results suggests that familism might be a helpful lens for understanding variations among ethnic groups in some aspectervice use in helping understand which services are underutilized. These findings may also impact ways in which the CWS can work to improve cultural competency on a systematic level both in working directly with families and in referrals to services. Clinical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Degree:
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
Use and Reproduction:
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Identifier:
SnyderAM-17
