%0 Journal Article %J Am J Community Psychol %D 2014 %T Racial/ethnic identity and subjective physical and mental health of Latino Americans: an asset within? %A Ai, Amy L %A Aisenberg, Eugene %A Weiss, Saskia I %A Salazar, Dulny %K Acculturation %K Adolescent %K Adult %K Aged %K Aged, 80 and over %K Female %K Health Status %K Hispanic Americans %K Humans %K Male %K Mental Health %K Middle Aged %K Religion %K Self Concept %K Social Identification %K Social Support %K Young Adult %X

Social Identity Theory indicates that ethnic identity could benefit minority members in a society because of its promotion of a sense of belonging, or of its buffering of the damage of discrimination. Despite growing investigation about Latinos' overall health, few studies have simultaneously examined the influence of multiple cultural strength factors, especially racial/ethnic identity, social support, and religious attendance, on these outcomes. Using the National Latino and Asian American Study, we examine the potential predictive value of these cultural strength factors on Latinos' Self-Rated Mental and Physical Health (SRMH and SRPH). Two separate two-step regression models revealed significant positive effects of racial/ethnic identity on both mental and physical health of Latinos, above and beyond the effect of known demographic and acculturation factors, such as discrimination. Religious attendance had a positive effect on SRMH but not on SRPH. The deteriorating roles of discrimination, in mental health only, and that of Length in the US in both outcomes, however, was primarily not altered by entry of these cultural strength factors. The independent direct effect of racial/ethnic identity among Latinos nationwide may suggest that this cultural strength is an internalized protective asset. Longitudinal data is needed to explore its underlying mechanism and long-term impact.

%B Am J Community Psychol %V 53 %P 173-84 %8 2014 Mar %G eng %N 1-2 %R 10.1007/s10464-014-9635-5 %0 Journal Article %J J Palliat Med %D 2013 %T Examining palliative care team involvement in automatic consultations for children on extracorporeal life support in the pediatric intensive care unit. %A Doorenbos, Ardith Z %A Starks, Helene %A Bourget, Erica %A McMullan, D Michael %A Lewis-Newby, Mithya %A Rue, Tessa C %A Lindhorst, Taryn %A Aisenberg, Eugene %A Oman, Natalie %A Curtis, J Randall %A Hays, Ross %A Clark, Jonna D %A Baden, Harris P %A Brogan, Thomas V %A Di Gennaro, Jane L %A Mazor, Robert %A Roberts, Joan S %A Turnbull, Jessica %A Wilfond, Benjamin S %K Child %K Child, Preschool %K Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation %K Female %K Humans %K Infant %K Infant, Newborn %K Intensive Care Units, Pediatric %K Male %K Palliative Care %K Patient Care Team %K Prognosis %K Retrospective Studies %X

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is an advanced form of life-sustaining therapy that creates stressful dilemmas for families. In May 2009, Seattle Children's Hospital (SCH) implemented a policy to involve the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) in all ECLS cases through automatic referral.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to describe PACT involvement in the context of automatic consultations for ECLS patients and their family members.

METHODS: We retrospectively examined chart notes for 59 consecutive cases and used content analysis to identify themes and patterns.

RESULTS: The degree of PACT involvement was related to three domains: prognostic uncertainty, medical complexity, and need for coordination of care with other services. Low PACT involvement was associated with cases with little prognostic uncertainty, little medical complexity, and minimal need for coordination of care. Medium PACT involvement was associated with two categories of cases: 1) those with a degree of medical complexity but little prognostic uncertainty; and 2) those that had a degree of prognostic uncertainty but little medical complexity. High PACT involvement had the greatest medical complexity and prognostic uncertainty, and also had those cases with a high need for coordination of care.

CONCLUSIONS: We describe a framework for understanding the potential involvement of palliative care among patients receiving ECLS that explains how PACT organizes its efforts toward patients and families with the highest degree of need. Future studies should examine whether this approach is associated with improved patient and family outcomes.

%B J Palliat Med %V 16 %P 492-5 %8 2013 May %G eng %N 5 %R 10.1089/jpm.2012.0536 %0 Journal Article %J Soc Work %D 2013 %T Latino families in the nexus of child welfare, welfare reform, and immigration policies: is kinship care a lost opportunity? %A Ayon, Cecilia %A Aisenberg, Eugene %A Cimino, Andrea %K Child %K Child Welfare %K Cultural Characteristics %K Emigration and Immigration %K Family Relations %K Health Care Reform %K Hispanic Americans %K Humans %K Social Welfare %K United States %B Soc Work %V 58 %P 91-4 %8 2013 Jan %G eng %N 1 %0 Journal Article %J Am J Orthopsychiatry %D 2012 %T Institutional predictors of developmental outcomes among racially diverse foster care alumni. %A Garcia, Antonio R %A Pecora, Peter J %A Harachi, Tracy %A Aisenberg, Eugene %K Adult %K African Americans %K Consumer Behavior %K Educational Status %K Employment %K Ethnic Groups %K European Continental Ancestry Group %K Female %K Foster Home Care %K Hispanic Americans %K Humans %K Logistic Models %K Male %K Mental Disorders %X

Child welfare practitioners are confronted with the responsibility of relying on best practice to ensure children in foster care transition successfully into adulthood after leaving the foster care system. Yet, despite recent reforms and efforts to address their needs, research clearly shows that foster care alumni are still more likely to experience negative developmental outcomes compared to adults in the general population. The purpose of this study was to better understand how child-serving systems of care adequately prepare racially diverse foster care alumni to thrive. Controlling for gender, age, placement instability, and circumstances of exit from foster care, study findings highlighted salient racial and ethnic differences relative to which factors predicted the odds of mental health, education, and employment outcomes. Implications for developing and implementing culturally sensitive, evidence-based prevention and intervention programs to promote positive developmental outcomes among racially diverse foster care alumni are discussed.

%B Am J Orthopsychiatry %V 82 %P 573-84 %8 2012 Oct %G eng %N 4 %R 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01181.x %0 Journal Article %J J Soc Work End Life Palliat Care %D 2012 %T Palliative care in the pediatric ICU: challenges and opportunities for family-centered practice. %A Doorenbos, Ardith %A Lindhorst, Taryn %A Starks, Helene %A Aisenberg, Eugene %A Curtis, J Randall %A Hays, Ross %K Child %K Humans %K Intensive Care Units, Pediatric %K Palliative Care %K Patient Care Team %K Patient Transfer %K Patient-Centered Care %K Pediatrics %K Professional Role %K Professional-Family Relations %K Terminal Care %K United States %X

The culture of pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) is focused on curative or life-prolonging treatments for seriously ill children. We present empirically-based approaches to family-centered palliative care that can be applied in PICUs. Palliative care in these settings is framed by larger issues related to the context of care in PICUs, the stressors experienced by families, and challenges to palliative care philosophy within this environment. Innovations from research on family-centered communication practices in adult ICU settings provide a framework for development of palliative care in PICUs and suggest avenues for social work support of critically ill children and their families.

%B J Soc Work End Life Palliat Care %V 8 %P 297-315 %8 2012 %G eng %N 4 %R 10.1080/15524256.2012.732461