Resilient Girls in a Troubled Setting: Capturing the Spirited Voices of Midwestern Latina Adolescents

• In Event: Family Engagement in Secondary and Postsecondary Schools

Abstract

We offer a family-community-school oriented, interdisciplinary approach to support the mental health needs of the rapidly growing Latino population where the authors reside. Our previous study revealed adolescent Latina girls experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety in conjunction with acculturative stress than their male counterparts. Thus, with constant collaboration and input from the Latino community and families, we developed a case study addressing the complexities and interrelated factors of Latina identity that are not often of utmost concern to educational institutions, community members, and organizations. Finally, we move away from traditional educational inquiry into spaces of new conceptualizations into interdisciplinary research (Repko, 2008) with other university departments and further our work with the Latino families and the local community.

Authors

• Alycia M. Elfreich, Indiana University - Indianapolis

• Monica A. Medina, Indiana University - Indianapolis