This dissertation is a qualitative study of racially ambiguous people and their life experiences. Racially ambiguous people are individuals who are frequently misidentified racially by others because they do not resemble the phenotype associated with the racial group to which they belong or because they belong to racial/ethnic groups originating in different parts of the world that resemble each other. the racial/ethnic population of the United States is constantly changing because of variations in the birth rates among the racial/ethnic groups that comprise those populations and immigration from around the world. Although much research has been done that documents the existence of racial/ethnic mixing in the history of the United States and the world, this multiracial history is seldom acknowledged in the social, work, and other spheres of interaction among people in the U.S., instead a racialized system based on the perception of individuals as mono-racial thus easily identified through (skin tone, hair texture, facial features, etc.). This is research was done using life experience interviews with 24 racially ambiguous individuals to determine how race/ethnicity has affected their lives and how they negotiate the minefield of race.

Purpose: The current study was conducted to ascertain whether the effects of nativity (i.e., U.S. born vs. immigrant) on Hispanic adolescent substance use is mediated by ecological processes such as family functioning, school connectedness, and perceived peer substance use. Methods: The effects of family, peer, and school processes on adolescent substance use were examined in a nationally representative sample of 742 (358 male, 384 female) Hispanic youth (mean age = 15.9; SD = 1.8). Results: Results from a structural equation model indicated that the higher rates of substance use among U.S.-born Hispanics (compared with foreign-born Hispanics) are partially mediated by perceived peer substance use (as measured by the adolescent). The results also showed that perceived peer substance use and school connectedness mediate the relationship between family processes and substance use, suggesting that family processes may offset some of the deleterious effects of negative peer selection on adolescent substance use. Conclusion: These findings imply that public health behavioral interventions to prevent substance use among both U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics may need to attend to multiple ecological processes, including family, school, and peers.

The Hispanic population has an elevated prevalence of diabetes, resulting in large part from a lack of self-management skills required to obtain glycemic control. The purpose of this project was to determine whether diabetes self-management knowledge was improved through the use of a culturally-based diabetes self-management program for Hispanic adults with diabetes using elements of the Hispanic culture. The research question asked whether a researcher-developed diabetes self-management education program that incorporated elements of the Hispanic culture improved diabetes knowledge in the Hispanic population when compared to a non-culturally based diabetes self-management program. The project was conducted using a quasi-experimental control group pre-test/post-test design using the stages of change transtheroretical model as its theoretical framework. Twenty-three Hispanic adults who had a diagnosis of diabetes and a Hemoglobin A1c level of greater than 7%, were recruited for the project. All project participants were recruited through a referral process from a local community clinic located in Montgomery County Texas. Pre/post-test data for the project were obtained through use of the University of Michigan's Diabetes Knowledge Test. A paired-sample t test was conducted to compare the pre-test and post-test results of the experimental group and the control group The project data results showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the pre/post-test scores of the experimental group but showed no difference between the 2 scores for the control group, leading to the recommendation that diabetes self-management education should be culturally based. Positive social change was gained from this project through the empowerment of Hispanics in the self-management of diabetes.

Numerous studies have shown a rising HIV/AIDS epidemic among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. Risky sexual behavior, alcohol, drug abuse, and sociodemographics contribute to Hispanics/Latinos' elevated risk for contracting HIV and other STDs. There is a need for additional research to understand the combination of factors associated with HIV and other STD infection among Hispanic/Latino youth. Based on social cognitive theory, this study examined the influences of peer pressure and relationship knowledge on risky sexual behavior among Hispanic/Latino young adults as measured by the Peer Pressure Inventory (PPI), the Teenage Research Unlimited Survey (TRU), and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). A group of 18-to-24 year olds (n = 173) from the 6 wards of Harris County, Houston, Texas completed the PPI, TRU and YRBS via paper questionnaires. Logistic regression determined a marginally significant association between relationship knowledge and number of lifetime sex partners. The remaining logistic regressions indicated no significant relationships between the variables of peer pressure, relationship knowledge, and risky sexual behavior. Descriptive statistics revealed that a large proportion of participants were engaging in several risky behaviors, including sex without condoms, sex while using alcohol or drugs, and sex with multiple partners. The results of this study also confirmed that Hispanics/Latinos aged 18-24 years are at risk for HIV and other STDs. Implications for positive social change include evidence to inform peer- and community-driven prevention programs targeting Hispanic/Latino young adults living and working in Harris County, Houston, Texas as a means to reduce transmission of STDs and HIV/AIDS in the Hispanic population.

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The United States has undergone a dramatic demographic shift in the last 40 years, particularly in terms of the racial and ethnic composition of the country. Like the other racial and ethnic minority groups, the Hispanic population is also a rapidly increasing segment of the United States. These shifts have affected many of the country's social institutions. For example, primary and secondary education have experienced a dramatic demographic shift in terms of race and ethnicity in the last 20 years. Higher education has also been affected by demographic shifts in the U.S. Although the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities enrolled in college have increased, that growth has not been proportionate to the changing numbers in the United States' population. For example, in 1990 the census reported over 22 million Hispanics in the U.S., or 9% of the total population, yet the 724,600 Hispanic students enrolled in higher education represented only 6% of all students in college ("College Enrollment,", 1998; "We the Americanâ ¦Hispanics", 1993). These gaps between Hispanic growth in the general population and Hispanic college enrollment are due to several factors, including the college choice process. Currently, research on Hispanic college choice is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the college choice process for Hispanic students. Data were collected by administering the College Choice Survey (CCS), an instrument designed specifically for this study. A total of 383 surveys were mailed and 144 surveys were completed and returned by respondents. This reflected a response rate of 38%. A total of 65 ANOVAs were run on the data elicited from participants. Five ANOVAs were run on the subscales, which included total College Choice Survey scores, Internal Search scores, Internal Selection scores, External Search scores, and External Selection scores. The dependent variables were gender, generational status, and ethnic background. A total of three significant differences were found among these five ANOVAs. The remaining 60 ANOVAs examined differences reported by respondents on the last two items in the survey. These items asked participants to rate the degree to which they used sources of support for both the search and selection processes. The ANOVAs were run for differences by main effect only (i.e. gender, generational status, and ethnic background). Results revealed a total of three significant differences on the sources of support participants used during the search process and a total of four significant differences among the sources of support respondents used during the selection process. In summary, this study was valuable because it contributed to the understanding of the college choice process of Hispanic students. The results of this study revealed both pragmatic and significant differences in the college choice process of Hispanic students by gender, generational status, and ethnic background. Higher education administrators may strive to better understand the differences in the college choice process of Hispanic students and consider these differences in designing recruitment and admissions efforts. / Master of Arts

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