Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references: (p. 329-345). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Mexican American women are at particular risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer at a later stage. Risk factors include genetics, limited screening practices, and delayed treatment. Evidence has shown culture to be an important factor influencing screening beliefs, health care behaviors, and breast cancer knowledge. A culturally and linguistically appropriate educational video about breast cancer and breast cancer screening recommendations was created, in both the English and Spanish languages, to engage Mexican American women and explore their perceptions and feedback about the culturally tailored intervention. Qualitative descriptive methodology was used to explore Mexican American women’s perceptions of a culturally and linguistically appropriate educational video about breast cancer and the importance of breast cancer screenings. Using snowball recruitment from a Spanish language breast cancer support group, eight Mexican origin women participated in a focus group interview. The interview was conducted in the Spanish language. The video production integrated Mexican cultural values and used them as instruments to present information about breast cancer and breast cancer screening recommendations. An extensive literature review and a theoretical underpinning helped guide the project purpose and intervention. The findings supported the importance of production of a culturally and linguistically appropriate education video to educate Mexican American women about breast cancer and the importance of breast cancer screenings. Analysis of the focus group discussion identified an overarching theme of “Language, Identity, Values” which supports the underlying premise that the information needed to be presented in the language spoken by the population of focus, in ways they could identify with, using cultural values to under pin the messages presented in the video. The implications for nurse practitioners, centers on the importance of employing Mexican cultural values when imparting knowledge. More studies like this one can help further identify the impact of Mexican cultural values on health care.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed June 16, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-98).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Baylor University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-74).

The current study examined the effects of acculturative processes on the self-report of behavioral problems in Hispanic children ages 11-14. Acculturation was measured by the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II) (ã Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, www.sagepub.com) (Cuellar, Arnold, and Maldonado, 1995) and the self-report of behavioral symptoms was assessed using the Youth Self-Report (ã T.M. Achenbach, Burlington, VT, www.aseba.com) (Achenbach, 1991). It was hypothesized that while both the linear and orthogonal categories of acculturation would account for a significant proportion of the variance in behavior problems in this age group, the orthogonal model would account for a larger proportion of variance due to its multidimensional nature. As well, it was hypothesized that the experimental Marginalization scales of the ARSMA-II would be predictive of behavioral problems. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test these hypotheses and results were non-significant for the linear, orthogonal, and marginalization categories. The effects of the ethnic/cultural homogeneity of the region from which the sample was drawn, the buffering of social support, and the developmental aspects of ethnic identity are discussed as factors which may have influenced the potential impact of acculturative stress on psychological and behavioral functioning.

This doctoral dissertation intends to contribute to an understanding of the experiences of Mexican American students in a high school to college transitional program and how their culture influences their writing. The transitional program used for the study was located at a community college in the Southwest. This qualitative study incorporated the research instruments of interviews and writing samples using discourse analysis. From the results of this study, several themes emerged and demonstrated how both cultural and social capital are significant in these students’ experiences as they participate in the transitional high school to college program. Research has asserted the high rates of Mexican American students dropping out of school and not completing higher education. This study will enable us to help reduce the current rate of attrition and help students complete their higher education. This study’s findings have implications for the field of adult education because they provide a lens to understand the importance of cultural and social capital as they relate to adult students learning in the classroom.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 314-323). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

You are what you eat. The essence of being is our identity, so what we choose to eat has a large impact on who we are. By defining identity and applying these definitions in relation to food we can discover how we identify through the foods we eat, creating a food identity. For Mexican Americans, it is la comida que sí se come! I have classified the following as our most basic forms of identity: mental versus the physical or biological, and individual versus group. Within the group identity stem the facets of race, ethnicity, nationality, language and culture that all make up a Mexican American identity. By thoroughly exploring the four basic classifications of identity we are able to apply the methods of identity creation towards our interactions with food, from our first learned experiences as children, to later cooking for our own children, which all lead to the creation of our food identities. Once food identity is understood it can be applied specifically to the Mexican American experience, therefore exploring how the food choices that Mexican Americans make contribute towards a unique food identity. Just like the Mexican American self identity, Mexican American food identity is neither “Mexican” nor “American,” and yet it can be both. Like self identity, this food identity consists of a long historical background, embracing dual nationalities and combining life experiences with culture. It is also heavily influenced by family- familia- more so than a generic food identity. / text