Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Nov. 25, 2008). PDF text: xii, 214 p. ; 9 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3315052. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

The Mexican American population in the United States, as all other human groups, employ a number of strategies and practices in order to ensure the maintenance and continuation of its members. These strategies are culturally derived, and they have been created by the interaction of people's practices with the social, economic, and political forces of the larger environment. Mexican American culture is reproduced across generations through the enactment of historically constituted social practices or funds of knowledge. These practices are "acted out" by actors within the domain of the household or the family in its relation to the capitalist system. In order to understand cultural reproduction in the Mexican American community, the structure and operation of four households were examined. The practices used by people to meet household members' sustenance, shelter, education, household management, and emotional/psychological needs are explored. Household members practices were divided in three domains: economic, social/recreational, and ceremonial/religious. In a sense then, Mexican Americans are enculturated by carrying out activities appropriate to the immediate cultural setting. In this social setting, children learn appropriate ways of behaving by interacting with other people whom, through verbal and nonverbal ways, teach them the norms appropriate to their cultural group. In addition, children spend a great part of the day in another setting (the school). This setting, as part of the larger environment, influences household members practices, but the institution is affected in return. The interplay of these factors affects students' academic achievement.

Illegal Immigration: Six Stories from an American Family is a collection of stories derived from and inspired by the author's personal life experiences, dreams, and family history, as a Mexican American woman. The stories also hold distinct archetypal patterns, images, storylines and symbolism due to the author's connection to the collective unconscious through meditation. The stories tell character driven stories of adversity, and the search for home, and identity by linking main characters to their family members in each story. The collection as a whole reveals generational patterns, histories and connections not only present in the matriarchal bloodline of the collection, but from one human to another. The stories beckon the reader into an alternate reality created by these archetypal patterns inherent in all humans, in an attempt to transcend genres and find a place within the psyche where anything is possible. / Illegal immigration -- Marco and Margarita -- La muerte de mi padre -- Together again -- Vivi and Ricardo -- The healer. / Department of English

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2010. / Directed by Andrea Hunter; submitted to the Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jul. 7, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-115).

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This phenomenological study explores the lived experience of Mexican immigrant fathers who migrate to and settle in the United States initially alone and eventually bring the rest of their families from Mexico to join them permanently. This project explores fathers’ understanding of their fathering efforts along the journey of migration; from departure from Mexico to family resettlement in the U.S. There is a conspicuous paucity of research focusing on the fathering experience among these men. In addition, negative stereotypes about the Mexican men in general abound. Thus, this study clarifies and contributes to the existing knowledge about these men. Fifteen Mexican immigrant fathers participated in the study through extensive qualitative interviews and field observation. Interviews were carried out in Spanish, audio taped, and simultaneously translated and transcribed into English. Data were treated through the process of phenomenological reduction. Nine core themes emerged: (1) fathers immigrate to rescue their families from poverty and fulfill what they perceive to be their roles as breadwinners; (2) they could not embark upon this journey without the support of family and kin in both countries; (3) they sacrifice themselves and their families as well; (4) despite the geographical distance, their fathering efforts involve much more than providing for their children; (5) they vow to ensure that neither they nor their families would ever experience certain risks again; (6) once in the U.S., they experience a type of poverty they did not anticipate; (7) due to immigration policy, the border is never left behind; (8) the role of the wife is significant throughout the father’s experience; and (9) despite the challenges experienced, fathers recognize and appreciate the gains from their decisions to engage in cross-border fathering. The essence of the phenomenon involves the recognition that although the Mexico - U.S. border is left behind after crossing the border, the father never stops crossing familial, social, and psychological borders. As a triangulation strategy, five professionals with significant experience working with Mexican immigrant families were also interviewed. Implications for practice, education, research, and policy are identified and discussed. Questions about the future of this population group are raised.

The parenting style, level of acculturation and incidence of stress, were explored in order to identify the likelihood of intervention by child protective services to prevent child abuse. Additionally, concerns of whether reports of child abuse were related more to the lack of information about American parenting rules, rather than intentionally abusive behavior.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether differences exist between reports of parental stress in Mexican American and Caucasian mothers of children with ADHD. A second purpose was to examine whether there were child and family characteristics that made unique contributions to levels of parenting stress in Mexican American parents of children with ADHD. A third purpose was to examine the role that level of acculturation plays in the Mexican American mothers' reports of stress. Dependent measures used in this study include the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

Paternal support is often linked to lower levels of maternal distress. However, this link is less established among the increasing numbers of Mexican-American families with a romantic partner social (RPS) father, that is, mothers' partners who are not formally identified as stepfathers. This study applied a bioecological systems framework to test linkages between RPS father support and maternal depression and parenting stress above and beyond ecological stressors, and to consider whether nonresident biological father support and general instrumental support moderate this link. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we analyze a subsample of Mexican-American mothers (N = 76) with three-year-olds, who are involved in a relationship with a RPS father and maintain contact with the nonresident biological father. Findings indicate that mothers who reported greater support from RPS fathers also reported lower depressive symptomatology when they also reported greater support from nonresident biological fathers or reported being in a recent relationship with the RPS father; mothers from more established relationships reported more depressive symptoms. However, mothers with lower perceived instrumental social support reported high maternal depressive symptoms, even while receiving support from RPS fathers. Neither source of support significantly predicted maternal parenting stress. Overall, our results reveal complex, interactive associations between these combined sources of support and maternal mental health in these increasingly common family structures.