Abstracts Category : Other

"They might not show it and they might not say it, but in their mind theyre really stressed" : a qualitative exploration of stressors and barriers to care for Latinx youth

by Lauren Tiffany Smith

This study explores stressors and barriers to care in the Latinx youth community through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework. CBPR aims to enhance culturally sensitive care by forming relationships with members of the community, and has demonstrated promising outcomes by including input from those in the Latinx youth community to adapt interventions for cultural relevance. Interview data from 11 community members was used for the study. The sample expressed distinctive processes that generate stressors within the lives of Latinx youth, and subsequent barriers to care as a result of those stressors. Nine general themes emerged from the interview data. Four of the themes addressed bidirectional pathways between stressors and barriers to care, three themes highlighted overarching barriers to care in the community, and two themes that promote resiliency in the at-risk Latinx youth population. The findings suggest that not only the stressors Latinx youth experience contribute to barriers to care, but also historical barriers to care in the Latinx community continue to remain unaddressed.Advisors/Committee Members: Rodriguez, Erin M. (advisor).