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Development and Well-Being of Rural Latino Youth: Research Findings and Methodological Aspects

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Rural Ethnic Minority Youth and Families in the United States

Part of the book series: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development ((ARAD))

Abstract

This chapter reviews the current state of developmental knowledge about rural Latino youth and discusses strategies for conducting research with this understudied population. Latino youth make up over one tenth of the rural youth population in the USA, yet the empirical literature regarding their well-being and development is relatively sparse. On the basis of our literature review, we tentatively conclude that although many Latino children and adolescents are doing well in rural communities, living in underserved contexts may create difficulties for some youngsters. We also posit that the family, peer, and school contexts of rural and urban Latino youth differ in ways that might affect their well-being. Furthermore, it appears that some youth (e.g., immigrants growing up in predominantly non-Latino settings) face unique challenges that may threaten their psychological, social, or physical well-being. These conclusions must be regarded as preliminary; few studies have systematically examined fundamental developmental processes among rural Latino youth or evaluated how contextual variations are associated with youth well-being. To assist researchers interested in filling these critical gaps, we discuss methodological issues and strategies for conducting developmental research with rural Latino youth, drawing on the published literature and our own experiences in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA

    Marcela Raffaelli & Maria I. Iturbide Ph.D.

  2. Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA

    Mariela Fernandez

Authors
  1. Marcela Raffaelli
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  2. Maria I. Iturbide Ph.D.
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  3. Mariela Fernandez
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Correspondence to Marcela Raffaelli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Dept. of Psychology, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Lisa J. Crockett

  2. University of Missouri, Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies, Columbia, Missouri, USA

    Gustavo Carlo

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Raffaelli, M., Iturbide, M.I., Fernandez, M. (2016). Development and Well-Being of Rural Latino Youth: Research Findings and Methodological Aspects. In: Crockett, L., Carlo, G. (eds) Rural Ethnic Minority Youth and Families in the United States. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20976-0_6

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