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To examine aging Puerto Ricans’ experiences with and perceptions of depression treatment.

In-depth analysis of eight exemplary cases from ethnographic interviews with a subsample of 16 aging Puerto Ricans in the Boston area who are part of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study.

The results show that respondents were resistant to accepting pharmacological treatment for their depression, and they often characterized antidepressants as “dope.” Moreover, they claimed that in addition to their health problems, social stressors such as financial strain, lack of jobs, housing problems, and social isolation are triggering or contributing to their depression. Because of this, they express reluctance in accepting clinical treatment only, and suggest that broader social issues and other health needs ought to be addressed as part of an effective treatment. For many, pharmacological treatment is acceptable only in the more severe forms of depression.

These results have important implications for improving the quality of depression treatment and reducing health disparities for mainland Puerto Ricans.

Even though recent studies continue to show a high frequency of depression among Puerto Ricans, issues of treatment quality are still understudied and ethnographic accounts are especially lacking. Our study offers an exploratory investigation of this unresolved research issue.

In attempts to improve the quality of health‐care services in the USA, health‐care providers must be aware of and understand the socioeconomic characteristics and cultural values of minority populations in order to better serve these patients. This study focuses on the Puerto Rican population and issues of quality in the delivery of health‐care services.

This chapter highlights the social and cultural gaps evidenced when students from a foreign country receive education in a Puerto Rican university. It explores the influence and the implications of the Spanish vernacular being used as a language of instruction. The chapter starts with a historical background on English language instruction for Puerto Ricans throughout the last century. This topic is discussed in order to shed light on the consequences of such a polemic subject and to evaluate the implications and the influence it has had in the way Puerto Ricans communicate. The Puerto Rican Spanish vernacular is inherent in the language of instruction used throughout grade school and in Higher Education. As part of the investigation of the effects of the language of instruction, three students were interviewed to form part of this discourse. The motivations they had to study on the island were explored, as well as experiences that highlighted the language and cultural barriers that may or may not have been present in while studying in a Puerto Rican university. Their feelings toward their general experiences with their peers and professors were also explored.

Compares family sources of support perceived by 55 Puerto Rican mothers of young children with disabilities residing in Puerto Rico with 39 of their counterparts living in Florida. Uses the Family Support Scale in the interview process to measure perception. Indicates that the Puerto Rican sample perceive more sources of support than those in Florida. Describes perceived patterns and sources. Discusses the implications for schools, agencies and service providers.

Specific types of Hispanic-owned banks (HOBs), including those related to Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican or Puerto Rican heritage, have not be analyzed to date. There are important differences between the relevant communities, including geographic location, language barriers, population size and the importance of remittances to foreign nations. The analysis here sheds light on these differences.

HOBs with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-designated minority-owned depository institution (MDI) designation are identified, along with bank ownership heritage. Financial data, a measure of market competition, and demographics of depositors from 2003 to 2017 are utilized in an exploratory analysis comparing banks by HOB type, with random effects regressions for the pre-collapse (2003–2006) and post-collapse (2009–2017) periods.

Although each of the four types of HOBs serve Hispanic and poor communities, there are substantial differences. For example, Brazilian and Puerto Rican banks on the island held high levels of nonperforming loans (NPLs) post-collapse, with the Brazilian and Mexican banks expanding levels of risky commercial real estate (CRE) lending post-collapse, while the Cuban banks contracted CRE lending. Differences in terms of return on assets (ROAs), the cost of borrowed funds and the tier-1 risk-based capital ratio are also identified.

HOBs, like Latinos in the USA, are culturally heterogeneous and likely operate in different ways depending upon the culture and economic circumstances of the communities where they operate.

Although there is substantial research on MDIs, this is the first analysis which treats HOBs as culturally heterogeneous. Further research of this type is warranted.

The purpose of this paper is to study the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening practices of Latinos in the USA, a traditionally disadvantaged group regarding health, while operating within the theoretical lens of segmented acculturation. Differential acculturation experiences influence migrant health and healthcare access, including CRC screening.

Latinos are categorized into subgroups and are referenced against non-Latino whites and non-Latino blacks. Descriptive statistics and binomial logistic regression models are used to analyze the data from the 2008 and 2010–2014 National Health Interview Survey.

Latinos and respondents born outside of the non-territorial USA exhibit disparities in CRC screening participation. Screening discrepancies are not uniform across Latino subgroups, reflecting the importance of a segmented acculturation theoretical lens.

A discrepancy exists in CRC screening utilization among the largest minority population in the USA. These inconsistencies among US Latinos must be addressed directly to avoid serious health consequences in a large and growing population.

Interventions should be tailored to address the unique situational contexts of Latino subgroups suffering the health disparities. These distinct contexts are only elucidated through the use of a theoretical lens of segmented acculturation in studies of Latino health, which explicitly considers the historical and contemporary social forces acting upon the subgroups. This study extends beyond individual-level exposures to provide a more holistic view of the health behaviors and outcomes among Latino subgroups in the USA. Insight gained from this study is invaluable to improving the health of these traditionally disadvantaged groups.

The chapter relies on a variety of methods to trace the development of changing racial ideologies among Greeks. The methodologies used include: (1) historical secondary sources; (2) one hundred and ten interviews (of both immigrants and Greeks in Greece, with interviewees varying in age from 19 to 74); and (3) content analysis of poems, popular songs and electronic discussion groups. The primary aim of selecting the data was to understand the changing nature of racial classifications themselves rather than to measure rates and pervasiveness.