Cultural Considerations in Latino American Mental Health

Book excerpt: In America's increasingly diverse society, it is imperative that mental health providers prioritize the development of their cultural competence to assure that they are equipped to meet the needs of their clients. Cultural Considerations in Latino American Mental Health offers a broad array of perspectives from clinicians and researchers actively working with racially and ethnically diverse populations. This book addresses psychosocial cultural issues that impact the mental health of the growing Latino American population. Topics discussed include relevant socio-demographic variables for Latinos and the implications of the steadily increasing Latino population in the United States; cultural values, acculturation, and acculturative stress in the lives of Latino adolescents; culturally responsive intervention of depression in Latino adolescents; depression across the lifespan; and cultural factors in the development of substance abuse issues in the Latino adolescent population. This book is a must-read for mental health clinicians, students, community workers, school counselors, and nurses who work with diverse populations.