Madelyn Pimentel

Mentor: Pratyusha Tummala-Narra, Professor in Counseling & Developmental Psychology

Title: Being A Latino Adolescent in the United States: Acculturation, Stress & Coping

The Latino Population in the United States is rapidly growing. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau of 2009, Latino youth represent 22% of the U.S. population under 18 years of age. However, little is known about the experience of Latino adolescents in the United States. The present study examined the perspective of 9 Latino adolescents in a High School outside of Boston with the purpose to understand the effects the process of acculturation has had in their life, its relationship with the stresses they encounter in their environment as well as the different mechanism they employ to cope with stress. The ultimate goal is to identify and remove the challenges that Latino adolescents are facing, through the creation and implementation of culturally appropriate intervention programs that promote positive youth development and well-being.