Hector Betancourt

The Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race in American Psychology

The study of culture and related concepts, such as ethnicityand race, in American psychology are examined in thisarticle. First, the conceptual confusion and ways in whichculture, ethnicity, and race are used as explanatory factorsfor intergroup differences in psychological phenomena arediscussed. Second, ways in which to study culture inmainstream psychology and to enhance hypothesis testingand theory in cross-cultural psychology are illustrated. Fi-nally, the importance of examining sociocultural variablesand considering theory in ethnic minority research is ad-dressed. In general, it is proposed that by including theory,conceptualizing, and measuring cultural and related vari-ables, mainstream, cross-cultural, and ethnic research canadvance the understanding of culture in psychology as wellas the generality of principles and the cultural sensitivityof applications.

Simpatía as a cultural script of Hispanics.

Abstract : A cultural script is a pattern of social interaction which is characteristic of a particular cultural group. Simpatia, and its component harmony, or the emphasis on positive behaviors in positive situations (e.g., complimenting somebody who has done a good job) and the de-emphasis of negative behaviors in negative situations (e.g., criticising) may be a Hispanic cultural script. Lower status individuals are not supposed to show aggression even when their rights are taken away. The data indicate that Hispanic recruits expect more positive behaviors in positive social situations and de-emphasize the appropriateness of negative behaviors in situations of conflict, particularly when the actor is of lower status. The implications of these findings for the Navy is that Hispanics are likely to have higher levels of expectations concerning the appropriateness of positive behaviors (e.g., receiving a compliment if they do a good job) than Mainstream recruits. Thus, they will feel underrewarded in situations where they do a good job. Conversely, they will expect less expression of criticism from lower status individuals, and therefore even mild criticism from such individuals might be seen as extreme criticism. (Author)

The measurement of the etic aspects of individualism and collectivism across cultures

The dimension of individualism-collectivism, as identified by Hofstede (1980), was studied using items developed both theoretically and emically in nine diverse cultures. The dimension was found to be analysable into four stable etic factors: Individualism had two aspects (Separation from Ingroups and Self-Reliance with Hedonism) and collectivism had two aspects (Family Integrity and Interdependence with Sociability). These four factors are orthogonal to each other. The location of nine cultures on these four factors was used to compute a “collectivism” score which correlated r = + · 73 with Hofstedes (1980) collectivism scores for the nine cultures. This approach enables the measurement of individualism-collectivism in each culture as well as across cultures, and shows that different methods for measuring individualism-collectivism converge.

An Etic-Emic Analysis of Individualism and Collectivism:

An analysis of the responses of 1,614 subjects from 10 cultures shows that the Leung Bond procedure provides illuminating ways of extracting both strong (Separation From In-Groups, Independence, and Personal Competence) and weak (Task Orientation) eticsrelevant to individualism, and weak etics (Dependence on Others, Sociability) relevant to collectivism. Additional richness in the available information is provided when intracultural factor analyses are carried out in each culture. It appears that the most complete picture is obtained when both etics and emics are examined.

A Cognition (Attribution)-Emotion Model of Violence in Conflict Situations

The present research was designed to examine the relationships between attribution processes and interpersonal emotions (anger and empathic emotions) as determinants of violent reactions in conflict situations. A model including the mediating role of attribution processes and emotions as well as all theoretically meaningful relationships among the variables was proposed and tested using Bentlers structural equations program (EQS). Results show that the model fits the data well and the mediating role of anger and empathic emotions is supported In addition, the role of attributional thinking (e.g., perceived intentionality of an instigation and controllability of its cause) as a determinant of anger and empathic emotions is confirmed. Results are discussed in terms of potential extensions and applications of attribution theory and the role of interpersonal emotions in antisocial behavior and interpersonal relations in general

Culture, emotion, and cancer screening: an integrative framework for investigating health behavior.

BackgroundAlthough health disparity research has investigated social structural, cultural, or psychological factors, the interrelations among these factors deserve greater attention.PurposeThis study aims to examine cancer screening emotions and their relations to screening fatalism as determinants of breast cancer screening among women from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.MethodsAn integrative conceptual framework was used to test the multivariate relations among socioeconomic status, age, screening fatalism, screening emotions, and clinical breast exam compliance among 281 Latino and Anglo women, using multi-group structural equation causal modeling.ResultsScreening emotions and screening fatalism had a negative, direct influence on clinical breast exam compliance for both ethnic groups. Still, ethnicity moderated the indirect effect of screening fatalism on clinical breast exam compliance through screening emotions.ConclusionsIntegrative conceptual frameworks and multivariate methods may shed light on the complex relations among factors influencing health behaviors relevant to disparities. Future research and intervention must recognize this complexity when working with diverse populations.

Healthcare Mistreatment and Continuity of Cancer Screening Among Latino and Anglo American Women in Southern California

The aim of this research was to examine the relation of perceptions of healthcare mistreatment and related emotions to continuity of cancer screening care among women who reported healthcare mistreatment. The structure of relations among cultural beliefs about healthcare professionals, perceptions of mistreatment, mistreatment-related emotions, and continuity of screening was investigated. Participants included 313 Anglo and Latino American women of varying demographic characteristics from southern California who were recruited using multi-stage stratified sampling. Structural equation modeling confirmed the relation of perceptions of mistreatment to continuity of care for both Anglo and Latino American women, with ethnicity moderating this association. For Anglo Americans, greater perceptions of mistreatment were negatively related to continuity of screening. However, for Latinas the relation was indirect, through mistreatment-related anger. While greater perceptions of mistreatment were associated with higher levels of anger for both ethnic groups, anger was negatively related to continuity of care for Latino but not for Anglo women. Furthermore, cultural beliefs about professionals were indirectly related to continuity of screening through perceptions of mistreatment and/or mistreatment-related anger. These findings highlight the importance of the role of cultural and psychological factors in research and interventions aimed at improving patient-professional relations with culturally diverse women.

Culture and Latino Issues in Health Psychology

Publisher Summary This chapter describes some of the general aspects concerning the study of culture in mainstream psychology that are relevant to the study and practice of health psychology with nondominant ethnic groups in a multicultural society. The chapter discusses the issues relevant to study and practice of health psychology of Latinos: intragroup diversity in cultural background, socioeconomic status, and levels of acculturation. In order to address health concerns of Latinos, it is important to consider the potential changes that Latinos experience. Health data suggests that across most health indicators, low socioeconomic status is associated with higher health risks. The final part of the chapter focuses on specific health psychology issues that concern the various Latino groups: coronary heart disease, HIV, cervical cancer, diabetes, and chronic pain management.

Cultural beliefs about health professionals and perceived empathy influence continuity of cancer screening following a negative encounter

Abstract Negative health care encounters have implications for preventive medical services and continuity of health care. This study examined cultural and interpersonal psychological factors involved in health care interactions that may ameliorate the detrimental effects of negative encounters. A mixed-methods approach was implemented to examine the relations among positive cultural beliefs about health professionals, perceived professional empathy, interpersonal emotions, and continuity of cancer screening among 237 Latin American (Latino) and non-Latino White (Anglo) American women who reported a negative health care encounter. Multi-group structural equation modeling revealed that for Latino and Anglo women, positive cultural beliefs about health professionals in general were associated with higher perceptions of empathy regarding a professional involved in a negative encounter. In addition, for Latino women, perceptions of higher professional empathy and less negative emotions were associated with better continuity of cancer screening. Interventions designed to improve professionals’ empathy skills and diverse patients’ perceptions of professionals could improve patient–professional relations.

Substance Abuse Among American Indians and Alaska Natives: An Integrative Cultural Framework for Advancing Research

Research consistently highlights the high prevalence of substance-related psychopathology in the American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) population. Recent epidemiological literature suggests that these trends are not diminishing, despite decades of etiological work and prevention programs. The aim of this article was to examine the literature on risk and protective factors for substance-related psychopathology in the AIAN population from the perspective of Betancourt’s integrative model of culture, psychological processes, and behavior (Betancourt et al. 1993, 2010, 2011). This model specifies the structure of relations among sociostructural (e.g., income and education), cultural (e.g., values and norms), and psychological (e.g., cognition and emotion) factors influencing behavior. Articles were reviewed that identified one or more determinants of substance-related psychopathology in the AIAN population. An analysis of the reviewed articles revealed that the factors investigated in relation to substance-related psychopathology have typically been studied independently of each other. Also, most studies have examined factors that are rather distal from behavior (e.g., sociostructural). Results suggest that research on the interrelations among cultural and psychological, in addition to sociostructural, determinants may enhance our understanding of substance-related psychopathology in this population. To this end, suggestions for future research are derived from results of the studies reviewed. Such theoretically driven research may contribute to more effective interventions and the reduction of substance-related disparities among the AIAN population.