Exploring Culturally Relevant Responses to Latinx Student Mental Health

Abstract

Social workers have an ethical obligation to challenge systemic oppression. Within the context of Latinx college students, there are many systemic barriers that negatively impact their mental health. Previous research focuses on identifying individual characteristics among Latinx students that promote academic success and psychological wellbeing. However, it is important to hold postsecondary education accountable for creating more inclusive environments that welcome the increased enrollment of Latinx students. The following dissertation explores culturally relevant responses to Latinx college student mental health. The first article is a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis that explores how Latinx-specific programming shapes ethnic identity and psychological wellbeing among Latinx students. The second article analyzes counseling center websites to determine whether websites include information and programming specific to Latinx students attending 4-year public Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The final article explores the perspectives of counselors at 4-year public HSIs to understand how they perceive and respond to Latinx mental psychological distress. The results of each article are summarized and implications for social work research, practice, and policy are considered.