Sandra M.Magaņa Ph.D., Brandeis University Assistant Professor, School of Social Work Contact Information Waisman Center UW-Madison 1500 Highland Avenue Madison, WI 53705 608-263-0270 608-265-4862 (fax) E-mail: magana@waisman.wisc.edu Web: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/family/

The focus of my research is on cultural variation in the experience of caregiving for persons with developmental disabilities and mental illness. Caregivers from communities of color face many challenges but also have exceptional coping resources. In addition, my research investigates how the coping resources of caregivers mediate and moderate stress, how they can be supported, and how they can help in our overall understanding of stress and coping.  I am also interested in investigating how race, ethnicity and poverty interact with the caregiving context and how these interactions impact the well-being of caregivers of color and their families. My initial work involved an investigation of Puerto Rican mothers of adults with mental retardation. A major focus of this study was to understand the cultural value of familism as a protective factor for Puerto Rican mothers.  I have also compared caregiving experiences of the Puerto Rican mothers to other groups. Currently, I am working on a study of Latino families with an adolescent or adult with autism. Although autism is an important field of study, there is virtually no research on Latinos with autism. In this project, I am collaborating with Marsha Seltzer, Jan Greenberg and Marty Krauss on their NIH funded study of caregiving for adolescents and adults with autism. Some of the issues I am exploring in this study are parental beliefs about autism and service utilization among this population. Another current project funded by NIMH is a study of Latino and African American families of adults with severe mental illness. This study allows me to examine issues unique to families of color in the context of having a family member with severe mental illness, and to make comparisons across different contexts and groups. I am also analyzing National data to compare the health and well-being of Latina and African American mothers of children with disabilities to that of Latina and African American women who do not have children with disabilities. Magaņa, S., Schwartz, S., Rubert, M., & Szapocznik, J. (in press). Hispanic caregivers of adults with mental retardation: The importance of family functioning. American Journal on Mental Retardation. Magaņa, S., & Smith, M.J. (in press). Health outcomes of mid-life and aging Latina and Black American mothers of children with developmental disabilities. Mental Retardation. Magaņa, S., Greenberg, J., & Seltzer, M. (2004). The health and well-being of Black mothers caring for an adult with schizophrenia. Psychiatric Services, 55, 711-713. Magaņa, S., Seltzer, M., & Krauss, W. (2004). The cultural context of caregiving: Differences in well-being between Puerto Rican and non-Latina White mothers of adults with mental retardation. Mental Retardation, 42, 1-11. Magaņa, S., Seltzer, M., & Krauss, W. (2002). Service utilization patterns of adults with intellectual disabilities: A Comparison of Puerto Rican and non-Latino white families. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 37 (3/4), 38 (1/2). Magaņa, S., Seltzer, M. Krauss, M., Rubert, M., & Szapocznik, J. (2002). Well-being and family role strain among Cuban American and Puerto Rican mothers of adults with mental retardation. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 5, 31-55.   Click to search National Library of Medicine and PubMed for other publications by Dr. Magaņa

Last updated 12/6/05 by rowley@waisman.wisc.edu