Description of Studies:

Latino Families of Adolescents and Adults with Autism: A Study of Family Caregiving
Family caregiving of persons with autism is an important, emerging area of study. Within this area of research, there is virtually no research on Latinos with autism and their families. Working with Marsha Seltzer, Jan Greenberg and Marty Krauss, I am supervising recruitment of a sample in Massachusetts of Latino families of adolescents and adults with autism. Some of the issues we will explore are the relationships of family and acculturation to caregiver well-being, parental beliefs about autism, and service utilization among this population.

Latino and African American Families of Adults with Mental Illness
This study is funded by NIMH and is designed to complement Dr. Greenberg and Seltzers' study of families of adults with schizophrenia. This is the first longitudinal study designed to understand the needs of families of color in the context of a family member with a severe mental illness. In this study, we are examining issues unique to families of color in the context of having a family member with severe mental illness, and will be making comparisons across different contexts and groups. We will examine protective factors such as kinship networks, religiosity and other coping styles of families of color who have a member with severe mental illness in addition to the unique challenges they may face.