Principal Investigator: Dr. Mayra Bamaca-Colbert

I am an immigrant Latina scholar who emigrated from Guatemala at the age of 16. My research lies at the intersection of developmental (e.g., puberty), cultural (e.g., acculturation) and contextual (e.g., parenting, friendships, neighborhood) influences on the behavioral and health outcomes of ethnic-racial minoritized youth, with an emphasis on Latino/a/x. I recently completed a pilot study that implemented Ecological Momentary Assessments (i.e., 3 daily surveys for 10 days) to better understand the daily experiences of Latino youth and their parents in a new immigrant destination (Harrisburg, PA). The focus of this project was to examine how daily experiences with parents, peers, and the surrounding environment (e.g., exposure to violence and substance use, discrimination) is related to daily psychological and physical health symptoms. My work at UC Merced will continue to focus on adolescents from Latinx and other ethnic-racial minoritized backgrounds and will expand to investigate middle childhood experiences within families and school contexts.