Matthew Moreno, Monique Padilla, Jessica Hernandez, Dalila Garcia, Raul Mendoza, Julie Krill, Amanda Gomez, Maria Elena Benavides, Carolina Uribe, Lisa Y. Flores, Roger, L. Worthington, & Kathleen Bogas:

Latino/a Psychology Research: A Trend Analysis of Five Professional Journals

University of Missouri

Abstract and Objectives

It has been documented widely that Latino/as are one of the most rapidly growing groups in the U.S. However, scholars have noted that Latino/as receive little consideration in psychology (McNeil et al., 2001). Although more attention is being paid to diversity issues in the psychological literature, data regarding the changes in the scholarly literature focusing on Latino/as is lacking. Understanding the trend of Latino/a publications in applied psychology journals may provide important information regarding the future direction of scholarship in psychology, and specifically Latino/a psychology. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine published articles across six applied psychology journals, including: Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, and Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences.

Specifically, we were interested in (a) investigating trends within journals and across professional journals in the number of articles focusing on Latino/as during the 15-year span of 1989-2003; (b) providing descriptive information on the samples (e.g., Latino/a subgroup, population, age, race, etc.) and types of article (e.g., empirical, conceptual, review, etc.); (c) identifying the psychological constructs examined; and (d) identifying the major contributors in Latino/a psychology research.

Descriptive statistics will be provided to identify the number and percentage of Latino/a psychology articles within a journal across years and across journals by year, type of scholarly contribution, the sample characteristics for empirical articles, the major variables of study , and the major contributors to this area of research. Individual scholarly productivity will be determined using the formula developed by Howard, Cole, and Maxwell (1987). The conference paper will contain complete method, results, and discussion sections. Implications of the results will be discussed with regard to the research trends of Latino/a psychology in general and specifically by each journal being investigated.

Program Objectives:

1) To identify trends of Latino/a psychology research over the past 15 years

2) To identify the major constructs investigated in empirical studies of Latino/as

3) To identify the major contributors to Latino/a scholarship in psychology

Contact Information:

Lisa Y. Flores, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor & Co-Director,
   Center for Multicultural Research, Training, & Consultation
University of Missouri
16 Hill Hall
Columbia, MO  65211-2130
Phone:  573-884-9724
Fax:  573-884-5989
E-mail:  floresly@missouri.edu