The effect of group counseling on the self-esteem, attendance, and counselor utilization of immigrant Hispanic secondary limited English proficient students

As the population of the United States becomes more diverse and the immigrant Hispanic, limited English proficient (LEP) school age population continues to grow, understanding and addressing the needs of these students becomes a pressing question. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of group counseling, by a bilingual counselor, on the self-esteem, attendance and counselor utilization of Hispanic LEP high school students. The design for this study was a quasi-experimental design. The experimental and control groups consisted of one class from each of the four levels of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), I-IV. The counseling intervention, the independent variable, was delivered by a bilingual counselor once a week, for fifteen weeks.^ A total of 112 immigrant Hispanic LEP students selected from the total ESOL student population participated in the study. The experimental and control groups were administered the Culture Free Self Esteem Inventory (CFSEI) Form AD as a pretest and posttest. The Background Information Questionnaire (BIQ) was utilized to gather information on counselor utilization and demographic data. Attendance data were obtained from the students' computer records. At the conclusion of the study the differences between the experimental and control groups on the three dependent variables were compared.^ Statistical analyses of the data were done using SPSS statistical software. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was utilized to determine if there were significant differences in the self-esteem scores, attendance and counselor utilization. Correlational analyses was utilized to determine if there was a relationship between English language proficiency and self-esteem and between acculturation level and self-esteem.^ The study results indicate that there were no significant differences in the self-esteem scores and attendance of the subjects in the experimental group at the completion of the group counseling treatment. Counselor utilization was statistically significant for the targeted population. A relationship was found between English language proficiency level and self-esteem scores for students in ESOL levels II, III and IV. No significant correlation was found between acculturation and self-esteem.^ Research on the dropout rates of LEP coupled with the results of this study show that students at the intermediate and advanced levels of ESOL (III and IV) exhibit more positive self-esteem and achieve higher graduation rates that levels I and II. LEP students at levels I and II, once they became familiar with the role and function of school counselors through group counseling, utilized their services. ^

Coronary heart disease risk factors among tri-ethnic students at Florida International University

The present study identified and compared Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) risk factors quantified as “CHD risk point standards” (CHDRPS) among tri-ethnic (White non-Hispanic [WNH], Hispanic [H], and Black non-Hispanic [BNH]) college students. All 300 tri-ethnic subjects completed the Cardiovascular Risk Assessment Instruments and had blood pressure readings recorded on three occasions. The Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) was used to measure body composition. Students' knowledge of CHD risk factors was also measured. In addition, a 15 ml fasting blood sample was collected from 180 subjects and blood lipids and Homocysteine (tHcy) levels were measured. Data were analyzed by gender and ethnicity using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni's pairwise mean comparison procedure, Pearson correlation, and Chi-square test with follow-up Bonferroni's Chi-square tests. ^ The mean score of CHDRPS for all subjects was 19.15 ± 6.79. Assigned to the CHD risk category, college students were below-average risk of developing CHD. Males scored significantly (p < 0.013) higher for CHD risk than females, and BNHs scored significantly (p < 0.033) higher than WNHs. High consumption of dietary fat saturated fat and cholesterol resulted in a high CHDRPS among H males and females and WNH females. High alcohol consumption resulted in a high CHDRPS among all subjects. Mean tHcy ± SD of all subjects was 6.33 ± 3. 15 μmol/L. Males had significantly (p < 0.001) higher tHcy than females. Black non-Hispanic females and H females had significantly (p < 0.003) lower tHcy than WNH females. Positive associations were found between tHcy levels and CHDRPS among females (p < 0.001), Hs (p < 0.001), H males (p < 0.049), H females (p < 0.009), and BNH females (p < 0.005). Significant positive correlations were found between BMI levels and CHDRPS in males (p < 0.001), females (p < 0.001), WNHs (p < 0.008), Hs (p < 0.001), WNH males (p < 0.024), H males (p < 0.004) and H females (p < 0.001). The mean knowledge of CHD questions of all subjects was 71.70 ± 7.92 out of 100. The mean knowledge of CHD was significantly higher for WNH males (p < 0.039) than BNH males. A significant inverse correlation (r = 0.392, p < 0.032) was found between the CHD knowledge and CHDRPS in WNH females. The researcher's findings indicate strong gender and ethnic differences in CHD risk factors among the college-age population. ^