Oswaldo A . Moreno | Virginia Commonwealth University (original) (raw)

Papers by Oswaldo A . Moreno

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mar 1, 2023

International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Mar 1, 2023

Current opinion in psychology, Oct 1, 2022

Violence Against Women, Jul 23, 2018

This study qualitatively examines how heavy-drinking college men conceptualize bystander interven... more This study qualitatively examines how heavy-drinking college men conceptualize bystander intervention. Twelve semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with college men reporting past-month heavy drinking and sexual activity within the past 2 months. NVivo software was used to conduct a thematic analysis. Following the stage model of bystander intervention, men in this sample described situationspredominantly in drinking contexts-when other men made sexual advances toward women who were not interested or who were intoxicated as opportunities for intervention. Men reported relying on women's expression of verbal and nonverbal cues as a sign that a situation was problematic, and warranting intervention. Men reported a desire to protect women from experiencing a sexual assault, or to protect a peer from being accused of rape. Men perceived themselves to be more likely to assume responsibility for intervening when the situation involved someone they knew, especially a female friend. A variety of intervention strategies were also reported. Preliminary support was offered for considering alcohol myopia as a barrier to intervention. The interviews also provided preliminary support for further investigation into the role of alcohol expectancies regarding "liquid courage" and "aggression" as factors that can influence bystander intervention when intoxicated. Implications for future research and the development of tailored sexual assault prevention efforts for heavy-drinking men are discussed.

Ethnicity & Health, Nov 16, 2021

OBJECTIVE Black women experience unique stressors linked to the intersection of racism and sexism... more OBJECTIVE Black women experience unique stressors linked to the intersection of racism and sexism (i.e. gendered racism). While the negative effects of gendered racism are associated with Black women's health, less is known about factors that describe these relationships. DESIGN Using data from 263 Black women, we used path analysis to examine direct and indirect effects of gendered racism on anxiety and depression through gendered racialized stress. We also examined the direct and indirect effects of gendered racialized stress on anxiety and depression through social isolation. RESULTS After adjusting for covariates, gendered racism, and gendered racialized stress were not statistically significant predictors of anxiety and depression. However, gendered racism was a statistically significant predictor of gendered racialized stress. Also, social isolation mediated the relationships between gendered racism, gendered racialized stress, and anxiety, as well as depression. CONCLUSIONS Stress from gendered racism is associated with loneliness, which can negatively impact Black women's mental health. Findings suggest that gendered racialized stress and social isolation is important for understanding the relationship between gendered racism and mental health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression.

Chronic stress, 2023

The mental health burden associated with anti-immigrant rhetoric and ever-changing immigration po... more The mental health burden associated with anti-immigrant rhetoric and ever-changing immigration policies is undeniable, though the psychological and emotional sequalae may remain invisible for years to come. Exclusionary immigration policies, as a form of structural racism, have also led to an epidemic of stress-related health within the Latinx community, particularly the Latinx immigrant community, across the United States. Recent examples of anti-Latinx and anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies include the 45th President's implementation of the Zero Tolerance policy, Migrant Protection Protocols, and Title 42. The recognition of previous and existing anti-immigrant policies, and the impact on Latinx immigrants, is critical in understanding the manifestation of psychological stress to prevent it from becoming chronic. For mental health providers, attention to existing policies that can be detrimental to the Latinx immigrant community is essential to understanding their mental health trajectory and applying frameworks that honor an individual's psychological stress to prevent pathologizing the immigrant experience and negative health outcomes. The objective of the present brief review is to shed light on recent research and offer recommendations for practice (eg, educating the Latinx community about the link between the immigrant experience and psychological stress) and policy (eg, drafting of legislation aimed at rescinding harmful immigration policies) regarding the relation between aggressive anti-immigration rhetoric and psychological stress among Latinx immigrants in the United States.

Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Nov 17, 2022

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, Apr 1, 2021

OBJECTIVES Latinxs have the highest prevalence of obesity in the United States, which can further... more OBJECTIVES Latinxs have the highest prevalence of obesity in the United States, which can further contribute to the pervasive disparities in morbidity and mortality. Although the experience of discrimination is associated with obesity in racial/ethnic minorities, mediators and moderators of this association, specifically among Latinx emerging adults, have been understudied. The present study investigated an individual-level mediator (eating disorder symptoms) and cultural moderators (familismo support, ethnic identity affirmation) of the association between perceived discrimination and body mass index (BMI) among Latinx emerging adults. METHOD Secondary analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data obtained from 198 Latinx emerging adults (70% female, Mage = 20.59, SDage = 1.78). RESULTS Participants who reported greater, as opposed to fewer, experiences of ethnic discrimination were likely to report more eating disorder symptoms, which in turn was associated with increased BMI. There was no evidence supporting familismo support or ethnic identity affirmation as moderators, suggesting that even those with high levels of familismo or ethnic identity were susceptible to the negative consequences of the experience of ethnic discrimination. CONCLUSIONS Addressing health-compromising eating behaviors and attitudes among Latinx emerging adults might be one effective means to addressing the negative consequences of discrimination on weight-related outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Journal of latinx psychology, Aug 1, 2020

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Feb 1, 2020

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Sep 29, 2020

The current study sought to examine how heavy-drinking college men describe communication of sexu... more The current study sought to examine how heavy-drinking college men describe communication of sexual interest and sexual consent. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 12 heavy-drinking college men identified three themes. Themes included: (a) expectations about parties and sexual activity, (b) observing and communicating sexual interest, and (c) communication of sexual consent. Men reported visiting drinking environments to locate women who they assumed would be open to sexual advances. In these environments, sexual interest was inferred indirectly through shared alcohol use. Anticipating token resistance men reported "trying and trying again" to pursue escalating types of sexual activity. Consent

The Counseling Psychologist, May 10, 2021

Anti-immigration rhetoric has consistently impacted the lives of immigrant young adults who are D... more Anti-immigration rhetoric has consistently impacted the lives of immigrant young adults who are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. This qualitative study sheds light on the lived psychological experiences of 21 Latinx DACA recipients who were impacted by the political debates during the Trump administration. Content analysis revealed four main psychological impacts resulting from the DACA political debates: stress, fear, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology). Through these experiences, individuals who perceived being impacted by these political debates described three main strengths (i.e., luchando adelante, positive outlook, and DACA+ethnic pride) that assisted them. Finally, participants noted three main strategies (i.e., social and family support, religiosity/spirituality, and social advocacy) that also served them during the DACA political debates. These findings provide implications for practices and policies that foster healing from ethno-racial trauma in Latinx immigrant communities.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2021

Although there is a substantial body of work focusing on the processes underlying cultural identi... more Although there is a substantial body of work focusing on the processes underlying cultural identity in general, less is known regarding how these processes might operate within the context of Latinx families. Moreover, among the limited research that has included the adolescent and caregiver cultural identity, most of the research has primarily focused on how caregivers influence their adolescent's cultural identity. In the present study, the directional pathways between recently immigrated adolescents' and caregivers' ethnic and U.S. identity belonging were examined using data from a longitudinal study of acculturation and identity development among recently arrived Latinx immigrant families. The sample consisted of 302 primary caregivers (Mage = 41.09, SD = 7.13 at baseline; 67.5% mothers) and their adolescents (Mage = 14.51, SD = 0.88 at baseline; 46.7% female). The results indicated that caregivers' ethnic identity belonging significantly predicted adolescents' ethnic identity belonging over time. At the same time, adolescents' ethnic identity negatively predicted caregivers' ethnic identity belonging over time, whereas adolescents' U.S. identity belonging positively predicted caregivers' later ethnic identity belonging. The findings indicate that immigrant caregivers may retain their native culture to direct and respond to their children's changing cultural identifications.

Journal of Family Psychology

The present study tested whether family home disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Spri... more The present study tested whether family home disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Spring 2020 (Time 1; T1) informed mental health (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depressive, and anxiety symptoms) 7 months later in Fall 2020 at T2 and whether family relationship quality moderated relations. Multigroup path analysis models were used to test whether there were significant differences in relations by emerging adults' ethnic-racial backgrounds. Participants were 811 Black, Asian American, Latine, and White emerging adult college students (M age = 19.95, SD = .33), and the majority (79.6%) who reported their gender identified as cisgender women. Results indicated that across all individuals, T1 family relationship quality moderated relations between T1 family home disruptions and T2 anxiety and depressive symptoms. At lower levels of T1 family relationship quality, family home disruptions predicted greater T2 depressive and anxiety symptoms. At higher levels of T1 family relationship quality, these relations were not significant. Findings highlight that family relationship quality is an important protective factor for diverse emerging adult college students.