Development and Well-Being of Rural Latino Youth: Research Findings and Methodological Aspects

This chapter reviews the current state of developmental knowledge about rural Latino youth and discusses strategies for conducting research with this understudied population. Latino youth make up over one tenth of the rural youth population in the USA, yet the empirical literature regarding their well-being and development is relatively sparse. On the basis of our literature review, we tentatively conclude that although many Latino children and adolescents are doing well in rural communities, living in underserved contexts may create difficulties for some youngsters. We also posit that the family, peer, and school contexts of rural and urban Latino youth differ in ways that might affect their well-being. Furthermore, it appears that some youth (e.g., immigrants growing up in predominantly non-Latino settings) face unique challenges that may threaten their psychological, social, or physical well-being. These conclusions must be regarded as preliminary; few studies have systematically examined fundamental developmental processes among rural Latino youth or evaluated how contextual variations are associated with youth well-being. To assist researchers interested in filling these critical gaps, we discuss methodological issues and strategies for conducting developmental research with rural Latino youth, drawing on the published literature and our own experiences in the field.