Dr. Seth Schwartz | Department of Public Health Sciences | University of Miami

Dr. Seth Schwartz Receives Grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development

Seth Schwartz, Ph.D., professor of public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences, is currently a co-principal investigator on a project funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD). The project focuses on developing a self-report measure to capture the effects of acculturation-related stress on Hispanic youth. The measure will provide a tool that can be used for evaluating prevention programs.

According to population surveillance data, it has been indicated that there are disparities in many health outcomes for Hispanic youth in the U.S., 70 percent of whom are from immigrant families. Some of the disparities that they face are related to acculturation – the process by which youth retain their cultural heritage and/or adopt a new culture – as well navigating through various other stressors that come along with living in a new country. 

“For many people, cultural stress is an unfortunate part of moving to a new country or growing up in an immigrant family. It is essential for us to develop measures to capture what cultural stress is and how its effects can be countered or reduced,” said Dr. Schwartz, who is also the program director of the Ph.D. in Prevention Science and Community Health program. 

Although there are research studies that have examined how cultural stress influences developmental outcomes, there remains a need for comprehensive instruments to measure its various effects. The goal of this project is to understand those effects so as to better evaluate evidence-based programs. Such programs can ultimately help Hispanic youth in navigating through the challenge of acculturation so that they can live healthy and productive lives.

Dr. Schwartz’s research focuses on adolescents and emerging adults, specifically those from immigrant or minority backgrounds, as well as those who experience rapid social change. He currently has over 225 peer-reviewed publications, has been a principal investigator of various NIH-funded projects, was a senior editor of the Oxford Handbook of Acculturation and Health, as well as the former president of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood.

Written by Amanda Torres

Published on July 9, 2019