Blog #4

The reason I chose to research ADHD and stigma within the Latino community was because of my own upbringing. I grew up in a super Catholic family, and being first generation, I had to break through many preconceived notions that my family had. The traditional gender roles, urban myths and remedies were all challenged when I went to school and learned new things such as feminism and basic science (medicine). This dichotomy continued to present itself as I began to work with Latino families upon entering the workforce. I noticed that Latino parents, especially if they were immigrants or first generation, grew up with the same beliefs as I did. That is why I wanted to find a connection between Latino cultural orientation and stigma of ADHD, which ultimately affects diagnosis rates and treatment. This personal connection with the topic might be my bias. I am convinced that there is a connection between Latino cultural values and stigma of mental health issues. It is important for me to be aware of this bias when writing my literature review because I have to be able to present the other side and refute it in order to make my research valid. However, at the end of the day, I do not think that my bias will affect my conclusions. All of the articles that I have read so far state that researchers believe there is a connection, but this topic has been under-researched. Moving forward, in order to addresses this bias, I will try to find articles that discuss what strengths Latino cultural values provide in the community.