At Bowling Green State University, a determined student has merged the fields of psychology and sociology to gain new insights into the Latino/a/x community's mental health as related to college education. The focus of this deep dive is a research project led by undergraduate psychology major Elisa Hernandez, whose efforts are uncovering the relationship between the well-being of Latino parents and their children’s educational achievements.
In pursuit of her degree, Hernandez has boldly decided to tackle both psychology and sociology research simultaneously, under the mentorship of faculty at the University's Center for Family and Demographic Research. It's a leap into the unknown, spurred by the curious mind that's bent on exploring how the pursuit and attainment of a college degree by Latino children reversely impacts the mental health of their first-generation parents. Hernandez's investigation is keen to look "at the social determinants of health, but also diving into the psychology behind it all," as she indicated in a statement obtained by Bowling Green State University.
This innovative project targets a demographic close to Hernandez's heart, reflecting a personal connection to the narrative, being a first-generation student and Latina herself. She's charting the course of research in a direction often overlooked in academia, reversing the traditional downstream flow of parental educational benefit to probe how much parents gain when their progeny complete higher education. Hernandez notes a particular question that fuels her inquiry, "Do parents benefit from their children receiving a college degree?" according to BGSU News.
The study hinges on a crossroads of factors that include parental mental health and educational background. Hernandez is especially invested in answering whether there's a marked difference in mental health outcomes between "parents of first-generation college students and parents who have a college education, whose children also have a college education." According to her research, as cited by the BGSU News, the contemplation isn't just academic. It's a pivotal moment to decisively shift the focus upstream and grasp fully the benefits education showers upon the parental figure in Latino families.
While the full conclusions of Hernandez's research are yet to be released, the initial findings are already forming a compelling narrative on the power education holds within family dynamics, especially among underrepresented communities. Elisa Hernandez's story and research at BGSU News shed light on the psychological implications of a college degree and affirm the intertwined fates of Latino/a/x children and their parents in their mutual pursuit of well-being and success.
