José Szapocznik

• Ph.D.
• Chair at University of Miami

Background Greenness—or vegetative presence—has been identified as a factor in chronic disease. The present study examines the longitudinal relationship between objective measures of greenness at the residential block level and incidence of 6 cardiovascular disease conditions. Methods and Results Analyses examined the impact of consistently high v...

The present study examines the extent to which culturally stressful experiences may predict impaired well-being, increased internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety), and increased externalizing problems (social aggression, physical aggression, and rule breaking) among a sample of Hispanic college students in Miami across a 12-day period. The...

The potential for greenness as a novel protective factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) requires further exploration. This study assesses prospectively and longitudinally the association between precision greenness - greenness measured at the micro-environmental level, defined as the Census block - and AD incidence. Older adults living in consistentl...

The present study examines the extent to which culturally stressful experiences may predict impaired well-being, increased internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety), and increased externalizing problems (social aggression, physical aggression, and rule breaking) among a sample of Hispanic college students in Miami, across a 12-day period. The...

In urban settings, trees and greenery play a vital role in environmental well-being and community vitality. This study explores the impact of Miami-Dade County’s tree-planting initiative on urban greenness and considers the influence of climate dynamics. Using Landsat data from 2006 to 2019, we find stable overall greenness, with 5.64% of the Censu...

Adolescent hope can promote the emotional and behavioral well‐being of Latinx families. Positive family functioning may foster adolescent hope, whereas cultural stress may compromise adolescent hope and well‐being. We examined how adolescent hope changed over time, and whether cultural stress and family functioning predicted emotional and behaviora...

Introduction Environmental determinants of health, such as greenness, play an increasing role in our understanding of cardiovascular disease, and can inform how to address geographic cardiovascular disparities. This study assesses the impact of greenness and changes in greenness on cardiovascular disease. Purpose The purpose of this study is to in...

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 foc...

Background Neighborhood greenness (vegetative presence) has been linked to multiple health outcomes, but its relationship to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and non-Alzheimer’s (non-AD) dementia has been less studied. Objective This study examines the relationship of greenness to both AD and non-AD dementia in a population-based sample of Medicare benefi...

The goal of the current study was to examine the role of neighborhood risk and maternal and paternal involvement on multiple forms of prosocial behaviors among recent immigrant US Latino/a adolescents. Additionally, we examined the interactions between parental involvement and neighborhood risk in order to test protective effects of mothers’ and fa...

Introduction: Nature exposures represent a novel environmental protective factor for chronic disease, which is understudied with respect to stroke and transient ischemic attack. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between objectively measured neighborhood greenness (vegetative presence) and Stroke/Transient Ischemic...

Introduction: Air quality is a major environmental determinant of health. Environmental greenness – a measure of vegetative presence – has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the impact of greenness on the relationship between air pollution and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been less studied. Hypothesis: Environ...

With a growing population of Latinx youth immigrating to the United States, it is important to understand how Latinx youth adapt to mainstream U.S. culture. Given that the majority of research examining social development among recent immigrant adolescents has focused on negative adjustment outcomes, research examining positive social behaviors is...

Background: The Acculturative Process and Context Framework (Ward & Geeraert, 2016) proposes that acculturative stressors influence psychological well-being over time. In fact, extant literature has linked bicultural stress with psychological functioning; yet, no studies have explored the causal dominance of bicultural stress. The purpose of the p...

Background Neighbourhood greenness or vegetative presence has been associated with indicators of health and well-being, but its relationship to depression in older adults has been less studied. Understanding the role of environmental factors in depression may inform and complement traditional depression interventions, including both prevention and...

Background Nature exposures may be associated with reduced risk of heart disease. The present study examines the relationship between objective measures of neighborhood greenness (vegetative presence) and 4 heart disease diagnoses (acute myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation) in a population‐based sam...

Background: Nature exposures may be associated with reduced risk for heart disease. The present study examines the relationship between objective measures of neighborhood greenness (vegetative presence) and diagnoses of four forms of heart disease (acute myocardial infarction [AMI], ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation), i...

There is a growing recognition for the need for research to explore the unique and interactive effects of acculturation and sociocultural stress on alcohol initiation. Building on this research agenda, the current study sought to explore the independent and interactive effects of acculturation (i.e., heritage and U.S. cultural practices and identif...

Latinx families can experience cultural stressors, which can negatively influence their emotional and behavioral health. Few studies have examined if perceived neighborhood characteristics buffer against or exacerbate the negative effects of cultural stress on adolescent and parent health outcomes. To address this gap in the literature, this study...

We examined two conceptualizations of bicultural identity – the Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) framework (cultural identity blendedness-distance and harmony-conflict) and cultural hybridizing and alternating (mixing one’s two cultural identities and/or switching between them). Utilizing data from a 12-day diary study with 873 Hispanic colleg...

Objectives: This study explored whether cultural identity predicts health lifestyle behaviors. Method: Participants included 302 recently immigrated (<5 years in the U.S.) Latinx adolescents (53% boys; mean age 14.51 years at baseline) from Miami and Los Angeles. Participants completed cultural identity measures at baseline and 1-year post baseline...

Acculturation consists of multiple domains (i.e., cultural practices, identifications, and values). However, less is known about how acculturation processes influence each other across multiple domains of acculturation. The present study was designed to investigate transition patterns of acculturative processes within and across domains in a sample...

Prior studies suggest that exposure to the natural environment may be important for optimal mental health. The present study examines the association between block-level greenness (vegetative presence) and mental health outcomes, in a population-based sample of 249,405 U.S. Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years living in Miami-Dade County, Florida,...

Prosocial behaviors (i.e., actions that benefit others) are important markers of healthy social functioning, and understanding the factors that predict such outcomes among recent immigrant Latino adolescents is important. The current study examines the longitudinal associations between maternal involvement and prosocial behaviors via collectivism v...

Ethnic identity formation is a central developmental task that can become challenging when adolescents face a salient stressor, such as ethnic discrimination. Although ethnic identity and experiences with ethnic discrimination are thought to be associated, the temporal order of these constructs is unclear. In the current study, we examined (1) the...

This study examined longitudinal effects of adolescent and parent cultural stress on adolescent and parent emotional well-being and health behaviors via trajectories of adolescent and parent family functioning. Recent immigrant Latino adolescents (Mage = 14.51) and parents (Mage = 41.09; N = 302) completed measures of these constructs. Latent growt...

The present study was designed to examine trajectories of personal identity coherence and confusion among Hispanic recent-immigrant adolescents, as well as the effects of these trajectories on psychosocial and risk-taking outcomes. Personal identity is extremely important in anchoring young immigrants during a time of acute cultural change. A sampl...

U.S. Latino parents can face cultural stressors in the form of acculturative stress, perceived discrimination, and a negative context of reception. It stands to reason that these cultural stressors may negatively impact Latino youth's emotional well-being and health risk behaviors by increasing parents' depressive symptoms and compromising the over...

Adolescent substance use is a major risk factor for negative outcomes, including substance dependence later in life, criminal behavior, school problems, mental health disorders, injury, and death. This article provides a user-friendly, clinically focused, and pragmatic review of current and evidence-based family treatments, including multisystemic...

In this article, we review the research evidence generated over 40 years on Brief Strategic Family Therapy illustrating the NIH stages of intervention development and highlighting the translational process. Basic research (Stage 0) led to the discovery of the characteristics of the population and the nature of the problems that needed to be address...

Introduction: Prior studies suggest that exposure to the natural environment may impact health. The present study examines the association between objective measures of block-level greenness (vegetative presence) and chronic medical conditions, including cardiometabolic conditions, in a large population-based sample of Medicare beneficiaries in Mi...

Physical inactivity is a major public health concern because it is a determinant of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases. Few longitudinal studies have examined the association between neighborhood socioeconomic (SES) environment and change in physical activity behaviors. Additionally, few studies have examined this association in immigrant...

Background Young adult drug use and law-breaking behaviors often have roots in adolescence. These behaviors are predicted by early drug use, parental substance use disorders, and disrupted and conflict-ridden family environments.AimTo examine long-term outcomes of Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in the rat...

Low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) lack the research infrastructure and capacity to conduct rigorous substance abuse and mental health effectiveness clinical trials to guide clinical practice. A partnership between the Florida Node Alliance of the United States National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network and the National Institute of...

Drawing from a theory of bicultural family functioning 2 models were tested to examine the longitudinal effects of acculturation-related variables on adolescent health risk behaviors and depressive symptoms (HRB/DS) mediated by caregiver and adolescent reports of family functioning. One model examined the effects of caregiver-adolescent acculturati...

This study examined, in a sample of recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents in Miami and Los Angeles, the extent to which bicultural identity integration (BII; involving the ability to synthesise one's heritage and receiving cultural streams and to identify as a member of both cultures) is best understood as a developmental construct that changes...

Guánica Bay, located in southwestern Puerto Rico, has suffered oil spills and other pollution discharges since the 1960s. Previous research showed elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in coral reef and sediment. This research examined PCB concentrations in sediment and fish. Sediment and fish sampling in the bay was facilitat...

This 2½-year, 5-wave longitudinal study tests the hypothesis that acculturation discrepancies between Hispanic immigrant parents and adolescents would lead to compromised family functioning, which would then lead to problematic adolescent outcomes. Recent-immigrant Hispanic parent-adolescent dyads (N = 302) completed measures of acculturation and f...

This study examined longitudinal effects of cultural stress (a latent factor comprised of bicultural stress, ethnic discrimination, and negative context of reception) on depressive symptoms and a range of externalizing behaviors among recently (≤5 years in the U.S. at baseline) immigrated Hispanic adolescents. A sample of 302 adolescents (53% boys;...

The present study was designed to examine acculturative changes, and their effects on mental health and family functioning, in recent-immigrant Hispanic adolescents. A sample of 302 Hispanic adolescents was assessed five times over a 2½-year period. Participants completed measures of Hispanic and U.S. practices, collectivist and individualist value...

Purpose: We sought to determine the extent to which initial levels and over-time trajectories of cultural stressors (discrimination, negative context of reception, and bicultural stress) predicted well-being, internalizing symptoms, conduct problems, and health risk behaviors among recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents. Addressing this research...

Background. Addressing the critical impact of neighborhood environment characteristics on health, particularly among our older and low-income populations, this presentation describes a collaboration with the Miami Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department (MDPROS) based on a study funded by a U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development...

Background. There are many public health examples of how mass media can collectively influence positive behavior change (anti-smoking, increase seatbelt use, etc). The University of Miami/(UM) Clinical and Translational Science Institute/(CTSI) seeks to advance “culturalized” health sciences — research and care informed by our region’s diverse popu...

Hispanic immigrant youth engage in increased health risk behaviors, such as alcohol misuse, due in part to being confronted with acculturative stress in addition to facing major normative developmental challenges, such as identity consolidation. Using a developmental psychopathology framework, in the present study we examined the effect of bicultur...

Background Planners have relied on the urban development boundary (UDB)/urban growth boundary (UGB) and central business district (CBD) to encourage contiguous urban development and conserve infrastructure. However, no studies have specifically examined the relationship between proximity to the UDB/UGB and CBD and walking behavior. Purpose To exam...

U.S. Hispanics are disproportionately burdened by obesity and diabetes compared to non-Hispanic whites. While risk for these conditions appears to increase with longer U.S. residence among Hispanic immigrants, it remains unclear exactly how, when, and for whom the cardiometabolic indices underlying these disorders change upon arrival to the U.S. Th...

Objective: To review a 40-year collaborative partnership between clinical researchers and clinicians, in developing, investigating and implementing Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT). Method: First, to review theory, practice and studies related to this evidenced-based therapy intervention targeting adolescent drug abuse and delinquency. Seco...

The present study used a randomized design, with fully bilingual Hispanic participants from the Miami area, to investigate 2 sets of research questions. First, we sought to ascertain the extent to which measures of acculturation (Hispanic and U.S. practices, values, and identifications) satisfied criteria for linguistic measurement equivalence. Sec...

Context of reception has been discussed widely in the sociological and anthropological literature, but no measures of this construct exist. We designed a measure of perceived context of reception and provide initial support for the factorial validity, internal consistency reliability, and incremental and discriminant validity of scores generated by...

Walk Score(®) is a nationally and publicly available metric of neighborhood walkability based on proximity to amenities (e.g., retail, food, schools). However, few studies have examined the relationship of Walk Score to walking behavior. To examine the relationship of Walk Score to walking behavior in a sample of recent Cuban immigrants, who overwh...

This study examined longitudinal acculturation patterns, and their associations with family functioning and adolescent risk behaviors, in Hispanic immigrant families. A sample of 266 Hispanic adolescents (Mage = 13.4) and their primary parents completed measures of acculturation, family functioning, and adolescent conduct problems, substance use, a...

This study evaluated the immigrant paradox by ascertaining the effects of multiple components of acculturation on substance use and sexual behavior among recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents primarily from Mexico (35%) and Cuba (31%). A sample of 302 adolescents (53% boys; mean age 14.51 years) from Miami (n = 152) and Los Angeles (n = 150) pro...

Despite the efficacy of family-based interventions for improving outcomes for adolescent behavior problems such as substance use, engaging and retaining whole families in treatment is one of the greatest challenges therapists confront. This article illustrates how the Brief Strategic Family Therapy model, a family-based, empirically validated inter...

Context of reception has been discussed widely in the sociological and anthropological literature, but no measures of this construct exist. We designed a measure of perceived context of reception and provide initial support for the factorial validity, internal consistency reliability, and incremental and discriminant validity of scores generated by...

In the adolescent research literature, acculturation processes have been linked to the development of serious behavior problems in Hispanic adolescents, but not enough is known about how that process takes place. This article reports an investigation that sought to shed light on empirically plausible mechanisms by which family processes (i.e., fami...

In the present study, the authors empirically investigated a multidimensional conceptualization of acculturation using the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire–Short Version (BIQ-S; J. Szapocznik, W. M. Kurtines, & T. Fernandez, 1980). Baseline data from four prevention trials, representing a total of 893 adolescent and 880 guardian participants of...

The present study examined longitudinal patterns of acculturation, and their associations with family functioning and adolescent risk behaviors, in Hispanic immigrant families. A sample of 266 Hispanic families completed measures of acculturation, family functioning, and adolescent conduct problems, substance use, and sexual behavior at five timepo...

To ascertain the effects of parent-adolescent acculturation gaps, perceived discrimination, and perceived negative context of reception on adolescent cigarette smoking, alcohol use, sexual activity, and sexual risk taking. We used an expanded, multidimensional model of acculturation. A sample of 302 recently immigrated parent-adolescent dyads (152...

This article reviews the brief strategic family therapy (BSFT; J. Szapocznik, M. A. Scopetta, & O. E. King, 1978, The effect and degree of treatment comprehensiveness with a Latino drug abusing population. In D. E. Smith, S. M. Anderson, M. Burton, N. Gotlieb, W. Harvey, & T. Chung, Eds, A multicultural view of drug abuse, pp. 563-573, Cambridge, M...

Objectives: To ascertain the effects of parent‐adolescent acculturation gaps, perceived discrimination, and perceived negative context of reception on adolescent cigarette smoking, alcohol use, sexual activity, and sexual risk taking. We used an expanded, multidimensional model of acculturation. Method: A sample of 302 recently immigrated parent‐ad...

We examined the effectiveness of risk reduction counseling and the role of on-site HIV testing in drug treatment. Between January and May 2009, we randomized 1281 HIV-negative (or status unknown) adults who reported no past-year HIV testing to (1) referral for off-site HIV testing, (2) HIV risk-reduction counseling with on-site rapid HIV testing, o...

Novel approaches to the treatment of stimulant abuse and dependence are needed. Clinical data examining the use of exercise as a treatment for the abuse of nicotine, alcohol, and other substances suggest that exercise may be a beneficial treatment for stimulant abuse. In addition, exercise has been associated with improvements in many other health-...

What progress prevention research has made comes through strategic partnerships with communities and institutions that host this research, as well as professional and practice networks that facilitate the diffusion of knowledge about prevention. We discuss partnership issues related to the design, analysis, and implementation of prevention research...

To determine the effectiveness of brief strategic family therapy (BSFT; an evidence-based family therapy) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) as provided in community-based adolescent outpatient drug abuse programs. A randomized effectiveness trial in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network compared BSFT to TAU with a multiethnic...

Background There is a need for novel approaches to the treatment of stimulant abuse and dependence. Clinical data examining the use of exercise as a treatment for the abuse of nicotine, alcohol, and other substances suggest that exercise may be a beneficial treatment for stimulant abuse, with direct effects on decreased use and craving. In addition...

Although the selection of appropriate clinical sites has a significant impact on the successful conduct of clinical trials, no generally accepted model is available for site selection. Use of an appropriate site selection process is even more pertinent when conducting large scale, practical clinical trials in practice settings. This report provides...

Objective: This study examines possible bidirectional relationships between neighborhood climate (i.e., perceived neighborhood social environment) and walking behavior across a 12-month period in older Hispanics. Method: A population-based sample of 217 community-dwelling older Hispanics in Miami, Florida, completed measures of perceived neighborho...

This manuscript illustrates methods for utilizing measurements of individuals to identify group contextual effects on individual outcomes. Contextual effects can be identified by 1 of 3 methods: (1) divergence of the simple within- and between-group regression coefficients, (2) the presence of a cross-level interaction of the within- and between-gr...

Objectives: Depressive symptoms and physical inactivity are health risks among minority older adults. This study examined whether social support moderated the relationship of depressive symptoms to walking behavior among 217 community-dwelling, Hispanic older adults. Method: Cross-sectional analyses were used to test whether different forms of soci...

Therapist adherence has been shown to predict clinical outcomes in family therapy. In prior studies, adherence has been represented broadly by core principles and a consistent family (vs. individual) focus. To date, these studies have not captured the range of clinical skills that are represented in complex family-based approaches or examined how v...

Responds to the comments by C. Killian (see record 2011-02175-013) on the current authors' original article, "Rethinking the concept of acculturation: Implications for theory and research" (see record 2010-08987-001). Killian has focused on issues of selective acculturation-specifically, the ability of individuals and families to direct their own (...

This study investigated the extent to which bilingual counselors initiated informal discussions about topics that were unrelated to the treatment of their monolingual Spanish-speaking Hispanic clients in a National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network protocol examining the effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy (MET). Session...

This paper describes the development and implementation of a trial of Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT), an evidence-based drug intervention for adolescents, in eight community substance abuse treatment programs. Researchers and treatment programs collaborated closely to identify and overcome challenges, many of them related to achieving result...

The transportation of evidenced-based practice to community settings is a priority for adolescent drug abuse treatment; however, few studies have examined the effectiveness of these interventions in real world settings or have identified the challenges inherent in conducting research in community agencies. This paper presents the challenges encount...