Mayra Y. Bamaca-Colbert, Ph.D.
Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2008
Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies
Contact Information
110D Henderson Building South
The Pennsylvania State University
(814) 867-2812
Research
My research centers around adolescent development and adjustment among ethnic minority youth, with an emphasis on Latino adolescents living in the U.S. Grounded in ecological, developmental, and family systems theories, I have developed a line of research that seeks to better understand the processes by which environmental, cultural, and relational factors interact and contribute to Latino adolescents’ development and adjustment.
Central to my work is to examine the role that family and cultural factors have in informing Latino youth development and adjustment. My work in this area has centered on examining the connections between parenting-related factors, academic success, and psychological well-being. I have also begun to explore the transformation that parent-adolescent relationships undergo during early and middle adolescence as a result of normative developmental processes such as autonomy development. In addition, I have examined the role of cultural-related factors in explaining Latino adolescent development and adjustment. For instance, I examined generational differences in U.S. Latino adolescents’ experiences with resistance to peer pressure.
Currently, I am conducting a longitudinal study with a sample of Latina girls of Mexican-origin. In Wave 1, I focused on exploring (1) the links among developmental, cultural, and parent-adolescent relationship processes in explaining Mexican-origin girls’ adjustment and (2) the interplay among cultural and family factors, stressors, and adjustment. For waves 2 and 3, my focus and that of my colleague (Dr. Graciela Espinosa-Hernández) is to explore the connections among cultural factors, relationships with parents, friends/peers, and romantic partners, adjustment, and sexual attitudes and behaviors. In addition, I am collaborating on a research project that is collecting self-report data from Latino and African American adolescents and their fathers in California, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. The goal of this project is to examine the links between father/father figure personal problems, parenting behaviors, peer factors, school climate, and community qualities in explaining externalizing and internalizing behaviors in Latino and African American adolescent boys and girls.
Education
- 2008 Ph.D. in Family and Human Development
School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University - 2003 M.S. in Human and Community Development
Department of Human and Community Development,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 2001 B.A. in Psychology (Summa cum laude) Department of Psychology, California State University-Northridge
Professional Experience
2008 – Present Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
2004-2008 Graduate Research Assistant, School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
2005, 2007 Instructor, School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
2001-2004 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
1999-2001 MARC/NIH Research Fellow, Department of Psychology
California State University-Northridge
2000-2001 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Family of Environmental, Sciences, California State University-Northridge
Summer 2000 Undergraduate Research Assistant, College of Human Ecology
The Ohio State University
Awards and Fellowships
- Texas State University, San Marcos Summer Predoctoral Fellowship (June-July 2007). Amount awarded for summer research support: $11,000.
- National Institutes of Mental Health Dissertation Grant (R36MH077425) “Examining depressive symptoms among Latina adolescent girls.” 7/1/2006 – 10/31/2007. PI; Umana-Taylor (Co-PI). Total funding: $44,014
- Arizona State University Graduate and Professional Student Association Research Grant (2006). Amount awarded to provide supplemental funding for dissertation research: Total Funding: $2,000.
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (awarded 2001). Three year fellowship (06/01/2003 – 05/31/2006): $78,000 plus $31,500 on tuition expenses; Total funding: $109,500.
- Pampered Chef Family Resilience Program “Resilience among immigrant families through the ethnic socialization of Latino adolescents.” Funding period: 06/01/2002 – 06/30/2004. Co-PI; PI: Umaña-Taylor. Amount awarded: $12,000 per year for 2 years; total funding: $24,000.
- Pampered Chef Family Resilience Graduate Program Fellowship (08/15/2001 – 05/15/2003). Total Funding $20,000.
- Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Minority Fellowship (awarded 2001). Three year fellowship (07/01/2001– 06/30/2003 & 08/01/2006 – 07/31/2007). $48,000 plus $15,000 on tuition expenses; total funding: $63,000.
- American Psychological Association/Mental Health Research Training Fellowship (awarded 2001). Three years fellowship ($45,000), declined due to multiple funding.
- National Institutes of Health Minority Access to Research Careers (NIH/MARC) Fellowship. Undergraduate research fellowship (06/01/1999 – 05/31/2001). Total funding: $24,000.
Publications
Alfaro, E. C., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Gonzales-Backen, M., Bámaca, M. Y. & Hunsdon-Zeiders, K. E. (2009). Latino Adolescents’ Academic Success: The Role of Discrimination, Academic Motivation, and Gender. Journal of Adolescence, 32, 941-962.
Bámaca, M. Y. (2009). How Latino parents can help children succeed in school. In A. J. Umaña-Taylor, Classroom Diversity and Academic Success, an Online Special Edition. from http://www.education.com/reference/article/important-role-parents-latino-youth-succed/
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Alfaro, E., Bámaca, M. Y., Guimond, A. B. (2009). The Central Role of Familial Ethnic Socialization in Latino Adolescents’ Cultural Orientation. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 61-79.
Bámaca, M. Y., & Umaña-Taylor, A. J. (2006). Testing a model of resistance to peer pressure among Mexican-origin adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 631-645.
Alfaro, E. A., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Bámaca, M.Y. (2006). Interpersonal support and Latino adolescents’ academic motivation. Family Relations, 55, 279-291.
González, A. G., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Bámaca, M. Y. (2006). Familial ethnic socialization among biethnic (Latino and European American) adolescents: Do Latina mothers exert the most influence? Journal of Family Issues, 27, 184-207.
Bámaca, M. Y., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Shin, N., & Alfaro, E. (2005). Latino adolescents’ perception of parenting behavior and self-esteem: Examining the role of neighborhood risk. Family Relations, 54, 612-632.
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Bámaca, M. Y. (2004). Immigrant mothers’ experiences with ethnic socialization of adolescents growing up in the U.S.: An examination of Colombian, Guatemalan, Mexican, and Puerto Rican mothers. Sociological Focus, 37, 329-348.
Saetermoe, C. L., Gómez, J., Bámaca, M. Y., & Gallardo, C. A. (2004). A qualitative enquiry of caregivers of adolescents with severe disabilities in Guatemala city. Disability and Rehabilitation, 26(17), 1032-1047.
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Bámaca, M. Y. (2004). Conducting focus groups with Latino families: Lessons from the field. Family Relations, 53, 3, 261-272.
Bracey, J. R., Bámaca, M. Y., & Umaña-Taylor, A. J. (2004). Examining ethnic identity and self-esteem among biracial adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 123-132.
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Yazedjian, A., & Bámaca-Gómez, M. Y. (2004). Developing the ethnic identity scale using Eriksonian and social identity perspective. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 4, 9-38.
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Bámaca-Gómez, M.Y. (2003). Generational differences in resistance to peer pressure among Mexican-origin adolescents. Youth and Society, 35, 183-203.
Plunkett, S. W., & Bámaca-Gómez, M. Y. (2003). The relationship between parenting, acculturation, and adolescent academics in Mexican-origin immigrant families in Los Angeles. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 25, 222-239.