Guide to Psychological Assessment with Hispanics

Abstract

A breakthrough moment in psychological assessment was the realization that one size does not fit all. Few populations prove this true as much as America's largest ethnic minority: Hispanics, whose lives reflect a wide spectrum of cultural, language, and social factors. Traditionally, assessment has paid scant attention to such variables, but now clinicians are increasingly aware of linguistic and acculturation issues that can influence how psychological problems present—and that skewed test results can lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate and reflected treatment, and potentially devastating consequences. The Guide to Psychological Assessment with Hispanics meets this evolving challenge by both outlining necessary cultural considerations and recommending specific measures for conducting assessment with Latino clients. This comprehensive resource describes salient test instruments in every major diagnostic area, and reviews current research on their use. Discussion covers the strengths and limitations of every measure featured, which span the range of assessment domains and specialties, including: Intelligence; Personality; Eating, sleeping, sexual, and substance abuse disorders; Mood disorders and suicide risk; Child-specific and school-based measures; Neuropsychology, forensics, dementia, psychosis, malingering, and more. As guidelines for therapy with Latino clients are coming into their own, culturally relevant assessment is of critical importance. Its depth of practical detail makes the Guide to Psychological Assessment with Hispanics an essential reference for clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and neuropsychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)