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Faculty Spotlight: Madonna P. Cadiz, PhD, LCSW, É«ÖÐÉ« School of Social Work

Dr. Madonna P. Cadiz identifies as a social work practitioner-scholar who seeks to amplify the field’s unique positionality in the social sciences by deepening multilevel conceptualizations of human development and mental health among minoritized and oppressed groups. Specifically, her work investigates the processes in which structural and systemic inequities – including structural racism, anti-immigrant discrimination, exclusionary immigration policy, and colonial legacies – may inform the day-to-day mental health and well-being of immigrant individuals and families. This line of study arose directly from her clinical experiences prior to her transition into academia. Dr. Cadiz practiced as a bilingual (English/Spanish) therapist in historically marginalized and under-resourced communities, where she primarily worked with immigrant children, adolescents, and young adults, or U.S.-born youth with immigrant parents. In these settings, she observed the subtle, yet deeply impactful, connections between youths’ mental well-being and systemic factors, such as anti-immigrant and racial discrimination, barriers to healthcare access, and societal messages about cultural inferiority relative to white dominant groups in the U.S. context.

In her co-authored longitudinal analysis of Latinx middle-school students in Arizona, Dr. Cadiz and colleagues investigated how the implementation of an exclusionary immigration policy (SB 1070) in 2010 reverberated psychologically for young people. The findings demonstrated that youth who felt more affected by this exclusionary policy experienced more positive feelings about their ethnic identity, which was subsequently associated with higher self-esteem compared to their peers. Counter to expectations, this study revealed a nuanced developmental process through which macro-level discrimination resulted in a stronger sense of belonging and self-esteem among youth navigating multiple stressors. This study highlights the significant potential and need to develop culturally responsive programs that foster positive ethnic identity development among Latinx, immigrant, and other minoritized youth to counteract the negative impacts of legally sanctioned forms of discrimination.

Across all her projects, Dr. Cadiz embodies an engaging, community-centered, and collaborative approach by partnering with community organizations, interdisciplinary research teams, clinicians, and cultural leaders. Her scholarship consistently highlights the strengths, resilience, and cultural knowledge found within immigrant and minoritized communities.