Research interests address interplay between chronic illness, social resources & psychological well-being in low-income minority populations
Research interests address interplay between chronic illness, social resources & psychological well-being in low-income minority populations
María P. Aranda is a professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the executive director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. She holds a joint appointment with the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and is a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience providing mental health services to middle-aged and older adults and their families. Dr. Aranda developed the first Spanish-language support group for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. She is well-known among community leaders for establishing model support programs such as the El Portal Latino Alzheimer's Project, Programa Esperanza, and Siempre Viva for individuals and families in East Los Angeles affected by depression and Alzheimer disease. Her research specializations address the unique needs of middle age and older adults with co-occurring medical and psychiatric illnesses, and the caregiving families who provide them with love and care. She focuses on psychosocial intervention development, and evaluation of bilingual, evidence-based interventions on behalf of adults with chronic medical conditions and disabilities. She has received funding for her research from NIA, NCI, PCORI, the Southern California-CTSI, The John A. Hartford Foundation/GSA, the National Institute of Rehabilitation and Research, the Alzheimer’s Association/HRSA, the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, and the California Community Foundation. Dr. Aranda has served on four consensus committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the geriatric workforce in mental health and substance use service sectors, family caregiving to older adults with functional limitations, financial capacity determination among social security beneficiaries, and functional assessment for adults with disabilities. She is also an expert on the Caregiving Advisory Panel for AARP and a fellow of The Gerontological Society of America, the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. To reference the work of Maria Aranda online, we ask that you directly quote their work where possible and attribute it to "Maria Aranda, a faculty at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work” (LINK: https://dworakpeck.usc.edu)
PhD 1995
MPA 1991
MSW 1982
BSW 1979
Discrimination, Serious Psychological Distress, and Church-Based Emotional Support Among African American Men Across the Life Span | The Journals of Gerontology
Descriptions of depression and depression treatment in older Hispanic immigrants in a geriatric collaborative care program | Aging & Mental Health
Promotora assisted depression and self-care management among predominantly Latinos with concurrent chronic illness: Safety net care system clinical trial results | Contemporary Clinical Trials
For Their Financial Benefit: Determination of Financial Capability for Adult Beneficiaries of Social Security Disability | Social Work
Re-Engagement into Care: The Role of Social Support on Service Use for Recurrent Episodes of Mental Health Distress Among Primary Care Patients | The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research
The protective effect of neighborhood composition on increasing frailty among older Mexican Americans: a barrio advantage? | Journal of Aging and Health
Can the Family Still Cope? Social Support and Health As Determinants of Nursing Home Use in the Older Mexican-Origin Population | Journal of Aging and Health
El Portal Latino Alzheimer's Project: model program for Latino caregivers of Alzheimer's disease-affected people | Social Work
2014-2018 The primary aim of the study is to test the comparative effectiveness of Programa Esperanza (Program Hope) and enhanced usual care (EUC). Programa Esperanza is a short-term, culturally modified psychosocial intervention for Spanish-speaking Latino patients 55 years of age or older with depression and multiple medical conditions. Our long-term goal is to widely disseminate the results and actionable steps needed to increase the adoption and sustainability of evidence-based behavioral health practices for low-income, Limited-English-speaking geriatric populations. 2015-2018 Los Angeles County is home to upwards of 30,000 informal caregivers of older adults—one of the largest group of caregivers in the nation. Today, almost 30% of Los Angeles County is Latino, and 73% speak English less than “very well.” Several Los Angeles County-based non-profit organizations are funded to provide services to this target population in the form of information and referral, caregiver intervention programs, and/or respite care. The research team will test a pilot psychosocial intervention aimed at increasing family caregiver physical and psychological well-being. Based on the intervention, the team will pilot the intervention with English- and Spanish-speaking family caregivers in Los Angeles County. 2009-2012 The major goal of the project was to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of adding individually administered Problem Solving Therapy (PST) to enhanced usual care as an approach for treating depression in adult day health care (ADHC) for predominantly low-income Latinos with depression and significant comorbid medical illnesses.
Programa Esperanza (Project Hope)
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) $1,500,000
Caregiving to Diverse Families in Los Angeles County
California Community Foundation $100,000
Enhanced Geriatric Depression Treatment in Adult Day Health Care
National Institute of Mental Health $452,442
