Dr. Hector Betancourt

Professor, Department of Psychology

Contact Information

Email hbetancourt@llu.edu
Phone 909-558-8708
Fax 909-558-0171

Department of Psychology
Loma Linda University, Central Building, Office 113
11130 Anderson St., Loma Linda, CA  92350

Degrees and Certifications

  • PhD, Psychology - University of California, Los Angeles, 1983
  • MA, Psychology - University of California, Los Angeles, 1983
  • Psicologo, Licenciado en Psicologia (terminal professional degree in Clinical Psychology) - Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, 1986

Areas of Specialization

  • Social, cultural, and health psychology
  • Cognition (attribution)-emotion processes in interpersonal and inter-group behavior
  • Role of culture in psychological processes and behavior
  • Culture, diversity, and behavior in health and social issues
  • Cultural and psychological factors in social inequities and health disparities

Professional Memberships and Licenses

  • American Psychological Association (Fellow)
  • Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division of APA
  • Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)
  • International Society for Cross-Cultural Psychology
  • Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (Fellow)
  • Society for General Psychology (Fellow)
  • International Psychology (Fellow)
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology
  • Association for Psychological Science

Recent Publications

  • Baeza, M.J., Betancourt, H., Salinas, N, Ortiz, M., Marin, O., & Valle, G. (2018). Development of an instrument to assess cultural beliefs about physicians. Revista Medica de Chile, 146.
  • Hilton, B., Betancourt, H., Morrell, H., Lee, H., & Doegey, J. (2018). Substance abuse among American Indians and Alaska Natives: An integrative cultural framework for advancing research. International Journal of Mental Health and Addictions, DOI 10.1007/s11469-017-9869-1.
  • Otzen, T., Betancourt, H., González, M.E., & Martella, D. (2016). Fatalism, attributions of failure, and academic performance in Mapuche and Non-Mapuche Chilean Students. Anales de Psicologia (Spain), 32, 341-348.
  • Ortiz, M., Baeza-Rivera, M., Salinas-Onate, N., Flynn, P., & Betancourt, H. (2016). Health Care mistreatment attributed to discrimination and discontinuation of diabetes care among Mapuche patients. Revista Medica de Chile, 144, 1281-1287.
  • Flynn, P.M., Betancourt, H., Garberoglio, C., Regts, G., Kinworthy, K., & Northington, D. (2015). Attributions and emotions regarding health care mistreatment impact continuity of care among Latino and Anglo American women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21, 4, 593-603 (dx.doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000019).
  • Herbozo, S. M., Flynn, P. M., Stevens, S. D., & Betancourt, H. (2015). Dietary adherence, glycemic control and psychological factors associated with binge eating among indigenous and nonindigenous Chileans with type 2 diabetes. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 22, 792-798. (doi: 10.1007/s12529-015-9478-y).
  • Amador, J., Flynn, P, and Betancourt, H. (2015). Cultural beliefs and perceived professional empathy influence continuity of care following a negative health care encounter. Journal of Behavioral Medicine,38,5 798-808. (doi: 10.1007/s10865-015-9646-1).
  • Betancourt, H. (2015). Psychological research on culture and diversity: A view from the perspective of the integrative model. Psykhe (Chile), 24, 1-4.

Recent Presentations

  • Nance, C., Bolivar, G., Lim, D., Herman, S., Codorniz, K., Flynn, P.M., & Betancourt, H. (May, 2018). Cultural Beliefs about the unfair treatment of people with diabetes and distress impact HbA1c. Poster presented at the 30th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
  • Ung, S., MacKenzie, K., Votow, C., Lee, J., Codorniz, K., Betancourt, H. & Flynn, P.M. (May, 2018). Cultural beliefs impact HbA1c in patients with diabetes through cognition-emotion processes. Poster presented at the 30th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
  • Nance, C., Truong, S., Chia, D., Betancourt, H., Codorniz, K., & Flynn, P.M. (April, 2018). Cultural beliefs and self-efficacy in adherence to treatment among patients with diabetes. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, Portland, OR.
  • Nance, C., Jones, A., Raghani, P., Hoyt, C., Flynn, P.M., Codorniz, K. & Betancourt, H. (April, 2018). Ethnic and socioeconomic differences in cultural beliefs about diabetes. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, Portland, OR.
  • Betancourt, H. (September, 2016). Values, psychological processes, and voting behavior: An integrative framework for the study of social and political phenomena. Keynote Address, XVI Convention of the Mexican Association of Social Psychology, VI Latin American Conference on Cross-Cultural Psychology, VIII International Conference on Personal Relationships. Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.  
  • Nuñez, E., Serna, N., Flynn, P.M., & Betancourt, H. (August, 2016). General fatalism and diabetes fatalism predict hemoglobin HbA1c in Mapuche and Mainstream Chileans with Type-2 diabetes. Convention of the American Psychological Association, Denver, Colorado, USA.
  • Serna, N., Nuñez, E., Ung, S., Flynn, P.M., & Betancourt, H. (August, 2016). Consequences of Attributions for Health Care Mistreatment among Culturally Diverse Patients. Convention of the American Psychological Association, Denver, Colorado, USA. 
  • Herman, S., Nguyen, A., Nuñez, E., Flynn, P.M., Gonzalez, M.E., & Betancourt, H. (May, 2016). Fatalism and self-efficacy in academic performance and expectations among Indigenous and Mainstream Chilean students. 28th Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL, USA.
  • Lee, H., Hilton, B., Betancourt, H., Morrel, H., & Flynn, P. (March, 2016). Substance Abuse among American Indians and Alaska Natives: An Integrative Conceptual Framework for Advancing Research. Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction. San Diego, California.   
  • Betancourt, H. (March, 2016). Cultura y Procesos Psico-Sociales en Salud y Educacion. Sociedad Cientifica de Psicologia, Pucon, Chile. 
  • Betancourt, H. (November, 2015). Cultura y procesos psicologicos en conducta social y salud: Un Modelo integrador y avances en investigacion. Conferencia magistral, Universidad de Guanajuato, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.
  • Emerson, N. D., Nunez, E.; Flynn, P. M. & Betancourt, H. (May, 2015). Health Professional Cultural Competence and Shame Influence the Effect of Mistreatment on Continuity of Care in Latino but not Anglo American Women. Paper presented at the 27th Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, USA.
  • Nunez, E., Emerson, N.D., Flynn, P. M., & Betancourt, H. (May, 2015). Fatalism predicts less cancer screening intention in Anglo and Latino women. Paper presented at the 27th Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, New York, USA.
  • Betancourt, H. (March, 2015). Cultura, procesos psicologicos, conducta y desigualdades sociales: El caso de las inequidades en salud. Colloquium presentation. Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
  • Betancourt, H. (September, 2014). De lo cultural a lo psico-social y biologico en el cuidado de la salud. Keynote Address, Meeting of the Mexican Association of Social Psychology, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
  • Betancourt, H. (September 2014). Seminar on "Culture, psychology, and behavior: Theory, research and applications in health psychology." Universidad Adventista de Chile, Chillan, Chile.
  • Betancourt, H. (July 2014). Integrating Culture, Psychological Processes, and Behavior: Theory-based Research and Mixed-Methods in Cultural and Health Psychology. Fogarty (NIH)-sponsored presentation. Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
  • Betancourt, H. (July, 2014). Culture, Psychology, and Health Inequities: An Integrative Model and Research Evidence. Paper presented at the 22th International Congress of the International Association of Cross-cultural Psychology, Reims, France.
  • Betancourt, H., Flynn, P., Baeza, M., Salinas, N, & Ortiz, M. (June, 2014). Health Care discrimination negatively impacts ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Portland, Oregon.
  • Ung, S., Betancourt, H., & Flynn, P. M. (May, 2014). Cultural beliefs and self-efficacy influence nutrition adherence in type 2 diabetics. Paper presented at the 26th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.
  • Regts, G., Ung, S., Betancourt, H., & Flynn, P.M. (August, 2013). Cultural Beliefs about Diabetes Predict HbA1c Among Type 2 Diabetics in Chile. 120th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI.
  • Betancourt, H. (June, 2013). Limitations and Remedies Concerning the Study of Culture in Health Psychology. In H. Betancourt (Chair), Cultural Health Psychology: Culture and Behavior in Health Disparities Research. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.
  • Lee, S., Betancourt, H., Flynn, P.M. & Navarrete, B. (May, 2013). A cross cultural study on the influence of fatalistic cultural beliefs on achievement aspiration in the U.S. and Chile. 2013 Health Care Reform/Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV.
  • Flynn, P.M., Cortes-Ayala, L., Flores-Galaz, M., Regts, G.J., Betancourt, H. (April, 2013). Attribution-emotion processes in interpersonal conflict among college students from Mexico. In H. Betancourt (Chair), The multivariate nature of cognition (attribution)-emotion processes across diverse interpersonal settings and populations. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Reno, NV.
  • Regts, G.J., Flynn, P.M., & Betancourt, H. (April, 2013). Discrimination-based attributions for health care mistreatment affect continuity of care through negative emotions. In H. Betancourt (Chair), The multivariate nature of cognition (attribution)-emotion processes across diverse interpersonal settings and populations. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Reno, NV.
  • Northington, D.J., Flynn, P.M., & Betancourt, H. (April, 2013). Intentionality and controllability: The impact of dimensional properties of attributions on continuity of care. In H. Betancourt (Chair), The multivariate nature of cognition (attribution)-emotion processes across diverse interpersonal settings and populations. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Reno, NV.
  • Ung, S., Regts, G.J., Flynn, P.M., & Betancourt, H. (March, 2013). Sociostructural, cultural, and psychological factors influence exercise compliance in type 2 diabetics. 34th Annual Convention of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, San Francisco, CA.

Community Engagement

  • American Psychological Association, Board of Scientific Affairs (2016-2018)
  • Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI): Otto Kleinberg Award Committee (2013-2015) and International Committee (2016-present)
  • Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division of APA, Fellows Committee (2015-present)
  • Center for Research and Training in Minority Health and Health Disparities, Member of Advisory Board (2010-2012)