Parents and children exposed to war and relocation have high rates of negative relational and mental health outcomes. This study tested the feasibility of implementing an adapted evidence-based parenting intervention for contexts of trauma and relocation stress. Eleven Karen refugee caregivers from Burma participated in the intervention. Participants and a focal child completed ethnographic interviews as well as structured assessments at baseline and follow-up. Caregivers reported changes in their teaching, directions, emotional regulation, discipline, and child compliance. Children reported changes in these areas and in positive parent involvement. Caregivers reported higher mental health distress immediately after the intervention, potentially due to increased awareness. Researchers made personalized referrals for counseling services as needed. Children reported a decrease in mental health symptoms.
In this study, an ambiguous loss framework as described by Boss (1999, Ambiguous loss: Learning to live with unresolved grief, First Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA) was used to examine and understand the family experiences of Mexican immigrant agricultural workers in Minnesota. Transcripts from interviews with 17 workers in Minnesota and 17 family members in Mexico were analyzed using qualitative methodology to identify experiences of ambiguous loss in the participants' narratives. Key dimensions of ambiguous loss identified in the transcripts include: psychological family, feelings of chronic/ recurring loss, finding support, and meaning making. In the category of psychological family, participants in both Mexico and the United States mourned the physical absence of their family members and experienced ambiguity regarding family responsibilities, but worked to maintain their psychological roles within the family. In the category of chronic/ recurring loss, participants in both countries experienced chronic worry from not knowing if family members were safe, ambiguity regarding when the immigrant would return, and chronic stressors that compounded these feelings of loss. Participants in both countries coped with both real and ambiguous losses by accessing family support and by using ambiguous communication to minimize worry. Participants in Mexico also accessed work and community-based support. Participants in both countries made meaning of the ambiguous loss by identifying ways their lives were improved and goals were met as a result of the immigration for agricultural work in Minnesota.
Extending a theoretical framework combining consumer socialization and planned behavior theories, the authors examined the influences that parents and romantic partners exert on college students' financial attitude and behavior using two waves of data collected from a sample of students in their first year (Wave 1) and fourth year (Wave 2) of college who were in a committed relationship at Wave 2 (N = 693 individuals). Using structural equation modeling, a positive relationship was found between the concurrent financial behavior of the parents and romantic partners and students' financial behavior (direct effects). After accounting for the parents' financial behavior at Wave 1, concurrent financial behavior of romantic partners (but not parents) positively predicted students' financial attitude, which in turn positively predicted students' financial behavior (indirect effects). These findings increase our understanding of the type and the timing of financial socialization factors that influence the financial behavior of college students.
Ambiguous Loss Due to Separation in Voluntary Transnational FamiliesThis theoretical review explores the usefulness of the ambiguous loss framework for understanding the unique and complex realities of boundary-spanning relationships in transnational families. Transnational family processes and interactions are those carried out in both the country of origin and the destination country. We first discuss the distinctive characteristics of ambiguous loss that can impact transnational family experiences in today's globalized world and propose a conceptual model of ambiguous loss in these families. We then describe the factors that affect boundary ambiguity in transnational families and challenges to family reunification, often the long-term goal of families separated by voluntary migration. We conclude by suggesting ways that an ambiguous loss theoretical lens is useful for research and practice with transnational families.Marife waits at the end of each month for her mother's letter, a ritual that has been in place since her mother moved to find work in Saudi Arabia 2 years ago when she couldn't find a job that provided enough income for their needs. Even though Marife also calls her aunt "Mama," the letters from her mother let her know she is remembered and loved.Pedro sends money each month to his wife and children in Mexico. He migrated to the United
We tend to overlook immigrant families in policy and program discussions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of this continuing crisis. This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant families in an upper Midwest state. We interviewed 19 human and social service providers from agencies serving Somali, Latinx, and Karen (refugees from Burma/Myanmar) immigrant families between June and August 2020. Results analyzed for this paper focused on responses to questions asked about COVID-19-related financial and familial stress, and coping resources and constraints that providers were observing with their immigrant clients. Guided by the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response Model (Patterson, 1988), we identified a pile-up of financial and relationship stressors including employment, housing, and family relationship strains, and resource access constraints. We found that job loss in already financially vulnerable immigrant families was particularly impactful. Housing insecurity soon followed. Immigrant families also faced significant constraints to resource access including lack of documentation, fear of making a mistake, language barriers, and lack of technology skills. We identified family and community resources that families used to meet demands, coping strategies, and glimmers of resilience. As we near the end of the pandemic, we urge family researchers to monitor long-term effects of the crisis on immigrant families. Findings can inform the creation of programs and policies that address immigrant family needs for resources and culturally relevant services to support their financial recovery post-COVID.
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