Newcomer immigrant adolescents: A mixed-methods examination of family stressors and school outcomes.

Abstract

Family stressors predict negative psychological outcomes for immigrant adolescents, yet little is known about how such stressors interact to predict school outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the interactive role of family stressors on school outcomes for newcomer adolescent immigrants. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, we used quantitative methods to explore interactions between family separation, acculturative family conflict, and family life events to predict 2 school outcomes, academic achievement (via grade point average [GPA]), and externalizing problems (student- and teacher-reported). The sample included 189 newcomer immigrant public high school students from 34 countries of origin. Quantitative measures included the Multicultural Events Scale for Adolescents, Family Conflicts Scale, and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). Qualitative data were collected through a semi-structured interview. Quantitative results found that more family life events were associated with lower GPA, but this association was weaker for participants who had been separated from their parents. More family conflict was associated with more externalizing symptoms (both youth- and teacher-reported). However, the association between family conflict and teacher-reported externalizing symptoms was found only among participants reporting a greater than average number of life events. Qualitative results show that separation from extended family networks was among the most stressful of experiences, and demonstrate the highly complex nature of each family stressor domain. At a time when immigration is rapidly changing our school system, a better understanding of early risk factors for new immigrants can help teachers, administrators, and mental health practitioners to identify students with greatest need to foster behavioral, academic, and emotional well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record

A Qualitative Exploration of Parental Separation and Coping: Attachment Disruptions Among Newcomer Immigrant Adolescents

“…Department of Homeland Security, 2014). Due to immigration laws, such as detainment and deportation, financial restrictions, and migration methods, separation often occurs during the initial stages of serial migration and can lead to complicated transnational family structures (Dreby, 2015; Patel et al, 2016; Rusch & Reyes, 2012).…”

“…While the harmful effects of separation have been well documented, how separation relates to the use of coping strategies in an adolescent immigrant population remains unknown. Therefore, an in-depth exploration of coping within the context of separation is paramount, as newcomers may be at particular risk for psychosocial problems (Patel et al, 2016; Patel & Kull, 2011).…”

“…Of particular interest are the experiences of newcomer immigrant adolescents who have been in their host country fewer than 5 years. This population faces significant challenges as they are tasked with navigating the rapid biological, social, and emotional changes that occur during adolescence as well as the arduous tasks of managing assimilation, acculturation, and other immigration-related stressors (Clarke, 2006; Patel, Clarke, Eltareb, Macciomei, & Wickham, 2016; Seiffge-Krenke, 2013).…”

“…Immigration policies that restrict migration can lead to short- and long-term separation when parents immigrate to host countries, often leaving children behind in their countries of origin (Dreby, 2015). In one study conducted in eastern Europe, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) identified that 31% of all children below 14 years of age were separated from one or both parents (UNICEF, 2008), and studies on newcomer immigrants demonstrate that close to 80% report some family separation (Caplan, 2007; Patel et al, 2016; Suárez-Orozco & Todorova, 2003). After migration, family separation may be further exacerbated by involuntary detainment and deportation (Dreby, 2015).…”

“Se extraña todo:” Family separation and reunification experiences among unaccompanied adolescent migrants from Central America

“…Although separated families may expect to reunite quickly, often there are financial, safety, and legal factors which may significantly delay reunification (Foner, 2009; Menjivar & Abrego, 2009). Furthermore, for youth who have spent a significant portion of their lives separated from a parent, and who may have developed surrogate attachment bonds, parental reunification may be both a positive experience and one accompanied by a host of challenges and emotions (Muller et al,2019; Patel et al., 2016; Suárez‐Orozco, Bang, & Kim, 2011). Upon reunification, children may feel like their parents are strangers and may feel disconnected from them.…”