About this poster

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Panel information
Panel 1. Context: Cross-Cultural, Neighborhood, and Social

Abstract

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Immigration may expose youth and caregivers to acute and chronic forms of physical and social stressors (Perreira & Ornelas, 2013; Sangalang et al., 2019; Sidamon‐Eristoff et al., 2022). Although child and parent exposure to stress and trauma are well-documented risk factors for youth mental health problems over time, associations of immigration-related experiences and identities with mental health outcomes are complex. Several studies suggest that the Latine immigrant community tends to exhibit better mental health outcomes compared to the non-Latine and non-immigrant White population (Calzada et al., 2020; Georgiades et al., 2007), while others have found an increased risk of internalizing and trauma-related conditions in some immigrant populations (Navarro Flores et al., 2023; Yu et al., 2003). Meanwhile, youth navigate social-structural challenges that may include anti-immigrant sentiment, racial-ethnic and linguistic discrimination, material vulnerability, and educational inequity. A nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the psychosocial development and needs of Latine immigrant youth must account for the long-term impacts of structural violence along with protective processes linked to identity, family, community, and culture (Almeida et al., 2016; Ayón & Becerra, 2013; Slopen et al., 2023). This study employs a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework to unpack the unique and multi-level pressures influencing Latine immigrant youth's psychosocial well-being and development and the active forms of healing and resistance that help mitigate developmental disruptions. Specifically, we conducted semi-structured and multimodal youth and caregiver interviews (Youth N = 7; Caregiver/Adult N = 10) centered on the community members' pre-, peri-, and post-migration experiences, using testimonios as an anti-racist methodology and drawing on cultural relational discourse practices to invite perspectives on processes that influence youth development, well-being, and mental health. A constructivist grounded theory coding approach ensured that the code and theme development process fully embraced the youth and caregiver's agency, humanity, and lived realities. In the youth and parent narratives, themes emerged demonstrating how immigration experiences interfaced with core psychosocial developmental processes related to (1) attachment relationships, (2) developmental stage progression, and (3) racialized identity formation. The influences of immigration on these processes were complex, rooted in the unique aspects of individual journeys and structurally violent processes shared across families. Attachment relationships – with caregivers, community, and culture – could serve as rebozos of protection for youth. Meanwhile, disruptions or actual ruptures in attachment relationships due to familial and cultural losses or experiences of "undocutrauma" (caregiver-child separation due to deportation or detention) were among the most traumatic and painful experiences for some participants. Immigration journeys also influenced the progression and experiences of developmental stages. Migration could accelerate supportive experiences of novelty and independence for adolescents, press a child to take on responsibilities beyond their years, or disrupt experiences of acquired competence and professional standing for a young adult. Immigrant youth navigated identity formation in racialized contexts. Racial discrimination and anti-immigrant harassment could evoke feelings of sadness, regret, loneliness, and internalized shame and also could serve as focal points inspiring narratives and identities rooted in resistance, coalition-building, and motivation for social transformation. Throughout, youth employed a myriad of strategies to reinforce their strength and seek out healing amidst structurally violent processes and systems. This study extends our understanding of how unique migration experiences and systemic pressures interact to shape Latine immigrant youth's psychosocial development and needs. Additionally, this work will generate relevant knowledge that broader systems (early childhood, education, mental health, healthcare) can employ to develop policies, supports, and practices that attend to and center the lived realities of Latine immigrant youth, with a focus on the interaction between the unique stressors experienced and forms of healing leveraged by this community.

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