Childhood Migration and Well-being: A Framework for Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges

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1 Childhood Migration and Well-being: A Framework for Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges Krista M. Perreira, PhD Presented at the 17 th Annual Summer Public Health Research Videoconference on Minority Health, June 7, 2011,

2 71 Million Children in 2009: 24% Had An Immigrant Parent Percent of Children with an Immigrant Parent Percent Foreign-Born of Total Population Source: Calculations by Passel (2010) from Decennial censuses for , Current Population Surveys (CPS), and ACS data.

3 States with the Fastest Growing Immigrant Populations: % Percent Growth in Foreign-Born Population, % 43% 41% 41% 39% 39% 34% 32% 32% US Avg. 16% SC (1) NH (2) TN (3) AR (4) DE (5) AL (6) GA (7) NE (8) KY (9) NC (10) Source: US Census, 2000 & American Community Survey, 2005

4 Children of Immigrants Settling across the US (Avg. 23%) Percent Children of Immigrants Source: Author s Tabulations American Community Survey

5 Challenges in Emerging Latino and Immigrant Settlement States Limited data specific to immigrant and Latino populations High concentration of limited English proficiency children and adults Low availability of providers with specialized cultural competence Diversity among immigrants and especially Latinos

6 Critical Education Concerns for Latino Children of Immigrants School Readiness High School Dropout Rates College Enrollment/Completion Rates

7 Kindergarten School Readiness, Reading 3rd+ Generation White 2nd Generation Mexican American 3rd+ Generation Mexican American 1st Generation Mexican American 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Letter Recognition Sound Recognition Word Recognition Source: Reardon, SF & Galindo, C. (2006), Patterns of Hispanic Students Mathematics and English Literacy Test Scores. Report to the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics. Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University.

8 Kindergarten School Readiness, Math 3rd+ Generation White 2nd Generation Mexican American 3rd+ Generation Mexican American 1st Generation Mexican American 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Identifying Numbers and Shapes Understanding Ordinality Solving Addition and Subtraction Source: Reardon, SF & Galindo, C. (2006), Patterns of Hispanic Students Mathematics and English Literacy Test Scores. Report to the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics. Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University.

9 % year olds (weighted) High School Drop Out Rates 25% 1st generation 2nd generation 3rd+ generation 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Hispanic Asian Black White Source: Perreira, Mullan-Harris, & Lee (2006), Making It in America: High School Completion among Immigrant Youth. Demography 43(3):

10 % year olds (weighted) % of Population with a Bachelors Degree 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1st generation* 2nd generation 3rd+ generation * Includes adults who never attend school in US Hispanic Asian Black White Source: Baum, S. & Flores, S. (2011), Higher Education and Children in Immigrant Families, Future of Children 21(1): Based on CPS, March Supplement, 2009

11 Critical Health Concerns for Latino Children of Immigrants Declining Health of Immigrants with Time in the US Mental Health and Substance Use Overweight/Obesity and related conditions (e.g., Diabetes) Asthma Access to Health Care

12 The Latino Experience: Parent/Caregiver Mental Health 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 27% At Risk for Depression (PHQ-9) 22% Experienced Trauma Foreign-Born Latina Mothers (NC LAMHA Study , N=275) 14% Serious Symptoms of Depression

13 The Latino Experience: Adolescent Mental Health (ages 12-18) 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1st generation 2nd generation Depressive Symptoms 3rd+ generation 1st generation 2nd generation Suicidal Ideation 3rd+ generation Source: Add Health Sample,

14 The Latino Experience: Substance Use 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Problematic Alcohol Use Repeated Marijuana Use 1st generation 2nd generation 3rd+ generation Source: Hispanic Add Health Sample, (ages 12-18)

15 % Children ages The Immigrant Experience: Obesity 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 19% 22% 27% 17% 15% 24% Obesity 18% 12% 15% 11% 9% Hispanic 1st Generation Hispanic 2nd Generation Hispanic 3rd Generation Black 1st Generation Black 2nd Generation Black 3rd Generation White 1st generation White 2nd Generation White 3rd Generation Asian 1st Generation Asian 2nd Generation Asian 3rd Generation Source: NSCH 2003, Singh (2009)

16 Prevalence Ages 3-17 The Latino Experience: Childhood Asthma Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Black Hispanic-All Hispanic-Puerto Rican Asian Currently Has Asthma Source: NHIS 2008

17 % Children under 18 The Latino Experience: Access to Health Care Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Black Hispanic Mexican Background Asian (data imprecise) Uninsured for Health Care Delayed Care Due to Cost Source: NHIS 2008

18 The Immigrant Experience: Access to Health Care 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Private Insurance Coverage Medicaid/ Public Insurance Uninsured Adult US Citizen NonCitizen (> 5 yrs) NonCitizen (<= 5 yrs) Child US Citizen NonCitizen (>= 5 yrs) NonCitizen (< 5 yrs) Source: KFF 2009

19 Migration and Acculturation Process Stages Pre-Migration Migration Post-Migration Threats and Challenges - Poverty - Family Separation - Political Violence - Physical Trauma - Emotional Trauma - Accidental Injury - Family Conflict - Discrimination - Social Isolation - Legal Marginalization - N hood. Disorganization Policy Trade & Econ. Dev p. Policies Immigration Policies Immigrant Policies Strengths and Resiliencies - Coping Skills - Remittances - Future Orientation - Good Health - Adaptive Skills - Ethnic Identification - Family Support - Family Involvem t. - Economic Gains - Community Ties - Rite of Passage - Family Reunification - Ethnic Enclaves

20 Pre-Migration Poverty and Family Separation Poverty [In Mexico], there isn t much money and you have a limit on things. Clothing is bought once a year; sometimes there s nothing more to eat than beans. Many people don t have anything to eat and people [live] on the streets. {adolescent, LAMHA} Family Separation.When my husband would come visit us every 3 or 4 months, and he would leave, [my daughters] would cry. They would tell him, I will go with you Daddy. I will go with you. And so when my family would make comments that I could not come here, that I would never have a complete home like my father s other daughters, that is what drove me to say, I am going. And I decided to come. {parent, LAMHA PILOT}

21 Migration Trauma Trauma [I traveled] on a bus for two days sitting down and not stopping except at every gas station to buy whatever and go to the bathroom and from there arrive at the border and this waiting a night, and walking, many hours walking through the desert. The water ran out, the food too and the sun was so strong. Lots of people fainted, lots of people die there and later you have to be hiding so the migra doesn t catch you and all that and the animals-scorpions, cobrasand sleeping on the ground, with nothing, you get cold, you get so hot, hungry, thirsty. {adolescent, LAMHA}

22 Post-Migration Acculturative Stress Social Isolation In Mexico, I knew all the families of my son s friends. I knew the mothers, the fathers, and even some of the grandparents. I had visited their homes and they, ours. Here, it s different. I don t know the families of his friends. {Parent, LAMHA Pilot} Perceived Discrimination and Racism In school I always had problems because the Americans called me wetback and beaner Mexican, go back to Mexico, we don t want you here. And so, I answered back and I was the only one that got in trouble, not the American. And I was always stuck in the intervention center, In School Suspension, or detention. {Adolescent, LAMHA study)

23 Strength and Resilience Family Reunification I moved here cause I wanted to see my parents [and] cause it had been a long time since I hadn t seen them. I had even forgot their faces; I couldn t even recognize them. {adolescent, LAMHA} Adaptive Skills At first I didn t want to go because of the change. Sometimes a person is afraid because it s another country, it s another culture, other people. And sometimes it s as if you fear that. But really, it s like the saying goes, No one becomes a prophet in their own land. So at times one has to search for other places and that s what I ve found in this country, a great opportunity. {adolescent, LAMHA}

24 Strength and Resilience Ethnic Identification and Selective Acculturation It s hard because the things that our parents taught us, they re not the same as what our teachers or the things that are outside [the family] teach us right now. So, we have to kind of live with it; we have to change but keep what our parents taught us in some way. {adolescent, LAMHA} Future Orientation Even for an illegal [immigrant], I think if you put effort into learning the language [and] doin good in school it ll be way easier for to to be able to find a job. And then, if there is an opportunity for you to get legalized you will have the rest behind you. I m not a legal immigrant. I don t have a visa. I don t have nothin And in school I graduated taking AP calculus I took a college-level course My GPA was like If there s ever a change [in the law] for me to go to college, I ll have that behind me. {adolescent, LAMHA}

25 Thank you