New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2021
Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how paren... more Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how parents communicate with their children about the hostile political climate. One way that Latinx parents talk about and prepare their children to face prejudice is through ethnic-racial socialization, which can promote children's positive development. Few scholars, however, have focused on how Latinx immigrant families with precarious documentation status socialize their children around issues of immigration, documentation status, and the potential for family separation. The current study seeks to broaden our understanding and conceptualization of ethnic-racial socialization practices among Latinx immigrant families living in the United States to include documentation status socialization to better capture the messages parents transmit to their children about the causes and potential impacts of their documentation status. Thirty-nine Latinx immigrant mothers aged 35-53 (M = 41.66), (22 undocumented, 17 documented) were interviewed regarding the ways in which their documentation status informs their ethnic-racial socialization practices. Five subthemes of Documentation Status Socialization were identified among both undocumented and documented parents. Example of subthemes included Limitations and Restrictions of Undocumented Status, and Documentation Privilege, in which parents discussed the limitation of being undocumented as well as the privilege that comes with the legal documentation status with their youth. Our findings yield important implications for practice and research alike.
Ethnic-racial socialization has been shown to serve as a protective influence in the development ... more Ethnic-racial socialization has been shown to serve as a protective influence in the development of minority children. However, the extant literature has not accounted for the experiences of mixed-status families, where citizen children live with an undocumented parent. These parents may adapt their ethnic-racial socialization in reaction to their experiences of stress, fear, and discrimination, all of which influence the type and frequency of socialization messages transmitted to children. In this mixed-method dissertation based on analyses of surveys and interviews, I consider the roles of sociocultural stressors, such as experiences of discrimination and documentation status on Latinx immigrant parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices. The sample for this study derived from a longitudinal study with Latinx families living in southeast Michigan. The current analytic sample (n = 105) included foreign-born parents of adolescent children who participated in the final wave of da...
Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 2016
he peer-review process is critical to ensuring the quality and rigor of the work published by the... more he peer-review process is critical to ensuring the quality and rigor of the work published by the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research (JSSWR). Peer reviews are the core of good scholarly publishing and a hallmark of all reputable, respected journals. The peer reviewers listed here contributed their time and talents during 2015 to review manuscripts, provide thoughtful and constructive critiques, and encourage authors to produce their best work. These reviewers have played a vital role in maintaining the standards of the Journal and promoting rigorous social work research. Indeed, the time and effort that our peer reviewers dedicate to providing well-considered reviews is a priceless gift not only to JSSWR but also to the social work field. The responsiveness of our reviewers has enabled JSSWR to maintain its commitment to rapid review of manuscripts, with authors receiving a decision in about 30 days from submission. As a gesture of our appreciation to the referees who have unselfishly given of themselves, we would like to formally thank them for their service to JSSWR.
Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-qsw-10.1177_14733250211014578 for Latinx immigrants raising child... more Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-qsw-10.1177_14733250211014578 for Latinx immigrants raising children in the land of the free: Parenting in the context of persecution and fear by Fernanda Lima Cross, Deborah Rivas-Drake and Jasmin Aramburu in Qualitative Social Work
Family socialization of one's ethnic culture is essential for ethnic identity development among L... more Family socialization of one's ethnic culture is essential for ethnic identity development among Latinx adolescents. However, less is known about how the likely changes in family interaction that transpire during adolescence may impact this socialization process. A three-year longitudinal study of 148 Latinx adolescents (ages 13-14; 53% females) examined how changes in youth's family ethnic socialization experiences and sense of family cohesion were related to two dimensions of their ethnic identity development (i.e., exploration and resolution). Youth's family ethnic socialization experiences and sense of family cohesion remained stable, while their exploration and resolution increased across three years. More ethnic socialization experiences at Wave 1 predicted higher initial levels and stability of ethnic identity exploration over time. However, more ethnic socialization at Wave 1 predicted higher initial levels of resolution and predicted less resolution development as youth progressed through adolescence. Among youth who perceived less ethnic socialization, a greater sense of family cohesion was associated with more initial exploration; this compensatory effect was only present at Wave 1. These results illustrate how distinct aspects of the family context uniquely and interactively inform ethnic identity exploration and resolution development.
Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 2019
Parental involvement in their children’s schools has been associated with several benefits for th... more Parental involvement in their children’s schools has been associated with several benefits for their children, including improved school achievement, lower dropout rates, and fewer behavioral problems. However, less is known about the involvement of parents dealing with documentation-status concerns. In this study, we examined the relations between Latinx parents’ documentation-status concerns, level of education, English proficiency barriers, and school involvement. A community-based partnership conducted a systematic survey of the local Latinx population in both Spanish and English. Latinx community members were involved in the creation and review of the survey instrument and methodology. The analytic sample comprised 125 foreign-born Latinx parents residing in a Midwestern county whose children were in either elementary or middle school. Results indicated that parents who expressed documentation-status concerns were less likely to be physically present in schools, especially those with lower levels of education. Schools should aim to reduce barriers to school involvement among parents struggling with documentation-status concerns and lower education levels as a strategy to improve Latinx children’s future academic success. Practical implications and suggestions for implementation are discussed.
This study examined the direct association between parental educational expectations and adolesce... more This study examined the direct association between parental educational expectations and adolescents' academic selfefficacy, as well as the moderating influence of parental academic socialization messages. Participants were 148 Latino parent-adolescent dyads with the majority of Mexican origin (80.4%). Most of the parent participants were mothers (85.8%). Adolescents were 13 (46%) or 14 (54%) years of age, and 53% identified as female. Adolescents reported their academic selfefficacy and perceptions of their parents' educational expectations; parents reported on their academic socialization messages of shame/pressure and effort regarding academics. The results suggest that, after accounting for parents' level of education and immigrant status, parental educational expectations were positively associated with adolescent academic selfefficacy. This association was stronger among adolescents whose parents reported transmitting fewer messages of shame/pressure and academic effort. These results point to the importance of nuances in the content and type of academic socialization messages within Latino families.
The current study examined the concurrent and prospective associations of ethnic–racial identity ... more The current study examined the concurrent and prospective associations of ethnic–racial identity content (i.e., centrality, private regard, and public regard) and depressive symptomatology among Latino adolescents. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of Latino adolescents (N= 148, 53.4% girls) who were 13–14 years old at Wave 1. Results indicated that higher ethnic–racial centrality at Waves 1 and 2 predicted fewer depressive symptoms at Waves 2 and 3, respectively. In addition, more positive private regard at Wave 1 predicted fewer depressive symptoms at Wave 2, and more positive public regard at Wave 2 predicted fewer symptoms at Wave 3. Thus, ethnic–racial identity content may serve as a cultural protective factor that is linked to diminished depressive symptomatology among Latino youth.
Background and Purpose Parental perceptions of disability and treatment efficacy as well as help-... more Background and Purpose Parental perceptions of disability and treatment efficacy as well as help-seeking are impacted by cultural beliefs. Additionally, culture has been found to mediate outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by influencing diagnosis, acceptance, and treatment of ASD. However, very little is known about perceptions of autism, the understanding of its causes, and parental expectations of Latinos raising children with ASD. Improved understanding of these issues among Latino parents may help to identify strategies to facilitate early diagnosis and help-seeking for Latino children with autism. The purpose of this paper was to identify and compare qualitative responses to questions regarding perceptions of autism, causes of autism, and expectations for their children among Latino and non-Latino White. Methods Forty-eight Latino caregivers and 59 non-Latino White caregivers were administered a questionnaire on their experiences with their child’s di...
The purpose of this study is to examine how parents' documentation status informs their ethni... more The purpose of this study is to examine how parents' documentation status informs their ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) practices and the subsequent implications for Latinx youths' psychological adjustment. The mixed-methods approach combined convergent and exploratory sequential designs to explore the breadth and depth of Latinx parents' messages to their children regarding race and ethnicity. Qualitative data were used to generate hypotheses that were tested quantitatively. Analysis of interviews revealed parents' concerns with obeying the law, avoiding interaction with others, teaching children how to deal with discrimination, the importance of transmitting their culture, and concerns for their children's ever-present fear and stress. Path analysis showed that undocumented parents utilized more cultural socialization and promotion of mistrust messages than their documented counterparts. More promotion of mistrust, in turn, was associated with higher levels of adolescent depressive symptoms. Given the current sociopolitical climate and ethnic-racial tensions in the United States, it is imperative to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the nuanced ERS practices Latinx families employ to both cope with and respond to this situation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
The long-nosed armadillos or "mulitas" belong to the Dasypodidae family, the earliest diverging c... more The long-nosed armadillos or "mulitas" belong to the Dasypodidae family, the earliest diverging clade inside the Cingulata by the middle Eocene (Gibb et al., 2016; Delsuc et al., 2016). With seven species (see below), Dasypus is the extant xenarthra genera most diverse and more widespread (Wetzel et al.
Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) serves as a protective factor in the development of minority ch... more Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) serves as a protective factor in the development of minority children. However, few studies have focused on mixed-status Latinx families to include the broad expression of their ethnic-racial socialization practices centering on their immigration experiences as they teach their children the risks and restrictions of having undocumented status. These parents adapt their ERS in accordance with their experiences of stress, fear, and discrimination, all of which shape the type and frequency of their socialization messages. Through documentation status socialization, Latinx parents forewarn their children of the inequities associated with their ethnic-racial group and undocumented status, including possible family separation. They also teach children about nativity differences and the attendant privilege of having documented status. This manuscript highlights insights to be gained by considering documentation status socialization as an ERS dimension with...
Expecting discrimination in one's future occupation is known to have negative implications fo... more Expecting discrimination in one's future occupation is known to have negative implications for adolescents' career pathways. However, little is known about how such discriminatory expectations emerge. The current contentious sociopolitical climate toward immigrants, especially those of Latinx heritage, has contributed to heightened discrimination against adolescents in this group. The present study examined how experiences of discrimination over time relate to youths' expectations of future occupational barriers among 148 Latinx adolescents at 3 annual waves (82% U.S.-born; 53% female; Mage = 13.54 at Wave 1). Results suggest that Latinx youth report increasing exposure to ethnic-racial discrimination and objectification as a perceived foreigner over time. Moreover, as Latinx youth perceived more ethnic-racial discrimination and foreigner objectification over the course of adolescence they increasingly expected to face racial and ethnic barriers in their future occupatio...
New directions for child and adolescent development, 2021
Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how paren... more Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how parents communicate with their children about the hostile political climate. One way that Latinx parents talk about and prepare their children to face prejudice is through ethnic-racial socialization, which can promote children's positive development. Few scholars, however, have focused on how Latinx immigrant families with precarious documentation status socialize their children around issues of immigration, documentation status, and the potential for family separation. The current study seeks to broaden our understanding and conceptualization of ethnic-racial socialization practices among Latinx immigrant families living in the United States to include documentation status socialization to better capture the messages parents transmit to their children about the causes and potential impacts of their documentation status. Thirty-nine Latinx immigrant mothers aged 35-53 (M = 41.66), (22 un...
New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2021
Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how paren... more Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how parents communicate with their children about the hostile political climate. One way that Latinx parents talk about and prepare their children to face prejudice is through ethnic-racial socialization, which can promote children's positive development. Few scholars, however, have focused on how Latinx immigrant families with precarious documentation status socialize their children around issues of immigration, documentation status, and the potential for family separation. The current study seeks to broaden our understanding and conceptualization of ethnic-racial socialization practices among Latinx immigrant families living in the United States to include documentation status socialization to better capture the messages parents transmit to their children about the causes and potential impacts of their documentation status. Thirty-nine Latinx immigrant mothers aged 35-53 (M = 41.66), (22 undocumented, 17 documented) were interviewed regarding the ways in which their documentation status informs their ethnic-racial socialization practices. Five subthemes of Documentation Status Socialization were identified among both undocumented and documented parents. Example of subthemes included Limitations and Restrictions of Undocumented Status, and Documentation Privilege, in which parents discussed the limitation of being undocumented as well as the privilege that comes with the legal documentation status with their youth. Our findings yield important implications for practice and research alike.
Ethnic-racial socialization has been shown to serve as a protective influence in the development ... more Ethnic-racial socialization has been shown to serve as a protective influence in the development of minority children. However, the extant literature has not accounted for the experiences of mixed-status families, where citizen children live with an undocumented parent. These parents may adapt their ethnic-racial socialization in reaction to their experiences of stress, fear, and discrimination, all of which influence the type and frequency of socialization messages transmitted to children. In this mixed-method dissertation based on analyses of surveys and interviews, I consider the roles of sociocultural stressors, such as experiences of discrimination and documentation status on Latinx immigrant parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices. The sample for this study derived from a longitudinal study with Latinx families living in southeast Michigan. The current analytic sample (n = 105) included foreign-born parents of adolescent children who participated in the final wave of da...
Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 2016
he peer-review process is critical to ensuring the quality and rigor of the work published by the... more he peer-review process is critical to ensuring the quality and rigor of the work published by the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research (JSSWR). Peer reviews are the core of good scholarly publishing and a hallmark of all reputable, respected journals. The peer reviewers listed here contributed their time and talents during 2015 to review manuscripts, provide thoughtful and constructive critiques, and encourage authors to produce their best work. These reviewers have played a vital role in maintaining the standards of the Journal and promoting rigorous social work research. Indeed, the time and effort that our peer reviewers dedicate to providing well-considered reviews is a priceless gift not only to JSSWR but also to the social work field. The responsiveness of our reviewers has enabled JSSWR to maintain its commitment to rapid review of manuscripts, with authors receiving a decision in about 30 days from submission. As a gesture of our appreciation to the referees who have unselfishly given of themselves, we would like to formally thank them for their service to JSSWR.
Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-qsw-10.1177_14733250211014578 for Latinx immigrants raising child... more Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-qsw-10.1177_14733250211014578 for Latinx immigrants raising children in the land of the free: Parenting in the context of persecution and fear by Fernanda Lima Cross, Deborah Rivas-Drake and Jasmin Aramburu in Qualitative Social Work
Family socialization of one's ethnic culture is essential for ethnic identity development among L... more Family socialization of one's ethnic culture is essential for ethnic identity development among Latinx adolescents. However, less is known about how the likely changes in family interaction that transpire during adolescence may impact this socialization process. A three-year longitudinal study of 148 Latinx adolescents (ages 13-14; 53% females) examined how changes in youth's family ethnic socialization experiences and sense of family cohesion were related to two dimensions of their ethnic identity development (i.e., exploration and resolution). Youth's family ethnic socialization experiences and sense of family cohesion remained stable, while their exploration and resolution increased across three years. More ethnic socialization experiences at Wave 1 predicted higher initial levels and stability of ethnic identity exploration over time. However, more ethnic socialization at Wave 1 predicted higher initial levels of resolution and predicted less resolution development as youth progressed through adolescence. Among youth who perceived less ethnic socialization, a greater sense of family cohesion was associated with more initial exploration; this compensatory effect was only present at Wave 1. These results illustrate how distinct aspects of the family context uniquely and interactively inform ethnic identity exploration and resolution development.
Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 2019
Parental involvement in their children’s schools has been associated with several benefits for th... more Parental involvement in their children’s schools has been associated with several benefits for their children, including improved school achievement, lower dropout rates, and fewer behavioral problems. However, less is known about the involvement of parents dealing with documentation-status concerns. In this study, we examined the relations between Latinx parents’ documentation-status concerns, level of education, English proficiency barriers, and school involvement. A community-based partnership conducted a systematic survey of the local Latinx population in both Spanish and English. Latinx community members were involved in the creation and review of the survey instrument and methodology. The analytic sample comprised 125 foreign-born Latinx parents residing in a Midwestern county whose children were in either elementary or middle school. Results indicated that parents who expressed documentation-status concerns were less likely to be physically present in schools, especially those with lower levels of education. Schools should aim to reduce barriers to school involvement among parents struggling with documentation-status concerns and lower education levels as a strategy to improve Latinx children’s future academic success. Practical implications and suggestions for implementation are discussed.
This study examined the direct association between parental educational expectations and adolesce... more This study examined the direct association between parental educational expectations and adolescents' academic selfefficacy, as well as the moderating influence of parental academic socialization messages. Participants were 148 Latino parent-adolescent dyads with the majority of Mexican origin (80.4%). Most of the parent participants were mothers (85.8%). Adolescents were 13 (46%) or 14 (54%) years of age, and 53% identified as female. Adolescents reported their academic selfefficacy and perceptions of their parents' educational expectations; parents reported on their academic socialization messages of shame/pressure and effort regarding academics. The results suggest that, after accounting for parents' level of education and immigrant status, parental educational expectations were positively associated with adolescent academic selfefficacy. This association was stronger among adolescents whose parents reported transmitting fewer messages of shame/pressure and academic effort. These results point to the importance of nuances in the content and type of academic socialization messages within Latino families.
The current study examined the concurrent and prospective associations of ethnic–racial identity ... more The current study examined the concurrent and prospective associations of ethnic–racial identity content (i.e., centrality, private regard, and public regard) and depressive symptomatology among Latino adolescents. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of Latino adolescents (N= 148, 53.4% girls) who were 13–14 years old at Wave 1. Results indicated that higher ethnic–racial centrality at Waves 1 and 2 predicted fewer depressive symptoms at Waves 2 and 3, respectively. In addition, more positive private regard at Wave 1 predicted fewer depressive symptoms at Wave 2, and more positive public regard at Wave 2 predicted fewer symptoms at Wave 3. Thus, ethnic–racial identity content may serve as a cultural protective factor that is linked to diminished depressive symptomatology among Latino youth.
Background and Purpose Parental perceptions of disability and treatment efficacy as well as help-... more Background and Purpose Parental perceptions of disability and treatment efficacy as well as help-seeking are impacted by cultural beliefs. Additionally, culture has been found to mediate outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by influencing diagnosis, acceptance, and treatment of ASD. However, very little is known about perceptions of autism, the understanding of its causes, and parental expectations of Latinos raising children with ASD. Improved understanding of these issues among Latino parents may help to identify strategies to facilitate early diagnosis and help-seeking for Latino children with autism. The purpose of this paper was to identify and compare qualitative responses to questions regarding perceptions of autism, causes of autism, and expectations for their children among Latino and non-Latino White. Methods Forty-eight Latino caregivers and 59 non-Latino White caregivers were administered a questionnaire on their experiences with their child’s di...
The purpose of this study is to examine how parents' documentation status informs their ethni... more The purpose of this study is to examine how parents' documentation status informs their ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) practices and the subsequent implications for Latinx youths' psychological adjustment. The mixed-methods approach combined convergent and exploratory sequential designs to explore the breadth and depth of Latinx parents' messages to their children regarding race and ethnicity. Qualitative data were used to generate hypotheses that were tested quantitatively. Analysis of interviews revealed parents' concerns with obeying the law, avoiding interaction with others, teaching children how to deal with discrimination, the importance of transmitting their culture, and concerns for their children's ever-present fear and stress. Path analysis showed that undocumented parents utilized more cultural socialization and promotion of mistrust messages than their documented counterparts. More promotion of mistrust, in turn, was associated with higher levels of adolescent depressive symptoms. Given the current sociopolitical climate and ethnic-racial tensions in the United States, it is imperative to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the nuanced ERS practices Latinx families employ to both cope with and respond to this situation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
The long-nosed armadillos or "mulitas" belong to the Dasypodidae family, the earliest diverging c... more The long-nosed armadillos or "mulitas" belong to the Dasypodidae family, the earliest diverging clade inside the Cingulata by the middle Eocene (Gibb et al., 2016; Delsuc et al., 2016). With seven species (see below), Dasypus is the extant xenarthra genera most diverse and more widespread (Wetzel et al.
Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) serves as a protective factor in the development of minority ch... more Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) serves as a protective factor in the development of minority children. However, few studies have focused on mixed-status Latinx families to include the broad expression of their ethnic-racial socialization practices centering on their immigration experiences as they teach their children the risks and restrictions of having undocumented status. These parents adapt their ERS in accordance with their experiences of stress, fear, and discrimination, all of which shape the type and frequency of their socialization messages. Through documentation status socialization, Latinx parents forewarn their children of the inequities associated with their ethnic-racial group and undocumented status, including possible family separation. They also teach children about nativity differences and the attendant privilege of having documented status. This manuscript highlights insights to be gained by considering documentation status socialization as an ERS dimension with...
Expecting discrimination in one's future occupation is known to have negative implications fo... more Expecting discrimination in one's future occupation is known to have negative implications for adolescents' career pathways. However, little is known about how such discriminatory expectations emerge. The current contentious sociopolitical climate toward immigrants, especially those of Latinx heritage, has contributed to heightened discrimination against adolescents in this group. The present study examined how experiences of discrimination over time relate to youths' expectations of future occupational barriers among 148 Latinx adolescents at 3 annual waves (82% U.S.-born; 53% female; Mage = 13.54 at Wave 1). Results suggest that Latinx youth report increasing exposure to ethnic-racial discrimination and objectification as a perceived foreigner over time. Moreover, as Latinx youth perceived more ethnic-racial discrimination and foreigner objectification over the course of adolescence they increasingly expected to face racial and ethnic barriers in their future occupatio...
New directions for child and adolescent development, 2021
Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how paren... more Discriminatory legislation targeting Latinx immigrants in the United States has shifted how parents communicate with their children about the hostile political climate. One way that Latinx parents talk about and prepare their children to face prejudice is through ethnic-racial socialization, which can promote children's positive development. Few scholars, however, have focused on how Latinx immigrant families with precarious documentation status socialize their children around issues of immigration, documentation status, and the potential for family separation. The current study seeks to broaden our understanding and conceptualization of ethnic-racial socialization practices among Latinx immigrant families living in the United States to include documentation status socialization to better capture the messages parents transmit to their children about the causes and potential impacts of their documentation status. Thirty-nine Latinx immigrant mothers aged 35-53 (M = 41.66), (22 un...
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