{"id":538,"date":"2018-11-11T22:58:40","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T03:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/?p=538"},"modified":"2018-11-11T22:58:40","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T03:58:40","slug":"the-challenges-of-coming-to-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/2018\/11\/11\/the-challenges-of-coming-to-america\/","title":{"rendered":"The Challenges of Coming to America"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the process of migration, children and families experience a variety of challenges adapting to a new culture. This separation, if not successful, can have lasting effects throughout a child\u2019s lifetime. Therefore, it is important to increase an understanding of how this adjustment occurs and what factors can either assist in the transition or pose a barrier to its success1<\/sup>. Neighborhoods and schools play a major role in a child\u2019s development and the successful adaptation to a new culture1,2.<\/sup>A child\u2019s first formal introduction to a new culture may occur in the school environment. In this environment, a child not only has the opportunity to achieve good grades but also maintain a high level of involvement, a positive emotional response to school, and possess a desire to learn. Eventual success in these areas can be affected by the child\u2019s English language skills, as well as their attitudes towards education and a commitment to achieve2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Studies have identified that immigrant children can experience what is called the immigrant paradox which is when a child, after the first generation, experiences a reduction in academic success which is thought to be related to a change in their attitude towards education2<\/sup>. Regardless of this phenomenon, children from grades seven through eleven experience a reduction in engagement with school, whether immigrants or not. This is believed to be related to the developmental stage of adolescence. Therefore, efforts at this age should be implemented to foster a positive relationship with teachers as well as engage students in activities which promote increased interest and active involvement2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, a child\u2019s neighborhood in addition to their school and family can also impact their adjustment to a new culture1<\/sup>. A child\u2019s relationship with their neighborhood, school peers, and family occurs in a bidirectional fashion so that one affects the other. This can be a positive effect by fostering identity and a sense of belonging but can also result in a negative outcome if the neighborhood has a high immigrant population1<\/sup>. In an immigrant community, a child may have insufficient exposure to English speaking individuals, leaving them at a disadvantage of not knowing the language or how to navigate a new environment. This can result in a decrease in their academic performance and school engagement1,2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Lastly, another major challenge in the process of adjusting to a new culture is the potential separation from a parent as a result of migration and even deportation4<\/sup>. Circumstances surrounding the separation can result in a lengthy absence of a parent. This results in stress on the family related to the need to shift roles, expectations, and responsibilities as they struggle to meet expectations4<\/sup>. These children can experience devastating psychological effects such as depression, anxiety, and emotional trauma3<\/sup>. Long term consequences of the separation can also result in behavioral problems, rejection of the parent\u2019s authority, and even delinquent behavior3,4<\/sup>.<\/a><\/p>\n

Although migration to a new country can be initiated to provide positive opportunities and economic gain, the process of adapting to a new culture and reuniting the family may take years to accomplish4<\/sup>. Therefore, it is critical that we gain an increased understanding of this complicated process in order to develop strategies and interventions to promote a successful transition.<\/p>\n

References<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Leventhal, T., & Shuey, E. A. (2014). Neighborhood context and immigrant young children\u2019s development. Developmental Psychology, 50<\/em>(6), 1771\u20131787. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/a0036424<\/li>\n
  2. Motti-Stefanidi, F., & Masten, A. S. (2013). School success and school engagement of immigrant children and adolescents: A risk and resilience developmental perspective. European Psychologist, 18<\/em>(2), 126\u2013135. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1027\/1016-9040\/a000139<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Rojas-Flores, L., Clements, M. L., Hwang Koo, J., & London, J. (2017). Trauma and psychological distress in Latino citizen children following parental detention and deportation.Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9<\/em>(3), 352-361. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/tra0000177<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Su\u00e1rez-Orozco, C., Bang, H. J., & Kim, H. Y. (2011). I felt like my heart was staying behind: Psychological implications of family separations & reunifications for immigrant youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 26<\/em>(2), 222\u2013257. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0743558410376830<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    During the process of migration, children and families experience a variety of challenges adapting to a new culture. This separation, if not successful, can have lasting effects throughout a child\u2019s lifetime. Therefore, it is important to increase an understanding of how this adjustment occurs and what factors can either assist in the transition or pose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3859,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137883],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-unit-3","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3859"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/immigrationandhumandevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}