Research with and Inclusive of Children in Immigrant Families: A Narrative Review of Methods and Approaches

Abstract

One in four children in the US grow up in immigrant families, and 55% of children in immigrant families have a parent who speaks and understands English less than “very well”. While the number of research studies that is focused on children in immigrant families (CIF) has increased, CIF particularly those that communicate in a language other than English (LOE) are frequently excluded from research. We reviewed studies including “children in immigrant families and the United States” in PubMed from 2017–2023, and categorized them as qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods or community engaged research. We review observations and offer recommendations for research to promote the health and well-being of children in immigrant families including: using strengths-based frameworks; prioritizing the inclusion of families who speak languages other than English; amending reporting standards for qualitative studies to include guidance on reporting methods for projects in which research teams and study participants speak different languages from one another; and incorporating methods to identify people who have experienced migration in large national surveys and cohort studies. We recommend research with and inclusive of CIF to consider additional areas for growth in cross-sector collaborations, interventions and clinical trials, and training and support for investigators.