ABSTRACT The transition to primary school is a complex dynamic process widely recognized in the literature, but few empirical studies have explored how this process unfolds. Grounded in cultural-historical theory, this study researches the periodization of children’s transition to school and its mechanisms. A case study of three children was conducted over two years (138 hours of observations and 16 hours of interviews). Findings show that the transition to school is a heterogeneous process in which children start their transition at different points and experience distinct phases. Children’s social situation of development (SSD) conditions the transition trajectory, and the emerging crises drive this trajectory. Children may experience development, stagnation, or regression depending on how the crises are managed.

ABSTRACT This article examines the practices of ethno-religious boundary negotiation through an ethnographic case study of Baraka Little Library, a Korean Christian NGO supporting Muslim immigrant children. The analysis focuses on the interreligious and interethnic politics of belonging mediated by mundane practices of care, through which ethno-religious positionalities are reconstructed. At Baraka Little Library, Korean Christian volunteers engage in practices of religious neutralisation and embrace interreligious care as an ethical imperative, effectively redrawing intra-Christian and cross-religious boundaries. Muslim immigrant children take on active roles as religious brokers, navigating their hybrid identities as both cultural insiders and religious outsiders in Korean society. The dynamics of distancing and approximating practices observed at Baraka Little Library highlight a complex mode of interreligious sociality that encompasses contradictions and ambivalences. This case study demonstrates that ethno-religious divisions are not merely maintained or tolerated in pluralistic settings, but are negotiated and transformed through everyday interpersonal encounters.

Timely dental care is essential for children's health and development, yet disparities persist, particularly among immigrants and children of immigrants. This study examined how children's and their parents' immigration status affects dental care utilization, considering social capital and material hardship as mediators. Using 8 waves of the National Survey of Children's Health from 2016 through 2023, we analyzed a nationally representative, pooled, cross-sectional survey sample of 274,302 children in the United States aged 2 to 17 y. Latent variables for social capital, material hardship, and socioeconomic status (SES) were constructed from factor analysis of observable indicators. Multivariable structural equation models simultaneously included child and parental immigration status as exposures to assess pathways linking immigration to dental attendance and receipt of preventive dental care. We compared models with mediation versus confounding by SES. Results indicate that social capital is a primary pathway through which immigration status reduces dental attendance. Social capital mediated the effect of being a foreign-born child in both the mediation-by-SES and confounding-by-SES models (odds ratio [OR], 0.74; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.64-0.86). Similarly, social capital mediated the effect of having foreign-born parents in both models (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.46-0.76). Comparing the pathways of the 2 exposures revealed heterogeneity: direct effects (i.e., those not mediated by social capital or material hardship) were stronger than mediated effects for the child's immigrant status, whereas mediated effects were stronger for parental immigrant status. Our findings remained consistent when assessing receipt of preventive care as an outcome and also when carrying out sensitivity analyses comparing the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods. These results highlight social capital as a potential target for future research into reducing dental care disparities among immigrant children. Improving social networks, community engagement, and access to supportive resources may potentially be a viable way to promote equitable utilization of dental care.

Some refugee children in the United States have an elevated blood lead level (EBLL), which can result in neurologic disease and developmental delays. Little has been published on EBLLs in immigrant infants and children whose families are seeking humanitarian protections outside the refugee program. We evaluated lead testing and anemia in this population. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of lead testing and anemia in infants and children whose families were seeking humanitarian protection (eg, asylum) and treated in clinics in Chelsea, Massachusetts (September 30, 2022-June 30, 2024) and New York City (January 1-November 30, 2023). We extracted demographic and clinical data from the medical records of clinics serving families who received emergency assistance with sheltering. We evaluated the proportion who completed lead testing and the prevalence of EBLL (≥3.5 µg/dL). We used Pearson χ2 and Kruskal-Wallis tests to determine factors significantly associated with EBLL. Among 882 children (most from Venezuela [29.5%], Ecuador [22.0%], Colombia [16.2%], and Peru [6.7%]), 693 (78.6%) completed testing for lead. Lead testing was more common among children aged <5 years than among older children (P < .001). Nine of 693 children (1.3%; 95% CI, 0.6%-2.5%) had EBLL; the mean blood lead level was 5.31 µg/dL. Eight of the 9 children with EBLL were boys (P = .06). Of 882 children, 146 (16.6%) had anemia; 2 children with EBLL had anemia. We did not find a statistically significant association between country of origin and EBLL (P = .23). Clinicians and public health professionals serving newcomer populations should enhance efforts to prevent and screen for EBLL and anemia.

ABSTRACT This study explores the native–immigrant employment gap around the transition to parenthood by comparing the employment trajectories of immigrants and their descendants with those of native-born Spanish mothers. Using sequence and cluster analysis with individual-level data from Spain, we reconstructed three years’ employment histories around the transition to motherhood and identified eight typical career trajectory types. Multinomial logistic regressions were then used to examine differences in maternal employment patterns by immigrant group and generation. Results reveal a substantial immigrant–native gap in maternal employment pathways. Immigrant mothers are more likely to experience long-term non-employment but are less likely than native-born mothers to undergo turbulent non-employment transitions or interrupted employment. Our findings also indicate upward assimilation among descendants of immigrants, who face fewer penalties in occupational attainment and greater access to stable permanent or self-employment trajectories, although they remain more prone to inactivity traps than their native counterparts. Compositional differences in human capital and citizenship status help reduce these gaps in maternal employment. By highlighting persistent inequalities in maternal employment patterns and their determinants, this study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the social and economic integration of immigrants and their descendants.

The objective of this study was to evaluate required culture-based overseas tuberculosis (TB) screening in US-bound international adoptees. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 22 053 international adoptees who underwent TB screening overseas and arrived in the United States during 2016 to 2023. Of 22 053 international adoptees (aged younger than 18years) screened for TB overseas, 12 (54 cases/100 000 persons) were diagnosed with TB disease, and 169 (766 cases/100 000 persons) had suspected TB disease (defined for this analysis as a chest radiograph or clinical signs/symptoms suggestive of TB or known HIV infection but negative sputum culture results overseas). Of 15 386 persons who underwent a tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) overseas, 390 (2.5%) were diagnosed with latent TB infection (LTBI). Among 12 persons who initiated treatment of TB disease overseas, 10 (83.3%) completed post-arrival evaluation in the United States; of these, none were diagnosed with TB disease after arrival. Among 169 persons diagnosed overseas with suspected TB disease, 108 (63.9%) completed post-arrival evaluation; of these, 2 (1.9%) were diagnosed with TB disease. Among 390 persons diagnosed overseas with LTBI, 220 (56.4%) completed post-arrival evaluation; of these, none were diagnosed with TB disease. Of 150 persons diagnosed with LTBI at post-arrival evaluation, 137 (91.3%) were recommended for treatment; of these, 104 (75.9%) initiated and 79 (57.7%) completed treatment. US-bound international adoptees have a similarly high prevalence of TB disease compared with US-bound immigrant and refugee children, highlighting the importance of TB screening before immigration and ensuring timely recommended post-arrival evaluation.

Economic cycles and the transition to motherhood: Differentiation between natives without a migration background and children of immigrants.

To examine the relationship between immigration and autism in Manitoba, Canada, using population-based data. We linked Manitoba's Rehabilitation Centre for Children clinical registry (May 2016-December 2022), the province's primary and only publicly funded autism evaluation site for children ≤6 years, with an official immigration registry. We estimated incidence of autism and adjusted relative risks (aRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) across subgroups defined by child and parent immigration status. A total of 217,811 children aged 18 months to 6 years resided in Manitoba during the study period and met inclusion criteria. Among 2408 children diagnosed with autism, 1136 (47%) had at least one immigrant parent. Compared with Canadian-born children of nonimmigrant parents, autism risk was highest among Canadian-born children of at least one immigrant parent (aRR: 2.29; 95% CI: 2.09-2.51), followed by immigrant children of at least one immigrant parent (aRR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.42-2.09). Maternal length of stay in Canada and refugee status was not associated with autism risk. In secondary analysis examining parental contribution to likelihood of autism, compared with Canadian children of two nonimmigrant parents, likelihood of autism diagnosis was higher among children in all parental immigration categories, but highest when both the mother and the father were immigrants (aRR: 3.08, 95% CI: 2.62-3.62). Children of immigrant families in Manitoba had higher rates of autism. Additional studies are warranted to assess whether similar results occur in other Canadian jurisdictions, and to investigate possible underlying factors behind this association.

This study examined the association between youth immigrant generation background and mental health outcomes (internalizing and externalizing symptoms), the extent to which these associations were moderated by school immigrant concentration and the potential mediating role of school loneliness and sense of belonging in these associations. Data come from a population-based cross-sectional study of 1,449 immigrant and nonimmigrant youth aged 9-15 years and their caregivers from 36 schools in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Multilevel hierarchical linear regression and multilevel structural equation models were run separately for parent and youth reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. First- and second-generation immigrant youth had lower levels of parent and youth reported externalizing symptoms and parent reported internalizing symptoms than nonimmigrant youth. The association between immigrant background and externalizing symptoms was moderated by school immigrant concentration, such that higher concentration was associated with a decrease in average externalizing symptoms for immigrant students, but not for nonimmigrant students. Perceptions of loneliness at school mediated the association between immigrant background and both externalizing and internalizing symptoms when school immigrant concentration was high across parent and youth reports (conditional indirect effects all p < .05). Levels of mental health symptoms were lower among immigrant youth when school immigrant concentration was high, with decreased perceptions of school loneliness potentially offering some insights into protective mechanisms. Longitudinal studies are needed to advance our understanding of the underlying social processes that give rise to differential associations across immigrant groups to inform school-based approaches to integration of immigrant and nonimmigrant youth.

Health care resource constraints across North America are leading to decreased access to primary care, particularly for newcomers. In Canada, several pathways to permanent residency shape early navigation to the publicly funded health care system. To explore access to primary care by analyzing the percentage of all minor illness visits seen in an emergency department (ED) in recently arrived refugee and immigrant children compared with their Ontario-born peers. This population-based cohort study took place in Ontario, Canada, and included immigrant children who arrived between 2008 and 2017 and Ontario-born children. Participants were aged 0 to 14 years and followed up for 4 years after index date (ie, 1 year after health care eligibility). Data were analyzed between November 2023 and December 2025. Government-assisted refugees (GARs), privately sponsored refugees (PSRs), successful asylum-seekers (referred to as protected persons [PPs] in Canada), nonrefugee immigrant (NRIs), each matched 1:4 to Ontario-born children by age, sex, and urban area. The percentage of minor illness ED visits (ie, primary care plus ED visits for equivalent reasons) in the first and second 2-year periods after eligibility was calculated for each child with at least 1 minor illness visit. The difference in mean percentage was modeled using linear regression and compared each immigrant group to Ontario-born children adjusting for morbidity, material resources quintile, and primary care affiliation. Overall, 458 597 children were included (mean [SD] age, 8.0 [4.3] years; 221 237 females [48%]; 237 360 males [52%]; GARs, 10 211 [2.23%]; PSRs, 7810 [1.70%]; PPs, 11 540 [2.52%]; NRIs, 83 537 [18.22%]; Ontario-born matches, 345 499 [75.34%]). In the first 2 years, immigrant groups had significantly lower adjusted differences in the mean percentage of minor illnesses seen in the ED compared with their Ontario-born matches (GARs: -5.11% [95% CI, -5.63% to -4.57%]; PSRs: -5.24% [95% CI, -5.80% to -4.67%]; PPs: -3.37% [95% CI, -3.86% to -2.87%]; NRIs: -4.24% [95% CI, -4.40% to -4.09%]). In the second 2 years, differences were attenuated but remained significantly lower. In this cohort study, refugee and nonrefugee immigrant children in their early resettlement period were less likely to use the ED than Ontario-born children for minor illnesses, suggesting adequate access to primary care.

Background: Nepali immigrants in Canada, though a growing community, remain underrepresented in migration and acculturation research. As they navigate life in a multicultural society, they face the dual challenge of preserving cultural heritage while integrating into Canadian social structures. Objective: This study examines how Nepali immigrants in Canada retain cultural traditions while adapting to Canadian society, focusing on identity negotiation, cultural continuity, and intergenerational transmission. Methods: A qualitative approach employing thematic analysis was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten purposively selected participants, including first- and second-generation immigrants and individuals actively involved in community institutions. Data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Results: Major cultural and religious traditions (Dashain, Tihar, Losar, Teej, Buddha Jayanti) remain strongly preserved among first-generation immigrants, while minor rituals show gradual decline among younger generations, reflecting selective cultural retention. Nepali language maintenance faces challenges due to English dominance in schools and peer interactions. Community institutions—including language schools, temples, and cultural organizations—play a vital role in sustaining heritage and fostering ethnic belonging. Digital media contributes significantly to cultural continuity by connecting immigrants to Nepali festivals and practices across borders. Conclusion: Cultural adaptation among Nepali immigrants is a dynamic process wherein first-generation immigrants actively preserve traditions while second-generation youth develop hybrid cultural identities. The study contributes to acculturation theory by demonstrating how integration and retention coexist within multicultural contexts. Novelty: This research addresses a significant gap in diaspora literature by focusing specifically on Nepali immigrants in Canada, examining intergenerational dynamics and the role of community institutions in cultural preservation.

This paper describes conclusions from an expert report prepared for litigation against the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) with relevance for all children at risk for placement in restrictive settings. The claims that ORR refused to release unaccompanied immigrant children to appropriate custodians, improperly retained children in restrictive placements, and placed children with behavioral, mental health, or intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in restrictive facilities because of their disabilities rather than their needs have universal relevance to systems of care for children. These conclusions could be used by regulators, funders, advocates, family members, and others to improve decision-making about the management of children at risk for placement in restrictive settings. 1. Children can often be safely maintained in least restrictive settings with effective, individualized, community-based services and behavior management strategies. 2. Services must be based on adequate, evidence-based evaluation of children's needs. 3. Criteria for placement of children in more restrictive settings must include a specific determination that each child could not be maintained safely in a lower level of care, and the specific basis for that determination. 4. Effective systems of care require internal mechanisms to evaluate decisions and promote best services in the least restrictive setting.

This technical report on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the cornerstones of the entire children's health care delivery system, complements the 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement "Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program: Optimization to Promote Equity in Child and Young Adult Health." The origin and intent of both the Medicaid and CHIP programs are outlined, and a current summary of issues related to enrollment, eligibility, funding, benefits, payments, quality assurance, and reporting in these programs that pertain to all children, including children with special health care needs (CYSHCN), is provided. Opportunities and drawbacks associated with states contracting with Medicaid managed care organizations are highlighted. This report also details mechanisms by which Medicaid can be modified through executive and legislative actions and summarizes past proposals (many recently resurrected) that would have degraded Medicaid's ability to provide quality care for children. Special issues of interest for specific populations are explored, including children with special health care needs, adolescents, immigrant children, children in foster care, and adopted children, and the role of Medicaid and CHIP in addressing specific health care needs in the arenas of mental and behavioral health and dental care are discussed. Finally, the following 3 themes are emphasized: (1) the criticality of these programs to the current needs of children and the necessity to resolve operational factors that cause inequities; (2) the strategic importance of these programs to the well-being of the country's future; and (3) the crisis with attracting, training, and retaining pediatric generalists and subspecialty physicians to lead the care of children in future generations.

Aims and objectives: This research project investigates the interplay between languages and ethnicities among multilingual and ethnically diverse groups of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Western Europe, focusing on specific trends and features. Particular emphasis is placed on the functional patterns of language use, language attitudes, and the negotiation of language and ethnic identity. Methodology: This study is situated within the framework of critical ethnographic sociolinguistics. Data and analysis: The research is based on participant observation and sociolinguistic interviews conducted with 26 first-generation immigrants from Russia and Kazakhstan. A qualitative method of data analysis was employed to interpret the findings. Findings and conclusion: The findings indicate that first-generation immigrants perpetuate the status of the Russian language and culture from the USSR in their language practices within their new localities. In the host countries, both ethnic and Russian languages begin to fulfil the ‘internal’ language function – a language employed for communication among people who share common values, memories, and a historical past – albeit in a different manner. Moreover, Russian emerges as an economic resource within the Russian-speaking community abroad. The lack of extensive ‘ethnic’ social networks, the fragmentation of this group, the high level of education, and transnationalism of modern migration contribute to the emergence of ‘symbolic ethnicities’ and reinforce the aforementioned functions of Russian. Concurrently, attitudes towards language are evolving, with an increasing appreciation for ethnic languages and cultures becoming evident. Originality: Analysing the multilingualism of post-Soviet migration from an ‘ethnic’ perspective provides valuable insights into the relationships between ethnic and Russian languages and identities, and highlights the ‘exported’, transformed, and novel language functions and attitudes that arise in the migration context. Significance and implications: The findings of this research offer new perspectives on multilingualism of post-Soviet migration regarding the interplay among languages, ethnicities, cultures, and social networks.

Research suggests that neighborhood conditions may shape parenting practices. However, few qualitative studies have examined these patterns in parents of young children. Using focus group methodology with 30 urban parents, this qualitative study examined how the neighborhood environment may relate to experiences of parenting young children (ages 3-5 years, M = 4.52, SD = 1.07; 63% female). The sample was predominantly composed of female and biological parents, with about 50% identifying as Hispanic/Latino, most identifying as Black/African American (63%), and 40% identifying as having an immigrant background. Analyses revealed six key themes across 314 nodes related to the influence of neighborhood conditions on parenting: (a) distal neighborhood influences, (b) parents' distress about the neighborhood, (c) parents shaping development, (d) restriction and withdrawal, (e) navigating neighborhood resources, and (f) the role of the social environment. These themes are consistent with extensions of the Family Stress Model, which suggest that parents' awareness of community stressors contributes to psychological distress, shaping how they engage with their children and navigate their neighborhoods. Notably, across themes, parents frequently reflected on how these challenges directly impact their young children's development and well-being. Findings also suggested that patterns of adaptive parenting may vary based on immigrant origin, neighborhood context, and parent and child characteristics (e.g., age, race, and biological sex). The results suggested that, despite neighborhood challenges, parents actively employ strategies to protect and nurture their children, demonstrating resilience in their parenting practices.

In the United States, Asian American people represent the fastest growing population group, and are highly diverse linguistically, culturally, and demographically. Yet, in most national studies, Asian American groups are aggregated, masking potential health disparities. Racial and ethnic minorities, especially first-generation immigrants, are also at a particularly elevated risk of cognitive impairment. The Aging in Kerala Americans Research (AKKARE) study aims to examine both positive and negative migration effects on health in the first-generation Kerala American population, focusing on cognition and dementia. We will assess the effect of immigrant and cultural factors and social relations on cognitive aging from epidemiological, biological, and vascular perspectives. This protocol describes the study design and procedures for the AKKARE study. The AKKARE study proposes to enroll 400 older first-generation Kerala American individuals from the tristate area. A smaller subset of these participants will complete blood tests (n=360) and neuroimaging studies (n=160). We will assess the role of immigration and cultural effects on cognitive function, mood, and quality of life, as well as biological and vascular aging. We will conduct follow-up assessments at 12-month intervals for up to 5 years. The AKKARE study (grant #1R01AG084567-01) was funded by the US National Institutes of Health in 2024 and received approval from the Stony Brook University Institutional Review Board to start the study in 2025. Enrollment began in September 2025. As there is presently a lack of fundamental data on the epidemiology in diseases of aging in Indian American immigrants, the AKKARE study will provide new insights into factors of risk and resilience associated with cognitive impairment in this group and in the broader older adult population. DERR1-10.2196/85493.

ABSTRACT Vocational education offers an important pathway into the labour market for students who struggle in school, especially for low performing males. However, whether vocational education can provide children of immigrants the same wage benefit as it seems to do for low performing native majority background males, is not properly understood. Based on analyses of register data, we address this topic. We find that male children of immigrants do not have the same wage benefits as their native majority peers, but for female children of immigrants we find no difference from those with Norwegian-born parents. We find that access to apprenticeships seems to be a major driving force behind the wage gap for males. Our analysis shows that access to apprenticeship is related to what we call a double drive to failure. First, children of immigrants are more inclined to apply for a supplementary year, which we find is not economically rewarding. Second, if they do apply for an apprenticeship, they are less likely to get one. In this paper, we contribute with new empirical knowledge in the debate on how secondary education can contribute to social mobility for children of immigrants.

Early childhood services can lay a critical foundation for refugee and immigrant children as they develop in new cultural contexts; however, these populations are underrepresented in a variety of early childhood programs such as early care and education, home visiting, and early intervention. This scoping review examines the strategies being implemented to increase newcomer families' participation in services and parent preferences for early childhood services. A systematic search yielded 38 studies, 22 of which included strategies to increase access for newcomer families and 20 of which explored parent preferences around early childhood education. Identified strategies to promote access were categorized as program responsiveness (67%), outreach (57%), workforce responsiveness (57%), service delivery (52%), added supports (52%), social networks (43%), partnerships (43%), program policies (43%), or state and national policies (29%). Parents' preferences for care were related to child academic and social-emotional development (80%), perceived quality (65%), type of care (65%), cultural responsivity and match (60%), and language (50%). Most studies focused on access or preferences related to early childhood programs or child care and early education broadly (89%), while fewer focused on strategies to increase access to home visiting or early intervention (11%). Additional research is needed to identify the strategies being utilized to promote access to home visiting and early intervention and to empirically test the relationship between identified strategies and improved access to these services.

Abstract Faced with multiple simultaneous adversities that extend beyond traditional adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including systemic oppression and family separation due to detention or deportation, children of immigrants, a growing segment of the US population, face a public health crisis necessitating immediate attention. Experiencing these potentially traumatic events during the critical period of young childhood, especially in the absence of protective resources, can yield substantive short- and long-term developmental problems. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for evidence-based strategies for responding to ACEs and immigration-related adversities in young children of immigrants. This systematic review synthesizes literature indexed in PsycINFO from 2000 to 2025 on programs aimed at addressing ACEs in young children of immigrants in their natural settings ( n = 15). Eligible studies were screened following PICOTS inclusion criteria requiring programs to address ACEs or trauma exposure among young children of immigrants and be deliverable in early childhood education or faith-based settings. The review is framed by three interrelated core protective systems identified by ACE researchers as important for the prevention, detection, and intervention of ACEs in children: (1) building children’s individual strengths; (2) developing attachment to nurturing caregivers; and (3) building a protective community (Sciaraffa et al., 2018). From this perspective, we present evidence-based strategies and programs that address one or more of these protective systems, can be implemented with young children in early childhood education and care centers (ECEC) or faith communities, and are appropriate for addressing immigration-related adversity.

In recent decades, Southern European Countries, such as Italy and Spain, became destinations where immigrants have had permanent settlement patterns, including family reunification and formation. As a result, these countries now face the dual challenge of integrating first-generation immigrants and supporting the labour market inclusion of their children. This study examines gender and generational inequalities in labour market outcomes using 2021 EU-LFS data. The analysis focuses on young adults, distinguishing between natives, first-generation immigrants, and the children of immigrants. Particular attention is given to access to high-skilled employment and to gender disparities within and between origin groups. The results reveal both similarities and differences between the Italian and Spanish contexts. In Italy, access to high-skilled careers varies by migrant generation, with significant differences also based on gender, revealing a double disadvantage linked to both migration background and gender. In Spain, children of immigrants do not show major labour market gaps, and gender disparities are less marked, although first-generation immigrant women remain disadvantaged. These findings highlight how national context and gender intersect to shape labour market integration across generations.