Immigrant Groups Research Articles

Development of B.R.A.K.E. the Cycle: A Culturally Responsive Bystander Intervention for South Asian Immigrants in the United States

South Asian (SA) immigrants are one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States. Due to the stigma associated with domestic violence among SAs, disclosing victimization experiences may be challenging. In circumstances where experiences are disclosed, informal help-seeking through family/friends is utilized more often than formal help-seeking. Therefore, it is essential for friends/family to be empowered to effectively intervene. B.R.A.K.E. the Cycle has been developed as an innovative online intervention for SA community members (informal resources) to provide support to those experiencing abuse. The goal of this intervention is to enhance responsibility and knowledge among bystanders. Utilizing a culturally responsive intervention is an integral step in enriching services provided by practitioners serving immigrants, which we highlight in this practice note.

Spatial and Temporal Limits of the Casas Grandes Tradition: A View from the Fronteras Valley

This article revises the spatial and temporal boundaries of the Casas Grandes tradition associated with northwest Chihuahua, Mexico, based on new data collected in neighboring northeastern Sonora. The Casas Grandes tradition attained its greatest extent during the Medio period (AD 1200–1450/1500) followed by a dramatic demographic and political collapse. Hunter-gatherer groups subsequently occupied most of northwest Chihuahua. Data from the Fronteras Valley, Sonora, presents an alternative scenario, with a clear pattern of cultural continuity from the eleventh century to the colonial period in which sedentary farmers occupied the same landscapes and occasionally the same villages. These observations contribute to our understanding of the spread and subsequent demise of the Casas Grandes tradition in hinterland regions. For the Fronteras Valley, we infer that immigrant groups originally introduced Casas Grandes traditions and that uneven participation in a suite of shared religious beliefs and practices was common to all the hinterlands.

South Korean immigrant workers in Germany: L2 German verb placement and sociolinguistic factors

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This study explores the asymmetric placement of the finite verb in Korean L2 German speakers and examines the effect of sociolinguistic factors on the produced verb placement patterns. Design/methodology/approach: Fifty-eight participants performed a sentence completion task that elicited the preferred placement of the (finite) verb in matrix and subordinate clauses. In addition, language background interviews were conducted to better understand the sociolinguistic circumstances of the Korean immigrants. Data and analysis: The experimental data are analyzed using implicational scaling to identify patterns of verb placement. The effect of sociolinguistic factors was tested fitting an ordinal logistic regression model. Findings/conclusions: Contrary to the developmental stages of L2 German syntax found in previous research, the experimental results revealed that target-like subordinate clauses are produced more robustly than verb second (V2) constructions. It is argued that this result is better explained with difficulties producing subject-verb inversion, V2, than with facilitative L1 transfer effects from Korean, producing German subordinate clauses with V-final order. Concerning social factors, the type of occupation (coal miner or nurse) was most significant in predicting the preferred L2 verb placement pattern, followed by L2 education and age of immigration. Originality: This article adds to the understanding of L2 German syntax by revisiting previously identified stages of L2 German development with data that target the preferred verb placement in matrix and subordinate clauses from less-researched L1 Korean speakers. The intra-group distinction of Korean immigrants into coal miners and nurses further allows a differentiated look at the role of sociolinguistic factors. Significance/implications: This research is significant as it aims to draw a comprehensive picture of L2 German acquisition and usage in the context of labor migration, highlighting a less-studied group of immigrants.

Mortality impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on immigrant populations in Spain

Immigrant populations have been shown to display a disproportionately high mortality burden during the Covid-19 epidemic in some high-income countries. Individual civil registration data from Spain, one of the countries with the highest Covid-19 mortality in Europe, was used in order to characterize mortality during the Covid-19 epidemic for different immigrant groups. Individuals born in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are shown to have suffered higher mortality impact than the native-born, particularly at working ages (40–59 years old), which could be due to higher proportions of immigrants from these regions among key workers. However, this disproportionate impact is not as high as found in other European countries, like France or Sweden. On the other hand, immigrants born in Europe show a relatively low mortality increment during the epidemic compared to the native-born. In addition, evidence is shown of a generalized and strong migrant mortality advantage for all non-European immigrant groups in Spain, that reduces or even reverses for some groups of countries of birth in 2020.

Computer games, trust, and immediacy: Role-playing as immigrants in the South

Trust in racial and ethnic diversity has been decreasing in America for the better part of a century. The present study replicated a games-based approach to establishing trust in immigrants during COVID-19. Students in an online American National Government class created a fictional persona from either Mexico, India, or China, and sought U.S. citizenship. A posttest-only control group design was analyzed during Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. Subjects who played the game had significantly higher levels of trust in immigrants. They trusted immigrants from China, India, and the Middle East at higher levels than the control group did as well. Immediacy also interacted with role-playing group, such that applying for citizenship as Chinese immigrants had the largest effect on trusting when the experience was perceived as realistic, immersive, and engaging. Pretending to be less visible immigrant groups appears to generalize trust to immigrants from everywhere at high levels of immediacy.

Aging in Chinatowns: the Meaning of Place and Aging Experience for Older Immigrants.

The concept of "Aging in place" has not been fully validated among older immigrant groups living in diverse cultures. The study used a qualitative research approach and interviewed Chinese immigrant older adults across three Chinese enclave communities in New York City to identify whether Chinatowns are a place for Chinese immigrants to age and explore their experience of aging in Chinatowns. The findings showed that Chinese immigrants did consider Chinatown as the place, which conveyed practical, linguistic, social, emotional and cultural meaning. Aging in Chinatown, older adults sought independence, security, and autonomy through various social resources. However, older adults, especially newly arrived immigrants, have faced obstacles that undermine their aging experience. Older immigrants' unique aging experience has provided profound insight in understanding migration and AIP, which help develop proper policies and programs to support the AIP initiative.

Impact of Migration and Acculturation on Turkish Men Who Have Sex with Men in Germany: Results from the 2010 European MSM Internet Survey.

To examine the impact of migration and acculturation of Turkish men who have sex with men (MSM) to Germany, using data from the European MSM Internet Survey (EMIS-2010), on measures of acculturation including circumcision status, internalized homonegativity (IH), HIV/STI knowledge, sexual orientation, outness, HIV-testing, and sexual behaviors. We compared four groups of MSM: MSM born and residing in Germany who had completed the questionnaire in German (n = 38,915), MSM born and residing in Germany, with a father or mother born in Turkey (n = 97), MSM residing in Germany who were born in Turkey or whose parents were born in Turkey (n = 262), and MSM who were born and residing in Turkey and who completed the questionnaire in Turkish (n = 1,717). Data showed that there were significant dose-response curves between level of migration and several outcome variables. As exposure to Germany increased, MSM had lower IH, higher HIV/STI knowledge, increased outness, and were less likely to be circumcised. There were similar significant findings with regard to sexual HIV risk behavior (condomless anal intercourse with partners of unknown (or sero-discordant) HIV status). Data were consistent with acculturation over generations in immigrant groups in MSM migrating from Turkey to Germany. Integration includes both cultural aspects (circumcision) and integration into a more homopositive gay environment (IH, outness, increased HIV/STI knowledge), and sexual HIV risk behavior. Migration and associated acculturation may constitute a risk change for HIV/STI and mental health issues associated with IH and outness.

Lowering COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among immigrants in Norway: Opinions and suggestions by immigrants.

Even though COVID-19 vaccine has been proved effective, vaccine uptake and coverage has been and still is a great concern across different immigrant groups. Vaccine hesitancy remains a barrier to accept the vaccine among immigrants across the globe-including Norway-despite higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths. This study aimed to explore the opinions and suggestions of immigrants on how to lower the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among immigrants in Norway. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 88 persons with different immigrant background. Data was analyzed using framework analysis, utilizing "3Cs model of vaccine hesitancy" as a theoretical framework. The analysis yielded five main themes related to factors that may lower the vaccine hesitancy among immigrants in Norway: (1) Effective cultural communication, (2) Vaccine advocacy through community engagement, (3) Motivating factors, (4) Collaborative efforts via government and healthcare, and (5) Incentives for vaccination. This study enhanced our understanding of factors that according to immigrants themselves may lower the vaccine hesitancy. The insights obtained in this study can contribute to a better understanding of the current status of vaccine uptake among immigrants and can further give directions on how to improve vaccine uptake in these groups in Norway.

Anhelos de la población inmigrante venezolana en Colombia: una visión desde las nuevas dinámicas de la movilidad humana

The Venezuelan migratory movement is one of the greatest human mobility phenomena in Latin America. The object of the study is to reveal the desires of the Venezuelan population that is in immigrant status between Cúcuta and Villa del Rosario in the Department of Norte de Santander, Colombia. The methodology used focused on qualitative research through the application of semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the information was carried out with grounded theory and the Atlas.Ti software. Among the findings, four categories emerged: yearning for security, documents and identity, social yearnings and yearning for mobility. These results contributed to constructing a profile for this group of immigrants. In conclusion, it was possible to characterize immigrants’ desires as an input for designing public policies that allows to satisfy human needs.

Jumping Through Hoops in the Canadian Immigration System: A Critical View of the Immigrant's Journey to Citizenship

AbstractLanguage assessment for citizenship is a ubiquitous enforced and enacted policy in several developed countries (e.g., Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Netherlands, to name a few). In this regard, language testers have expressly argued that this practice enacts injustice for and adds hurdles to marginalized immigrant groups (McNamara & Shohamy, 2009; Shohamy, 2009). Nevertheless, language proficiency tests remain a critical, high‐stakes criterion in evaluating immigrants' permanent residence and naturalization applications. To this end, language tests used for immigration and citizenship purposes are often aligned with widely recognized language frameworks such as the Canadian Language Benchmarks (Chen & Flasko, 2020) and the Common European Framework of Reference (Lim, Geranpayeh, Khalifa, & Buckendahl, 2013). In turn, these alignment studies idealize, in subtle ways, new Canadians with language proficiency requirements that would make them worthy of permanent residence or citizenship. Knowledge of society tests plays an essential role in immigrants' journey to citizenship and can also be considered tests of reading proficiency. This study focuses on the enacted Canadian language policy for prospective immigrants and citizens, adopting a corpus‐assisted discourse analytic approach (Taylor & Marchi, 2018) to the study guide for the Canadian citizenship test (Discover Canada: The rights and responsibilities of citizenship). A primary focus is examining how official and nonofficial languages are represented within this document. The findings highlight some of the problematic assumptions that underpin the use of monolingual constructs in tests encountered in the journey to permanent residence and Canadian citizenship.

TÜRKİYE İRAN SINIRINDA DÜZENSİZ GÖÇ VE GÖÇMENLERİN SINIR GEÇME PRATİKLERİ

Amaç: Bu araştırma, Güney Asya ve Ortadoğu ülkelerinden gelip, İran üzerinden Türkiye’ye giren, özellikle Afganistan, Pakistan, İran, Bangladeş ve Somalili düzensiz göçmenlerin göç süreçlerini ve sınır geçme pratiklerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, göçmenlerin ülkelerinde kopuş nedenlerini, göçmen profillerini, İran’ın göçmenlere karşı tutumunu, göçün maliyetini, göç sürecinde karşılaşılan güçlükleri ve göçmenlerin sınır geçme pratiklerini ortaya koymayı hedeflemektedir. Türkiye-İran sınırında göçle birlikte güvenlik konusunun irdelenmesi de çalışmanın bir başka amacını oluşturmaktadır. Yöntem: Nitel araştırma yönteminin benimsendiği çalışmada mülakat ve görüşme teknikleri kullanılarak birincil veriler elde edilmeye çalışılmıştır. İkincil veri kaynağı olarak da daha önce yapılan akademik çalışmalar, Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı ve Van Valiliği İl Göç İdaresi verilerinden yararlanılmıştır. Çok boyutlu ve çok aktörlü bir olgu olan düzensiz göç meselesi ele alınırken, göçmenler, göçmen kaçakçıları, güvenlik güçleri, mülki idare amirleri ve sınır köylüleri gibi aktörlerden istifade edilmiştir.Bulgular: Son yıllarda sayıları artan ve İran üzerinden Türkiye’ye giren göçmenlerin önemli bir kısmını Afganlar, Pakistanlılar ve İranlılar oluşturmaktadır. Yıllara göre sayıları değişmekle birlikte Afganların oranı yıllık ortalama %30 ile %45 arasında değişmektedir. Gerek Afgan gerekse diğer göçmen grupların artışında temel etkenin güvenlik kaygısı ve ekonomik nedenler olduğu görülmektedir. İran yönetiminin ülkedeki göçmenleri batıya yönlendirmesi ve göçmen kaçakçılarının faaliyetleri de bu durumda önemli rol oynamaktadır. Göçmenler seyahat sürecinde başta coğrafi koşullar ve kaçakçıların suiistimalleri olmak üzere birçok zorlukla da mücadele etmek zorunda kalmaktadırlar. En dramatik olanlardan birisini göçmen ölümleri oluşturmaktadır. Her yıl sadece Türkiye İran sınırında soğuktan donarak hayatını kaybeden göçmen sayısı yaklaşık 50 civarındadır. Özgünlük: Son yıllarda Türkiye ve dünyanın konuştuğu önemli gündem başlıklarından birisi haline gelen göç meselesine, özellikle doğudan gelen göç meselesine, odaklanılan bu çalışmanın hem literatüre, hem de politika yapıcılara katkı sunması umulmaktadır.

MIGRATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND GENDER: THE MOTIVATION OF SYRIANS TO START A BUSINESS IN GAZİANTEP

Göçmenlerin kendi işletmelerini açmaya yönelmeleri, farklı bağlamlarda tartışılmaktadır. Göçmenlerin işyeri açması, bazen uyumun veya sosyal ağların bir göstergesi olurken bazen hâkim ekonomik sisteme yeterince dâhil olamamalarının bir göstergesi olabilmektedir. Göçmenlerin işyeri açmalarının ekonomik, kültürel, sembolik ve sosyal sermayeleriyle yakından ilişkili olduğu tartışılmaktadır. Bu faktörlere, sosyo-ekonomik ve politik söylemin yeni gelenleri ne kadar içerdiği ve göçmen grubun büyüklüğü gibi unsurlar da eklenebilir. Bütün bunlar dikkate alındığında, çalışmada Bourdieu’nün ilişkisel perspektifi, Gaziantep’te Suriyelilerin işletme açma deneyimlerini analiz etmek için kullanılacaktır.Amaç: Gaziantep’teki Suriyelilerin, hem kendi işyerlerini açma oranlarının hem de bu oranlarda erkeklerin payının yüksek olduğu görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Suriyelilerin işletme açma motivasyonları, toplumsal cinsiyet faktörü dikkate alınarak tartışılmaktadır.Yöntem: Bu çalışma, 2018 yılı Kent Kültürü ve Kentlilik Bilincinin Geliştirilmesi Mali Destek Programı kapsamında Gaziantep’teki Suriyeliler Başarı Hikâyeleri çalışmasının verilerine dayanmaktadır. Makale, yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşme sorularından hareketle, Gaziantep’te işletme sahibi olan 16 Suriyeliyle (5 kadın ve 11erkek) yapılan görüşmelere odaklanmaktadır.Bulgular: Kadınların sermaye birikimlerindeki farklılık, ev ve çocuk bakımındaki geleneksel rolleri, işletme açma motivasyonlarını belirlemektedir. Erkeklerin, Suriye’de yaptıkları işleri devam ettirme isteği, ailenin geçimini sağlama yükümlülüğü ve işyerinde karşılaştıkları ayrımcılık, kendi işyerlerini açma deneyimlerini etkilemektedir. Çalışma saatlerindeki esneklik ise hem kadınlar hem de erkekler için işyeri açma deneyiminin önemli bir parçasıdır. Özgünlük: Göçmenlerin işyeri açma tartışmalarında göz ardı edilen toplumsal cinsiyet temelli faktörlerin tartışılması, çalışmayı farklı kılmaktadır.

Polish immigrants’ access to colorectal cancer screening in Norway – a qualitative study

BackgroundThe Norwegian colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programme started in May 2022. Inequities in uptake of CRC screening is a concern, and we expect that immigrants are at risk of non-uptake. Immigrants from Poland are the most populous immigrant group in Norway. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore factors that may facilitate Polish immigrants’ access to the Norwegian CRC screening programme.Material and methodsThis study was based on qualitative interviews with ten Polish immigrants in Norway. The participants represented a convenience sample that varied in terms of gender, education, employment, time in Norway, place of residence, Norwegian language skills and ties to the Norwegian-Polish community. We performed thematic content analysis to understand CRC screening from the perspective of Polish immigrants, using transnationalism and Levesque’s conceptualization of accessibility as theoretical frameworks.ResultsWe grouped our findings into three themes; “understanding of CRC development and the need to access health care”, “binationalism” and “improving accessibility through information”. Within these themes, various factors influenced the participants’ accessibility to CRC screening, namely knowledge about the screening and about causes, development and prevention of the disease, language, choice of screening country, trust in health personnel’s competence, information needs, methods and sources, as well as participants’ perception of the faecal immunochemical test screening user manual. These factors were further influenced by communication between the Polish community in Norway and Poland, as well as travel between the countries.ConclusionWe identified several factors that can be targeted with an aim to increase Polish immigrants’ access to the Norwegian CRC screening programme. Effective measures could include increasing cultural competence among health care providers and providing information in Polish through Polish-speaking health care professionals, general practitioners and internet portals used by the Polish-speaking community. Focusing on accessibility in a transnational setting, our findings may be of interest for policy makers and service providers planning preventive health measures for immigrants.

Brokering Resources during a Pandemic: Exploring How Organizations and Clinics Responded to the Needs of Immigrant Communities during COVID-19.

Though COVID-19 has had sweeping implications, many immigrant groups in the United States have been disproportionately affected. The purpose of the present study is to explore the impact of COVID-19 on immigrant communities and how local immigrant-serving organizations (ISOs) have responded during the pandemic. The authors conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with executive directors and program coordinators of 31 ISOs and health clinics in Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Findings highlight the needs of immigrants and refugees during the pandemic, including economic burden, lack of information, and limited access to testing and treatment for COVID-19. The authors find that ISOs have responded to these needs by providing basic supports, partnering with other local organizations to channel needed resources to immigrant communities, and collaborating with state-level entities to improve outreach, testing, and treatment. The authors also identify mechanisms that enabled the organizations to make nimble accommodations during the pandemic as well as the burden and compromises that these organizations have experienced. The authors argue that ISOs represent an important aspect of safety nets available for immigrants and provide insights into how other organizations can prepare for public health crises like COVID-19 in the future.

Disentangling assumptions: refugee women’s access to and use of social assistance in Canada

ABSTRACT Refugee women are often unable to secure meaningful employment on arrival to Canada. As a result, the uptake of social assistance is common among new arrivals as a temporary provision of income whilst attending programs or upgrading skills. This study explored the factors that contribute to the use of social assistance among refugee women with a focus on the women’s views and experience with the current welfare state as a tool for social protection. A modified grounded theory analysis guided our study which consisted of interviews with 20 recent refugee women and 9 settlement agency staff. The women described issues with the design and administration of social assistance which, at times, did not align with their needs. Some contrasted the conundrum of working in precarious jobs and receiving reduced social assistance payments as a consequence. Findings question prior assumptions on the use of social assistance among refugee groups. In particular, the refugee women appeared eager to work but were not afforded the same opportunities as other immigrant groups suggesting the need for social assistance schemes to adapt to the particular circumstances of refugee women to facilitate employment integration.

Mental Health Services for Unaccompanied Children in the United States

Unaccompanied children (UC) are a vulnerable group of immigrants who arrive to the United States (US) without parents or caregivers, and experience various losses and traumatic stress before, during, and after their migration to the US. This cross-sectional study examines factors associated with reporting mental health services as a primary need in a sample of UC in 2019 (n = 851). Results show that older UC and UC from Honduras have higher odds of reporting mental health services as a primary need, and male UC, compared to female UC, have lower odds of reporting mental health services as a primary need.

Determinants of welfare benefit use of immigrant groups - longitudinal evidence from Germany.

While recent literature in Germany has compared predictors of welfare use between EU and non-EU immigrants, refugees have yet to be added to the analysis. Using survey data of approximately 4,000 immigrants living in Germany, I examine the determinants of basic unemployment benefits receipt for intra-EU immigrants, refugees, and third country immigrants. In particular, I investigate how education affects the likelihood of welfare use for each immigrant group. Even after controlling for human capital factors, sociodemographic characteristics, and factors related to migration such as legal status and age at migration, refugees remain significantly more likely to receive benefits. Results demonstrate that higher education significantly decreases the likelihood of welfare receipt for EU and third country immigrants, but much less so for refugees. These findings may indicate that refugees' education is not being used to its full potential in the labor market or that they face additional challenges hindering their labor market integration. A further and unanticipated finding is that immigrants who hold permanent residency or German citizenship are less likely to receive unemployment benefits, pointing either to positive effects of a secure residency or selection into permanent residency and citizenship among those with the greatest labor market success. Overall, this research shows that challenges beyond human capital deficiencies and sociodemographic characteristics must be considered when studying immigrants' receipt of social benefits, that not all educational credentials are valued equally, and that the experiences of refugees differ in significant ways from those of other immigrant groups.

Measuring Sense of Indebtedness in Second-Generation Immigrants in Switzerland

Abstract. Sense of indebtedness toward parents (SIP) refers to feelings of debt to give back to parents for their migration-related sacrifices in second-generation immigrants. Based on Kang (2010), we developed a German SIP scale to measure these feelings. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to provide evidence of the theoretical factor structure underlying SIP, (2) to test SIP’s measurement invariance in four immigrant groups, and (3) to shed light on the validity of SIP. The sample included N = 492 second-generation immigrants (66% female, Mage = 32.39, SDage = 10.46) in Switzerland. The results showed good reliability, confirmed the theoretical one-factor model, and supported partial scalar invariance across four immigrant groups. Further analysis provided evidence for the SIP’s discriminant and incremental validity. The measure Sense of Indebtedness Toward Parents is a valuable contribution to the ongoing research on intergenerational relations in immigrant families.

Foodways and social organisation in a Northern Wei dynasty (398–494 CE) cemetery in Pingcheng: Comparison of stable isotopes and mortuary practices

Thus far, knowledge of the link between mortuary practices and foodways as well as the social organisation during the Pingcheng period (398–494 CE) of the Northern Wei dynasty is relatively poor.The results of this multidisciplinary study on Xinggangcheng cemetery indicate an agro-pastoral mixed economy and imply some aspects of identities in mortuary practice regarding the honouring of juveniles, couples, and other possible immigrant groups in Pingcheng City. Diversified foodways, mortuary practices, and no significant differences in social/family status have been observed, which was likely a consequence of ethnic integration and in-depth interaction of population and culture in Pingcheng.

Putting on Intersectional Glasses: Listening to the Voice of the Vulnerable

Many share the concern that the Covid-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on the vulnerable who are already disproportionately at risk of social exclusion. The health-related risks that the pandemic entailed and the challenges that resulted from the associated measures have led to new vulnerabilities for specific groups such as persons with disabilities, persons from a (forced) migrant background, and women/girls. This article will discuss the complexity of the multiple vulnerabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic by relying on data collected from immigrant women with disabilities. To this end, data from two women with disabilities who are members of the historically marginalized Turkish immigrant group in Austria were analyzed with regard to their experiences during the pandemic. Their accounts are analyzed from an intersectional perspective in order to document the effects of peri-post-pandemic measures on the lives of people with multiple disadvantages. The interviews and audio diaries by two immigrant women with disabilities recorded over seven months are used to delve into latent oppression structures and overlapping mechanisms of difficulties embedded in their experiences. The findings show how the multiple identities and struggles of the two women were affected during the pandemic by building upon each other.