Open-ended Narratives Research Articles

Social media: A double-edged sword for LGBTQ+ youth

Social media has been described as both a safe and toxic space for LGBTQ+ youth. This mixed-methods online study examined whether differences in youth's open-ended narratives moderate associations between quantitative measures of online discrimination and mental health and substance use. Three thematic groups emerged from open-ended responses of 406 LGBTQ+ 14–18-year-old participants: social media as a source of connection, refuge, or rejection. Moderation analyses indicated that at higher levels of discrimination, youth in the connection narrative group experienced elevated associations between measures of discrimination and depression, anxiety, and substance use compared to the rejection group. The results highlight the significance of a mixed-methods approach, as narratives from LGBTQ+ youth about their social media experiences illuminated the quantitative findings. Findings also call for practices that acknowledge the dual-faceted nature of social media and promote connections within LGBTQ+ communities to increase LGBTQ+ youth's mental health resilience against online discrimination.

Overdosing in a Motor Vehicle: Examination of Human, Geographic, and Environmental Factors.

Fentanyl, a type of opioid, in impaired driving cases increased across cities in the United States. No empirical studies have examined motor vehicle overdoses with fentanyl use. We investigated the magnitude of the motor vehicle overdose problem in Providence, RI, and the environmental, socioeconomic, and geographic conditions associated with motor vehicle overdose occurrence. This was a retrospective observational study of emergency medical services data on all suspected opioid overdoses between January 1, 2017, and October 31, 2020. The data contain forced-choice fields, such as age and biological sex, and an open-ended narrative in which the paramedic documented clinical and situational information. The overdoses were geocoded, allowing for the extraction of sociodemographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Seven other data sources were included in a logistic regression to understand key risk factors and spatial patterns of motor vehicle overdoses. Of the 1,357 opioid overdose cases in this analysis, 15.2% were defined as motor vehicle overdoses. In adjusted models, we found a 61% increase in the odds of a motor vehicle overdose involvement for men versus women, a 16.8% decrease in the odds of a motor vehicle overdose for a one-unit increase in distance to the nearest gas station, and a 10.7% decrease in the odds of a motor vehicle overdose for a one-unit increase in distance to a buprenorphine clinic. There is a need to understand the interaction between drug use in vehicles to design interventions for decreasing driving after illicit drug use.

Students’ Perceptions of Google Tools on Supporting Self-Regulated Learning in an Asynchronous Course

The study investigated students’ perceptions regarding the use of an integrated set of five Google Tools (i.e., Google Classroom, Google Sites, Google Slides, Google Docs, and Google Forms) in creating a Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) environment for self-regulated learning in an asynchronous course. Using a mixed-method convergent research design, a single online questionnaire comprising close- and open-ended questions was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Purposive sampling was employed, and two cohorts of undergraduate education majors were chosen. 114 participants completed the questionnaire. Quantitative data from Likert items were subjected to descriptive analysis and supplemented with students’ open-ended narratives, while specific qualitative data were examined with inductive thematic analysis. The quantitative findings revealed that students positively perceived the integrated set of Google Tools in terms of its usefulness, ease of use, confirmation, satisfaction, and continuance intention for supporting their self-regulated learning. The qualitative findings highlight students’ predominantly positive perception of Google Classroom as a Learning Management System (LMS) for self-regulated learning, stemming from its ease of use, efficient interface, and notification and reminder features. Minimal instances of other perceptions were also observed. The study proposes practical implications for educators to facilitate students’ online self-regulated learning by leveraging and integrating these five Google Tools in forming a CMC environment. Recommendations include allocating adjustment time and practice tasks to help students familiarize with the tools for smooth online learning.

Filmmaking as architectural carpentry

Food production is the largest cause of global environmental change. The debate on sustainable agriculture focuses largely on the implementation of new agricultural techniques. The impact of these techniques on agricultural landscapes is not often considered. With the film ‘Tussen de kassen’, I attempt to shift the current debate in a direction that allows consideration of the aesthetic and systemic consequences of the implementation of agricultural techniques on specific landscapes. ‘Tussen de kassen’ examines an innovative and sustainable landscape of greenhouse horticulture. More than a tool to communicate research or annotate site visits, film and filmmaking functioned as architectural carpentry. Meaning that the complete process of filmmaking (including preliminary site visits, editing, etc.) functioned as an unconventional method of knowledge production for an architectural research project. Using ‘Tussen de Kassen’, I illustrate three ways in which filmmaking as architectural carpentry benefits the work of landscape architects whilst examining modern landscapes of food production; As a tool to explore and examine the atmospheres of agricultural landscapes (1) Film is able to convey synaesthetic properties of a landscape. These are properties that belong to multiple sensory fields at once and play a part in generating ‘atmosphere’, the meaning a person assigns unconsciously and almost instantaneously to a space. Film allows viewers to explore the synaesthetic properties behind this initial atmosphere and (re-) examine their subconsciously assigned meanings to space. As a method to explore unexpected entanglements in food production landscapes (2) The (architectural) medium used to analyse a site determines the understanding of that site. Filmmaking demands close engagement with a site, making the filmmaker a participant of the landscape. This results in unexpected discoveries of entanglements between agricultural techniques and other site aspects. As a form of eidetic storytelling for landscapes of the Anthropocene (3) Narrating the functioning and conception of Anthropocenic landscapes in a causal, linear manner is problematic as it leads to ‘undecidability’ and inaction. Film, as an eidetic storytelling tool, combines different types of information (i.e. visual, acoustic, quantifiable, metaphoric, etc.) to mediate multivalent, openended and non-linear narratives for Anthropocenic landscapes. Cover image: Stills from ‘Tussen de Kassen’

Fair Trial for Transitional Justice: The Case of Belene Trial

Inspired by the 32-years long Belene trial, the article investigates the impact of deprivation from the right to justice on reaching transitional justice in aftermaths of crimes against humanity. Through bottom-up victims-centered perspective the article digs into the Belene victims’ oral history narratives to find out the impact of this deprivation on the societal contract, victims’ trauma, justice perception of the society and the rule of law. Based on textual analysis of open-ended interviews and narratives of the Belene victims, the article highlights the adverse consequences of neglecting the victims’ right to fair trial and transitional justice and perpetuating impunity, not only impeding justice and healing but perpetuating victimization and corroding societal trust. The sustained denial of victims' rights to a fair trial and access to justice exacerbates historical wounds, erodes the foundations of the justice and collective perception of fairness in the whole society. Beyond legal implications, the deprivation from right to justice affects individuals' psychological and social well-being and overall societal peace. The article emphasizes that transitional justice is a moral imperative, enabling the rebuilding of a peaceful and democratic society on principles of accountability and empathy, especially in the complex and sensitive aftermath of ethnic-based crimes against humanity.

Police recruit narratives and publicly oriented vocabularies of motive

Although who chooses to become a police officer and why they do so is pivotal for understanding policing, few studies explore recruit motivations. We help to fill this research void through analysis of open-ended narratives penned by police recruits during the academy in a large rust belt city explaining why they want to become police officers, supplemented with qualitative follow-up interviews conducted with randomly selected participants. Of the existing studies on police recruit motivation, nearly all use fixed-response surveys of researcher-selected answers. Despite our respondents being completely free to use their own words, their motivations demonstrate a striking similarity to the findings of previous literature. These stated motivations of altruism and community concern also stand in stark contrast to the public behaviors of police. We suggest this consistency in stated motivations and disconnect with public behavior evinces a publicly oriented vocabulary of motive in which police recruits are attempting to voice the “appropriate” reasons for joining the force.

Long-term intergenerational transmission of memories of the Vajont disaster.

Previous literature documented the traumatic consequences of exposure to disasters on psychological functioning, but little attention has been paid to the intergenerational transmission of the memory of disasters. We explored long-term effects on the memory of the Vajont dam disaster in Northeast Italy that claimed 1,910 lives in 1963. We collected data from 52 two-generation families in which the first generations were born before the disaster and the second generations after. The families were divided into an experimental group whose first generation survived the disaster and a control group whose first generation had moved there afterward. The interviews included an open-ended narrative on the memory of the disaster. We coded free narratives focusing on the richness of the memories (i.e., length, causes, core, aftermath), analyzing negative emotions and salience of the natural and psychological domains. We applied generalized linear mixed models. The richness of the memories, including references to negative emotions, diminished with lower exposure and with intergenerational transmission. Moreover, the participants built a shared representation of the disaster that did not markedly differ across exposure or generation. The reported causes were attributed more to the natural rather than the human domain; the consequences more to the psychological compared to the material domain. Our findings highlight the processes through which collective memories of historical traumatic events are built over the long term and the way a collective identity develops to bear the burden of highly dramatic events and to transmit intergenerational lessons from the past. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Ballades van Verschrikking: Verleden en Verbeeldingskracht in Tales of Superstition and Chivalry (1802) van Anne Bannerman

Female authorship of historical novels in the Romantic period (ca. 1750-1830) is critically established, but these insights have not yet come to fruition in research on ballad collections. This article aims to examine how Anne Bannerman (?1765-1829) uses the ballad form to write fictional history. Her collection of original ballads, Tales of Superstition and Chivalry (1802), draws from the margins of the past and creates supernaturally informed historical tales. I argue that Bannerman weaves together gender, Gothic and history to demonstrate that historical retrieval is only possible through the use of the imagination. In analysing the interrelation between the text and paratext, I demonstrate how she construes an open-ended narrative to suggest that all historical record is an interpretation. In so doing, my research contributes to a more critical understanding of how women authors appropriated the past and used the ballad form to do so.

A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Qualitative Disaster Narratives of Highly Trauma-Exposed Survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing Nearly a Quarter Century Later

Objective: To examine highly trauma-exposed survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building bombing nearly a quarter century later, focusing on survivors’ immediate personal experiences of it through open-ended narratives. Methods: An original sample of 182 bombing survivors, studied approximately 6 months post bombing, was randomly selected from a state registry of 1,092 bombing survivors, with 71% participation. Of the original 182 bombing survivors, 103 completed the longitudinal follow-up, conducted at a median of 23 years post bombing. Qualitative data for the follow-up study were collected using an expanded version of the Disaster Supplement to the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Of the original sample, 39 were known to be deceased, 25 could not be located, and 15 declined participation. Results: In all, 12 themes were identified, but just 3 (Locations, Bombing experience, and Initial actions) are detailed here. All survivors were in heavily damaged buildings (about one-half in the Murrah Federal building) or directly outside, and the majority (84%) were injured. They described intense and gruesome experiences of the bombing, difficult efforts to escape to safety and help other survivors, and continuing postbombing experiences once outside. Conclusions: A striking finding was the intensity of the survivors’ memories almost a quarter century after the bombing. Their sensory recollections remained vivid, generally as bright and intense as in earlier reporting periods. It may be that the salience of this extreme event stabilized memories of it yielding such vivid descriptions nearly a quarter century later.

Personal Intelligence Is Evident in the Sophistication of People's Narratives about Personality.

Personal intelligence concerns the ability to understand personality in oneself and others—including the understanding of motives, socioemotional traits, and abilities. We examined if people’s scores on the ability-based Test of Personal Intelligence (TOPI) would be reflected in their narratives about someone whose personality they had learned about. In a Preliminary Study (N = 220), we collected narratives and open-ended descriptions about their learning. In Study 1 (N = 212), experts rated the respondents’ open-ended narratives for their sophistication about personality, defined as their knowledge and complexity of thought around the topic. Respondents also filled out checklists concerning what they learned and their relationship outcomes. Study 2 (N = 299) was a replication and extension in which we added the TOPI. Participants who scored higher on the TOPI produced narratives higher in Sophistication, even after statistical controls for Word Count and Vocabulary (the measures also were largely independent of the Big Five). The findings here may have applications for both testing and training.

Who does what to whom? graph representations of action-predication in speech relate to psychopathological dimensions of psychosis

Graphical representations of speech generate powerful computational measures related to psychosis. Previous studies have mostly relied on structural relations between words as the basis of graph formation, i.e., connecting each word to the next in a sequence of words. Here, we introduced a method of graph formation grounded in semantic relationships by identifying elements that act upon each other (action relation) and the contents of those actions (predication relation). Speech from picture descriptions and open-ended narrative tasks were collected from a cross-diagnostic group of healthy volunteers and people with psychotic or non-psychotic disorders. Recordings were transcribed and underwent automated language processing, including semantic role labeling to identify action and predication relations. Structural and semantic graph features were computed using static and dynamic (moving-window) techniques. Compared to structural graphs, semantic graphs were more strongly correlated with dimensional psychosis symptoms. Dynamic features also outperformed static features, and samples from picture descriptions yielded larger effect sizes than narrative responses for psychosis diagnoses and symptom dimensions. Overall, semantic graphs captured unique and clinically meaningful information about psychosis and related symptom dimensions. These features, particularly when derived from semi-structured tasks using dynamic measurement, are meaningful additions to the repertoire of computational linguistic methods in psychiatry.

The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel ed. by Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, and Stephen E. Tabachnick

Reviewed by: The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel ed. by Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, and Stephen E. Tabachnick Partha Bhattacharjee (bio) and Priyanka Tripathi (bio) Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, and Stephen E. Tabachnick, eds. The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2018. ISBN 978-1-107-17141 xii + 677 pp. £125 (cloth). The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel, edited by Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, and Stephen E. Tabachnick, is an anthology that offers an insight into the journey and development of comics to graphic novels. Within thirty-six chapters, including an 'Introduction' by the editors-trio, the volume provides vivid discussions on the graphic novels from different countries and the status of the genre as an upcoming literary field. The tripartite structure of the volume includes essays by thirty-five scholars and historians, including three editors. One of the major objectives of the volume is to track the trajectory of the genre, graphic novel, from 1799 to the present day. Apart from that, the volume justifies its title with elaborate discussions on those comics which are "serious" in content. After an 18-page "Introduction," Part I of the volume consists of the essays, covering a wide range of comics and graphic narratives from 1799 to 1978. Beginning with the essay by Denis Miller and Hugo Frey the anthology kicks off the issue on the origin of the adult graphic novel throughout the middle of the 18th century in a lucid way. This particular section ranges on diverse thematic discussions revolving around long-length comics strips, long-length wordless books, post-war 'drawn novel,' Beat-era and graphic novels, underground comics, and most importantly the significant difference between comics and graphic novels. 'Drawn novel' by Jan Baetens focuses on the early examples of illustrious graphic novels. Two chapters namely "Long-Length Serials in the Golden Age of Comics Strips: Production and Reception" and "Long-Length Wordless Books: From Masereel, Milt Gross, Lynd Ward, and Beyond" by Daniel Stein and Lukas Etter and Barbara Postema respectively point out the flourish of comics in the golden era. Their introduction as "open-ended continuity narratives" (53) manifest the basic differences rather than similarities. Besides, this section predominantly engages its views on the differentiation between the basic tenets of comics and graphic novels which is shown in the chapter by Gavin Parkinson. The chapters with their treatment of comics and graphic novels hold potentials for further research. There is a mention of popular texts such as Yellow Kid (1890) by Richard F. Outcault and George B. Luks; Happy Hooligan (1899-1932) by Frederick Burr Opper; Maus (1890–1991) by Art Spiegelman; Persepolis (2000-2003) by Marjane Satrapi; Troglodytes (2004) by Marcel Ruijters; The Great War (2013) by Joe Sacco; Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986) by Frank Miller; Zap Comix (1968-2014) by Robert Crumb; Marvel's Graphic Novel Line of 1982; and DC Graphic Novels of [End Page 164] 1983; all of which construct a platform to re-nurture the textual spaces and the cultural elements that are ingrained within the texts. The second section spans the years from 1978 to 2000, focusing on well-known graphic novelists and comics artists such as Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, and Alan Moore, and their contributions towards the development of this genre. The chapter "No Future: Punk and the Underground Graphic Novel" by Benjamin Noys retraces the significance of the underground graphic novel as well as the characteristic features of it in a much broader spectrum. Significantly, there is the mention of subaltern marginalized voice(s) and their emergences in the platforms of graphic novels and comics through the respective chapters "'A Word to You Feminist Women': The Parallel Legacies of Feminism and Underground Comics" by Susan Kirtley and "The Secret Origin of the LGBTQ Graphic Novels" by Justin Hall. The section provides a vivid description of the Japanese Manga culture as well which is very vivid. In the chapter on Alan Moore by Christopher Murray, the latter addresses him as "one of the first 'superstar' comics writers" as well as an "auteur writer" (220). Murray focuses on the concept of comics auteurship which was quite popular in the 60s...

Framing Migrant Memories: Lampedusa's Fragmented Archives

The small island of Lampedusa, a key destination of the Central Mediterranean Route connecting Africa to Italy, offers a special observatory on the contemporary trans-Mediterranean odyssey of migrants, although often transformed into a “border spectacle.” Upon landing, migrants are stripped of their belongings, as these are impounded by the authorities. Such an act of dispossession is intended to deprive them of their histories, family ties and cultural identity. Photographer Mario Badagliacca has portrayed a selection of these lost and retrieved items in his work Fragments (2013). Each object reveals expectations, fears, desires, endurance, but cannot tell a full story. They are fragments of an open-ended narrative that requires to be framed and told, if we wish to gain a better understanding of the Black Mediterranean, its history, and consequences. What remains untold can only be imagined. Writer Maaza Mengiste imagines what lies behind two smudged photographs portrayed by Badagliacca. As always, the force of imagination provides signification, solidarity, and survival in the fractured history of the African Diaspora.

Pre-service teachers’ investments in English and construction of professional identity in the Indonesian context

This study explored the pre-service teachers (PSTs) professional identity construction during their teacher education training at a private university in Central Java, Indonesia. It particularly investigated their understanding of the teaching profession and their professional identity, guided by two research questions: 1) what have been the influential aspects of the Indonesian pre-service teachers’ investment in the teaching profession? and 2) what professional identities do the PSTs (re)construct during their teacher education training? A qualitative case study was adopted as the design of this study. Data of this study were collected using an open-ended questionnaire and in-depth semi-structured interviews. Participants of this study are eleven PSTs of a private university in Central Java. The obtained data were analyzed by using the theoretical grounding of situated learning, professional identity, and investments. An interpretive approach and thematic analysis were adopted in coding and analyzing the PSTs’ open-ended questionnaire responses and narrative accounts obtained from the interviews. It is found that most aspects of PSTs’ construction of professional identity are their continuous learning participation and contemplation during their training in the English teacher education (ETE) program and their dynamic inner dialogue with their two selves (i.e. the student-self and the teacher-self) during the teaching practicum at school. These influential aspects lead to the emerging professional identity of the PSTs as caring, motivational, pleasant, and empathetic teachers. This result implies the need to emphasize the acquisition of teacher identity and reflective teaching at the heart of teacher education.

Experiences of coping with the first wave of COVID-19 epidemic in Philadelphia, PA: Mixed methods analysis of a cross-sectional survey of worries and symptoms of mood disorders.

Our objective was to describe how residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, coped psychologically with the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional design, we aimed to estimate the rates and correlates of anxiety and depression, examine how specific worries correlated with general anxiety and depression, and synthesize themes of "the most difficult experiences" shared by the respondents. We collected data through an on-line survey in a convenience sample of 1,293 adult residents of Philadelphia, PA between April 17 and July 3, 2020, inquiring about symptoms of anxiety and depression (via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), specific worries, open-ended narratives of "the most difficult experiences" (coded into themes), demographics, perceived sources of support, and general health. Anxiety was evident among 30 to 40% of participants and depression-about 10%. Factor analysis revealed two distinct, yet inter-related clusters of specific worries related to mood disorders: concern about "hardships" and "fear of infection". Regression analyses revealed that anxiety, depression, and fear of infection, but not concern about hardships, worsened over the course of the epidemic. "The most difficult experiences" characterized by loss of income, poor health of self or others, uncertainty, death of a relative or a friend, and struggle accessing food were each associated with some of the measures of worries and mood disorders. Respondents who believed they could rely on support of close personal network fared better psychologically than those who reported relying primarily on government and social services organizations. Thematic analysis revealed complex perceptions of the pandemic by the participants, giving clues to both positive and negative experiences that may have affected how they coped. Despite concerns about external validity, our observations are concordant with emerging evidence of psychological toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures employed to mitigate risk of infection.

Historical Ecology: A Robust Bridge between Archaeology and Ecology

How can the disintegration of ecosystems, the foundation of life on Earth, be halted and these critical systems be rehabilitated? For scholars, the action list is long: increase the pool of expertise by engaging all relevant knowledge communities, collect rapidly disappearing data, analyze with both familiar and new methods, and apply the results of actionable science to policy and practice. This enormously complex and urgent activity requires an integrated research framework with the flexibility to accommodate the global diversity of places, peoples, and processes and to examine future options. Based on evidence of environmental change and human activity, the framework termed historical ecology assembles tools to construct an evidence-validated, open-ended narrative of the evolution and transformation of specific ecosystems and landscapes. Welcoming knowledge from scholars and communities of both heritage and practice, this comprehensive and systemic understanding offers insights, models, and ideas for the durable future of contemporary landscapes. The article evaluates how practitioners could adjust aspects of practice and improve access to policy makers, and the discussion applies to regions and localities everywhere.

Note from the Editors

Note from the Editors

Exploring Narrative Structure with MMORPG Quest Stories

In this paper we present a corpus of quest stories taken from a popular commercial Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). These stories are open-ended narrative, but anchored to formal, in-game actions and entities, providing valuable constraint as a narrative corpus. We present two preliminary experiments establishing baselines for evaluating similar patterns and content across the corpus.

Development and feasibility testing of a play-based psychosocial intervention for reduced patient stress in a pediatric care setting: experiences from Pakistan

BackgroundHospitalization can be a source of great stress for children and their families. In high-income countries, there are specialized staff to help children cope using different techniques including play. However, it is a major challenge in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) due to financial constraints and untrained human resource. The objective of study was to develop and test the feasibility and acceptance of a psychology trainee-delivered model postulated on employing play as a means of enhancing child-parent interactions leading to reduced stress during hospitalization.MethodsThis study was conducted in the paediatric ward of a tertiary care private hospital in Pakistan. Pre-intervention survey revealed that parental stress stemmed mainly from seeing their child irritable, distressed, or in pain. Using a theory of change model, a play-based psychosocial intervention was developed to address these factors. The intervention approach was informed by principles of Nurturing Care Framework and play therapy. Children between birth and 6 years admitted in the acute care ward were eligible. The intervention was delivered between March 2019 and December 2020 by psychology trainees who were supervised by a clinical psychologist. The play-based sessions were delivered at the bedside and ranged from 20 to 40 min. Parents receiving the intervention were later interviewed for their stress, child emotions, and feedback about the service using structured surveys administered by psychology graduates. The trainees delivering the intervention were requested to provide their feedback as a written qualitative open-ended narrative. These narratives were analyzed using an inductive approach.ResultsThe survey was conducted with 223 families with about half of the sample having children under 2 years of age. Forty-five percent of parents reported play intervention to be one of 3 key factors in improving their experience during hospital stay. Only 5% of parents reported feeling stressed about the child illness after the intervention. Ninety to 96% parents felt respected, listened to, and understood by the therapists. Thematic analysis of the feedback by trainees indicated the internship to be a useful experience and a new avenue for professional life whereas physicians appreciated the interventions.ConclusionsThe authors conclude that psychology trainees can feasibly deliver a play-based intervention under supervision for reduced stress in children and their parents during hospitalization with mutual benefits.

‘A place where my children could learn to read, write, and play’: The search for early care and education among undocumented Central American immigrant mothers

Access to high quality early care and education (ECE) is particularly valuable, but often most elusive, for young children and families situated on the margins of society, including many Latinx immigrant families facing income insecurity, discrimination, and limited access to resources due to documentation status. This study used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to examine the various ECE-related experiences and perspectives of 55 undocumented immigrant mothers from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Participant mothers of young children completed a qualitative open-ended child care history narrative as part of a larger interviewer-assisted survey. Our findings suggest that participants, who faced multiple constraints including income insecurity and undocumented status, were purposeful and planful in attempting to access good quality ECE for their children, focusing on safety, learning, and their children's unique needs. However, accessing and sustaining good quality ECE for their young children was often an ongoing struggle throughout the early childhood years. This study provides greater understanding about the ways immigrant families with young children adapt to ECE challenges and broader societal inequities and discusses implications for ECE service delivery in relation to diverse mixed-status Central American (CA) immigrant families.