Second-generation Youth Research Articles

Social Support Among Adolescents Across Immigrant Generations: A Mixed-Methods Study

The present mixed methods study explored perceived differences in social support across three immigrant generations of early adolescents residing in Canada. A total of 960 first-generation ( n = 249, M age = 13.02, σ = .69, 54.2% girls), second-generation ( n = 327, M age = 12.88, σ = .69, 57.5% girls) and third-plus-generation ( n = 384, M age = 12.81, σ = .69, 57.3% girls) early adolescent immigrants completed the self-reported Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, and 16 of them participated in individual interviews on social support. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA), in which we controlled for sex, mother tongue, and socioeconomic status (SES), showed that second-generation early adolescents perceived significantly less social support from their mother, teachers, school personnel, and classmates compared to their first- and/or third-plus-generation counterparts. Our mixed methods analysis revealed that these second-generation youth perceived several barriers to social support, such as an unsatisfactory quality of their relationships with these sources, a negative attitude from these sources, their limited availability or involvement, and their ineffectiveness in providing certain types of support. These findings highlight the importance of better understanding the unique challenges facing second-generation early adolescents in order to provide social support adapted to their needs.

The true colors of the chameleon: identities of Bosnian youth in the United States

ABSTRACT Developing a stable adult identity is a key process during youth, which unfolds in ongoing interaction between the individual and their environment. For immigrant youth, this process also includes the formation of an ethnic identity, which is complicated by potential differences between the young person's culture of origin and the dominant culture. But we currently know little about the ethnic and self-identification of White immigrant youth in new immigrant destinations in the United States. The case of Bosnian second-generation youth in St. Louis addresses this gap in the literature on ethnic identity and immigrant incorporation. The analysis shows considerable context-specific variation in how Bosnian youth self-identify. The ability to pass as members of the dominant racial group also indicates that the ethnic boundary between Bosnian youth and native St. Louisians is rooted in a set of shared histories and experiences and a resulting sense of knowing that governs within and between group interactions. The discussion section arrays implications for future research.

How discrimination experiences relate to racial/ethnic identity and mental health across first- and second-generation Vietnamese American adolescents.

Racial/ethnic discrimination has been linked to behavioral and emotional problems in youth from marginalized groups. However, the psychological experience associated with discrimination may differ between immigrant and nonimmigrant youth. Race-based discrimination may impact an adolescent's view of their own group (private regard) and/or their sense of how others view their group (public regard). Owing to differences in racialization, immigrant adolescents may be affected differently by experiences of discrimination than their U.S.-born peers. The present study examined whether nativity moderated the paths from racial/ethnic discrimination to private and public regard to mental health problems among Vietnamese American youth. Surveys were completed by 718 Vietnamese American 10th and 11th graders (Mage = 15.54 years, 61.4% female, 38.6% male). In this sample, 21.2% were first-generation (i.e., born outside of the United States) and 78.8% were second-generation (i.e., born in the United States with at least one parent born outside of the United States). Multigroup path analysis tested the direct and indirect effects of racial/ethnic discrimination on behavioral and emotional problems via private and public regard and whether associations differed for first- versus second-generation youth. Racial/ethnic discrimination was associated with lower public regard, but not private regard, for both first- and second-generation Vietnamese American youth. Public regard was negatively associated with behavioral and emotional problems only among second-generation youth. No indirect effects were significant. Findings suggest differences in racialized experiences, as well as opportunities to support second-generation Vietnamese American and other marginalized youth from immigrant families from the mental health impacts of discrimination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Identity markers among Koreans in Germany and the United States: Language loss and food preferences

Korean Americans and Korean Germans exhibit similarities in their upbringing and migration processes: The first generation, speaking Korean natively and solid in their identity as Koreans, attempt to raise their children with a Korean identity in a culture, where English or German is the mainstream language. Given their minority status in either country, passing on their native tongue is difficult. The second generation struggles in their ability to speak Korean, even though they are exposed to it at home and at Korean language school. Cultural concepts that are familiar to Koreans also prove difficult to translate, such as jeong or han. But consuming and talking about Korean food appears to be the gateway for second generation youth to their parents’ native country and culture, which they otherwise experience via mediated memories.
 In general, food preferences seem to mirror migrants’ identities and identity processes: While abroad, the first generation cooks Korean food to cope with feelings of homesickness and to create community and a sense of belonging in the diaspora. As a result, Korean food, much more than the Korean language, seems to be the Korean identity marker that gets passed on successfully to the next generation. The second generation, whether in Germany or the United States, is familiar with and appreciates Korean food, while they also experiment with combining Korean food elements with American or German ones. Just like the first generation, the second-generation Koreans have also experienced their fair share of food shaming due to the odiferous nature of Korean food, but it is still part of their daily lives. In fact, the second generation deliberately chooses to include Korean food and combinations thereof in their life, as it has become a source of pride. Creating Korean German or Korean American dishes mirrors the second generation’s hybridity and fluidity of their perceived identities.
 Since the command of the Korean language significantly declines among second-generation Koreans due to assimilation forces, many cannot claim fluency in their parents’ native language. Hence, cooking, eating, and talking about Korean food seems to be the remaining marker of Koreanness, other than their physical appearance.

Understanding Suicidal Behaviour and Distress in Young Muslim Canadians: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a major public health concern worldwide, including in Canada. The onset of major mental illnesses occurs during adolescence and young adulthood. Among this group, young Muslims in Canada may be particularly vulnerable due to unique stressors and emerging evidence indicating that Muslims in the U.S. report more suicide attempts than other religious groups. To our knowledge, no prior study has undertaken an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of Muslim young adults who have attempted suicide. This study aims to broaden our understanding of how Muslim young adults experience and understand suicidal behavior by exploring narratives of distress and help-seeking, the meanings of suicidal behavior, the impact of immigration/resettlement, discrimination, Islamophobia, and the role of negotiating multiple religious, cultural, and gender identities. METHODS: This study is currently in progress. We are recruiting approximately 25-30 Muslim youth between the ages of 15-24 who have experienced suicidal behavior with any intent to die, as reported by the participants themselves, within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Exclusion criteria include (1) active substance intoxication or withdrawal, (2) current admission to a psychiatric facility, and (3) low levels of intellectual functioning or a history of neurological impairment. We are conducting heterogeneous purposive sampling to ensure that our sample includes diversity in terms of gender, age, countries of origin, and first and second-generation youth. Recruitment will end when data saturation is reached. Each participant will take part in a semi-structured qualitative interview. The interview explores family and social contacts, immigration/acculturation experiences, gender and cultural roles, and views on religion. Data is being transcribed and analyzed in N-Vivo 12 software using constructivist grounded principles entailing simultaneous collection and analysis, inductive construction of abstract categories explaining social processes, sampling and categorical refinement through iterative analysis, and integration of categories into a theoretical framework. RESULTS: Preliminary data analysis is in progress based on participants (n=15) recruited thus far. Emerging themes in relation to the causes of suicidality include isolation and an inability to cope with multiple stressors, such as family conflict and physical illness. Religion has a varied effect on suicidality, ranging from minimal to strong influence and from being protective to triggering suicidality. Regarding barriers to care, emerging themes included fear of invalidation, Islamophobia, and the lack of cultural safety within the healthcare system. Notably, youth appear to have a different explanatory model for mental illness compared to their family/community. CONCLUSION: This is the first qualitative study examining the experiences of Canadian Muslim youth who have experienced suicidal behavior. Our findings will help elucidate the unique stressors and protective factors that influence suicide and suicidal behavior for Canadian Muslim youth. Understanding patterns of distress and barriers to care through qualitative analysis will provide critical context to ultimately develop appropriate and effective screening, service provision, and suicide prevention strategies.

Fear of Deportation and Hispanic Early Adolescent Substance Use: a Moderated Mediation Model of Stress and Hope.

Reports of deportation can create a state of chronic fear in children living in mixed-status immigrant families over their own or a loved one's potential deportation. One indicator of health disparities among youth is elevated rates of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use (ATOD). Yet little is known about the effects of fear of deportation (FOD) on ATOD or what might promote resilience. We explore the associations between FOD and ATOD use, how stress mediates this relationship, and whether hope moderates the mediated pathway from FOD to ATOD. Participants were 200 first- and second-generation 7th grade Hispanic youth (49% female) assessed across three waves of data. A moderated mediation model tested the indirect effect of FOD on ATOD through stress and whether hope moderated these associations. FOD was measured by the Family Fear of Deportation Scale. Snyder's Children's Hope Scale measured hope. Stress was measured by a short version of Pediatric Psychological Stress Measure. ATOD was adapted from the Monitoring the Future project. FOD was not directly associated with ATOD use. However, this path was fully mediated by stress. Hope significantly moderated the path from FOD to stress such that a one unit increase in hope completely offset the effects of FOD on stress. Hope did not moderate the path from stress to ATOD use. Interventions that increase awareness of deportation trauma, alleviate stress, and promote hope may help prevent, delay initiation into, and/or decrease ATOD among Hispanic first- and second-generation youth.

Are Women the “Keepers of the Culture”? A Study on the Gender-Specific Transmission and Development of Mainstream and Ethnic Identities using Latent Growth Curve Models

AbstractMigration scholars repeatedly claim that mothers in migrant families are responsible for cultural preservation and that this responsibility is passed on to their daughters. In turn, male family members are claimed to be more oriented towards the majority society. This often assumed “keepers of the culture” hypothesis is assessed here using bivariate conditional latent growth curve models to track identity developments in a multigroup comparison. The analysis uses information from second-generation youth and their parents from the CILS4EU data. After a review of the mechanisms that may lead to such a gendered effect, the empirical comparison of parent-child dyads reveals that, contrary to expectations, sons and daughters undergo the same identity development during adolescence. Moreover, both parents pass on their identities to both genders in the same way. I discuss the consequences of these results on an empirical and theoretical level at the end of this paper.

Negative perceived context of reception and sociocultural resources on mental health among Hispanic and Somali adolescents.

Although immigrant negative perceived context of reception (PCOR), perceptions of the opportunities and degree of acceptance in an immigrant-receiving community, has been linked with compromised adolescent well-being, receiving contexts may differ by region and for youth from different ethnic backgrounds. The current study examines how negative PCOR and factors that promote resilience differentially shape mental health among Hispanic and Somali adolescents in Minnesota. Hispanic (n = 163) and Somali (n = 186) first- and second-generation youth aged 12-19 completed a survey on negative PCOR, assets and resources (i.e., ethnic identity, social support, religious participation), and mental well-being (i.e., anxiety and depressive symptoms). Parents and caregivers also completed a survey on PCOR and social support. Adolescent negative PCOR, relative to parent/caregiver negative PCOR, was associated with higher adolescent anxiety and depressive symptoms. Religious participation and social support, reported by both parent/caregiver and adolescent, was associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. Additionally, among Hispanic adolescents, social support buffered the effects of negative PCOR on depressive symptoms. Conversely, strong ethnic identity was associated with higher depressive symptoms for both groups, suggesting acculturative and assimilative pressures play an important role in adolescent mental health. Although social ties can be weakened postmigration, our results indicate that social and religious resources remain beneficial. Given that by the end of the next decade over 50% of the US youth population will identify as part of a racial or ethnic minority group, positive postimmigration adaptation is a critical public health concern.

No Soy De Aquí, Ni Soy De Allá: Second-Generation Latinx Youth Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere

ABSTRACT Belonging is a human need, one that is particularly difficult for children of immigrants to achieve. The Second-generation youth hangs in a balance between the culture of their parents and that of their friends and peers. Often these youth feel that they are not heard or seen by those around them, enhancing the feeling of not belonging in their communities, or even in their country. Therapeutic interventions could potentially create a “third space” in which they feel a sense of belonging. This paper explores the complexity in the experience of belonging in second-generation Latinx youth through a review of the literature, psychodynamic theories, a composite clinical case example and the reflections and implications to and from Second-generation Latina therapist.

Virtual or Real: Analysis on the Development of Virtual Idols in the Simulation Society--Taking “LASER” and “MANTA” for Examples

Virtual idols with “beautiful skins” and “interesting souls” have gradually become the idolize goal of the second-generation youth group and come into public view. Based on jean Baudrillard ’s “simulacra theory”, this paper summarizes the dual empowerment of voice control created by Cat’s Ear Entertainment to virtual idol men’s groups LASER and MANTA from the virtual and realistic perspectives, and finds that virtual idols also have three major dilemmas in the simulacra society: the fans of virtual idols are alienated; IP long tail communication bundles fan consumption; Pink circle thinking breaks the utopia of virtual idols. With the continuous development of the concept of meta-universe, the healthy and sustainable development of virtual idols is still on the road.

Immigrant youth of Indian origin: Generational differences in self‐critical perfectionism

AbstractA community sample of foreign‐born first generation (n = 53) and U.S.‐born secondgeneration (n = 57) youth of Indian origin (ages 18–25) was studied. Variables predicting self‐critical perfectionism were perceived prejudice, enculturation, and communication difficulty with parents and their interaction with generation status. The differences between the two generations pointed to nuanced self‐pressures of Indian immigrant youth, despite good academic standing and middle‐class family income. Implications discuss counseling with Indian immigrant youth.

Peer effects on the educational outcomes of immigrant youth: heterogeneity by generation and school context

ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that peer social networks affect immigrant youths’ academics. However, little is known about whether peer parental education spillovers on educational outcomes differ by generational status and whether students are exposed to more same-ethnic peers in school. This study tests: (1) whether attending classes with peers with educated parents is associated with academic outcomes, (2) whether this relationship varies by generation, and (3) whether school contexts with more peers of the same race/ethnicity influence peer parental spillover effects. To overcome the fact that students select into schools, we use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and leverage quasi-exogenous variation in peer exposure. We find that peer parental education spillover effects vary by immigrant generation, but the extent of the difference varies by outcome. For academic effort, first-generation immigrant youth are less affected by peer parental education effects compared with others. For GPA, the peer spillover effect is smaller for second-generation youth compared with others. In schools with more same race/ethnicity peers, children of immigrants see lower peer spillover effects on educational outcomes compared with their counterparts in more diverse contexts. Findings suggest that network based social processes influencing academic outcomes are distinct for immigrant youth.

Perceptions of Parents' Mental Health and Perceived Stigma by Refugee Youth in the U.S. Context.

Refugees are at an increased risk of mental health problems due to the multiple traumas experienced. Mental health help-seeking and utilization remains low among resettled refugees in the US, however, with stigma as a major barrier. The goal of this paper was to explore second-generation youth's perceptions of parents' mental health and perceived stigma. Data includes in-depth interviews with 62 Bosnian youth resettled in St. Louis. Results indicate that from the perspective of their children, first-generation refugee parents continue to face mental health challenges. The findings show that parents' and youth's understanding of mental health is tied to cultural stigma surrounding mental health. Additionally, intergenerational trauma might be affecting the child-parent relationship. As mass violence around the world continues and people are at continued risk of becoming refugees, this study contributes by advancing research on the long-term mental health and well-being of refugees and their children.

Examining the Relationship Between Direct Exposure to Violence and Delinquent Behavior Across Different Immigrant Generations

Contrary to popular rhetoric, studies have shown that the relationship between immigration and crime is null or negative. However, recent studies found that crime rates are high in second-generation immigrants. This study posits that exposure to violence (ETV) is one potential risk factor related to the increase in crime and delinquency among immigrant youth, particularly in second-generation youth. Results show that, at baseline, second-generation youth reported the highest direct ETV. Also, ETV is positively associated with deviant outcomes, especially in second-generation youth, whereas ethnic identity casts a negative effect on delinquency across groups. Study results support that direct ETV is one of the risk factors and contributes to levels of delinquency among immigrant generations.

Love thy neighbour? Religion and ethnoracial boundaries among second-generation West African youth

ABSTRACT Immigration scholars and religious studies scholars have explored generational changes in religiosity. Less clear is the significance of religion in the lives of Black immigrant second-generation youth. Moreover, while there is research on intraracial boundary-negotiations between Black Americans and Black immigrants in the United States, it is rarely discussed in the context of religion. Drawing on interviews with seventy one second-generation West African teenagers in New York City, this paper explores the role of religion in the integration of Black immigrant second-generation youth. I find that religion is a primary tool through which ethnoracial boundaries are maintained between the children of West African immigrants and their Black American counterparts. I spotlight three means through which religion matters for ethnoracial boundaries: congregational demographics, religious codes of conduct and Islamophobia. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that religion is a key component of second-generation ethnoracial identity-formation.

A hierarchy of aspirations within a field of educational possibilities: the futures of Chinese immigrants in Luxembourg

ABSTRACT How immigrants frame their futures through enacting differential aspirations is undertheorised in migration and diasporic studies. This ethnographic study presents three groups of Chinese immigrants in Luxembourg and their differential engagements with education as part of the aspirational project of future making: second-generation youth born into upper-middle-class professional families, second-generation youth with blue-collar restaurant parents, and 1.5-generation youth who arrived during childhood or adolescence. Building on Appadurai’s (2013. The Future as Cultural Fact: Essays on the Global Condition. London: Verso) notion of the ‘capacity to aspire’ and Bourdieu’s (1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Translated by R. Nice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) theorisation of capital and habitus, the paper examines the divergent ways immigrant youth and families negotiate an unequal terrain of educational possibilities and articulate future aspirations. While upper-middle-class professional families are compelled to pursue a future around individual distinction, those of working-class backgrounds engage in less risky credentialing strategies to secure social mobility. 1.5-generation youth and their families, on the other hand, exhibit immigrant pragmatism to obtain stable future livelihoods. Chinese immigrants’ divergent aspirations are intertwined with class, race, transnational connections and family strategies to shape the possibilities of future. The study contributes to the understanding of educational mobilities of Chinese immigrants, and illustrates the multiple aspirations, negotiations and educational futures within a rapidly stratifying Chinese diaspora.

The school-to-work transitions of second-generation immigrant youth.

The children of immigrants obtain high levels of post-secondary attainment in Canada, but their ability to translate these educational credentials into good jobs varies among ethno-racial groups. To understand the social processes behind these unequal outcomes, we conducted in-depth interviews with 27 second-generation immigrant youth living in the province of Ontario. Motivated by the desire for intergenerational upward mobility and trusting in the widespread misrecognition of Canada as an education-based meritocracy, these young people pursued higher education as a means to gain entry into white-collar occupations. Despite their ambitions, the second-generation youth in this study did not have access to the 'career relevant' capital needed to mobilize their educational credentials in the white-collar labour market. And although they engaged in various forms of meta-work to help them acquire 'career-relevant' capital, the challenges they faced were not only the result of differential access to capital, but they also had to do with the way their capital was recognized in the labour market. The findings presented here emphasize the importance of considering how the intersection of multiple overlapping processes of social differentiation (i.e., immigrant status, class position, and ethno-racial background) shape second-generation youth's access to and recognition of 'career-relevant' capital in their school-to-work transitions.

Engaging with the Country of Origin and Its Past amongst Second-Generation Youth of Bosnian Descent in Switzerland

Based on the analysis of narrative-biographic interviews, this paper explores the ways in which second-generation youth of Bosnian descent in Switzerland explore, relate to, and engage with the past of their origin country and with the conflict-induced history of their parents’ migration. It examines how the legacies of the homeland conflict exert an impact on the lives of succeeding generations in the diaspora and how young people deal with and transform those legacies in the contexts of their current lives and prospects.

‘Makin’ it’ in the Heartland: Exploring perceptions of success among second-generation immigrant youth in St. Louis

IntroductionDebates in the literature on youth transitions and on immigrant adaptation acknowledge that recent societal shifts have altered the conditions for young people growing up today. As a result, traditional notions of success may limit our understanding of the mechanisms that lead to differential transitional and adaptation pathways among today's children of immigrants. This study explores the definitions of success among a sample of Bosnian-origin youth in St. Louis. MethodThe analysis is based on the first wave of in-depth qualitative interviews with 58 Bosnian second-generation youth (age 15–23) in St. Louis. Interviews lasted 45–90 min, were conducted in English, transcribed and coded following an inductive analytic logic. ResultsOverall the respondents complemented traditional notions of success, such as material stability and family formation with more subjective indicators such as self-fulfillment and happiness. ConclusionsThe findings highlight the importance for future waves of data collection to trace how definitions of success evolve and how they shape particular trajectories of the youth in our study. On a more general level, these findings urge researchers to incorporate definitions of success that are not primarily based on social and economic status mobility in an effort to generate a more nuanced understanding of the adaptations and transitions to adulthood of today's children of immigrants.

Getting a foot in the door: A critical anti-race analysis of underemployed second generation Caribbean Black Male Youth

This study utilizes a Critical Anti-Race Qualitative Phenomenological Methodology to challenge the dominant deficit perspective which reinforces the notion that the cultural deprivation of Blacks causes their marginalization. From this viewpoint, Blacks should take individual responsibility for changing their life conditions. However, this article offers narratives of Black men that reveal how structural factors grounded in the notion of racial battle fatigue limit their autonomy, education, and access to employment opportunities. The study focuses on underemployed, second-generation Caribbean Black Male Youth between 18 years and 30 years of age who have made the post-high school transition into the labor market but remain underemployed. This study seeks to understand the central theme emerging in the counternarratives: Caribbean Black Male Youth perceive and experience a lack of employment opportunities. This article’s aim is to show how Caribbean Black Male Youth struggle to address their limited employment opportunities by exploring the impact of the intersecting politics of race, gender, and class on the City of Toronto labor force.