The Anxiety Of Asian American Immigrant Children Essay

Huang, C., Costeines, J., Kaufman, J., & Ayala, C. (2014). Parenting Stress, Social Support, and Depression for Ethnic Minority Adolescent Mothers: Impact on Child Development. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 23(2), 255-262. Doi: 10.1007/s10826-013-9807-1

The Asian American population is a major facet of American life; beginning their lives as immigrants they have worked their way to become integral members of society. In 2010 there were 14.7 million Asian Americans living in the United States and in 2011 that number increased to 18.2 million.1 Culturally, Asian American people have traditions and beliefs that contradict those of the Western world.2 “Culture molds people’s values, attitudes, and beliefs; influences their perceptions of self and others; and determines the way they experience their environment.”10 As a result there are certain barriers that exist when communicating with Asian Americans due to their cultural background. Additionally, Asians living in America suffer from the Model Minority Myth, which typecasts these people as being financially and educationally well off in comparison to other ethnic groups.2 Due to this Asian Americans aren’t considered more at risk for many health risks compared to other ethnicities; cultural and physical barriers act as a hindrance to Asian Americans receiving healthcare services, primarily mental health related services.

none of subgroups of children fell within category of probable depression when the clinical cut off T-scores (>60) were applied (Kovacs 2003), but children who went back to Mexico when the parent was deported ranked highest in the depression symptoms category, these children were more likely to have emotional problems and negative physical symptoms than children whose undocumented parents were not at risk of being deported or detained. The result also showed that all three groups did fall within the category of probable anxiety disorders. Children whose undocumented parents were not at risk of deportation were more likely to report positive self-concept than children who went back with the parents after being deported. When a parent is detained or deported, the mental health and well-being of the US born child is affected immensely.

Juana Mora in “Acculturation Is Bad for Our Health: Eat More Nopalitos” argues that the United States offers many job and educational opportunities for Latinos, but acculturation in America negatively impacts their health. Mora offers research and statistics, most of which I find compelling, to explain that these illnesses are primarily due to the immigrants’ new “daily habits and environment changes” (Mora 660). After arriving in America, immigrants often live in crime-ridden, low income neighborhoods, rely on fast food, abuse alcohol and tobacco products, and have fewer safe areas for exercise. Additionally, the stress caused “by learning a new language and culture” and “living in new and sometimes dangerous environments” causes illnesses such as post-traumatic

“The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.” (-Mark Twain) Being a child of immigrant parents who move to American can be hard. There is a lingering feeling of not feeling like a child belongs. They are stuck in the invisible world between where their parents came from, in this specific case, Asia and where the child lives now. It can be difficult to be raised as an Asian American and learning both culture and traditions. Many Asian American kids end up deviating from the Asian culture and embracing the American culture. However, children of immigrants should embrace their own culture in order to keep traditions alive and be proud of who they are.

Immigrants have been migrating to the Unites States for years. Many people in the United States have different opinions on immigrants: some are negative and some are positive. Some Americans assume that immigrants are here to destroy the United States, but immigrants are here for many purposes: to support their families, succeed in their future, or to escape violence occurring in their home countries. Many Americans think that once an immigrant has settled in the United States that he or she will right away get a job or quickly learn English. Imagine moving to a new school not knowing a single person. You will feel anxious or even discouraged. Now just imagine arriving in a new country and not knowing anyone and you can’t speak English. Well, that is how millions of young and adult undocumented immigrants feel every day when trying to fit into the American culture. Life is hard for an undocumented immigrant. Immigrants in the United States face many challenges when trying to adapt or assimilate into the American culture. But my question is, what kind of mental health issues or other psychological problems do immigrants face when they are trying to adjust to the American culture, and how can our society alleviate some of that anxiety?

uri, and King-Kallimanis, 2010). Many Latinos enter the United states as immigrants and then bring their families. They then encounter many stressors with the transition of settling into a new country and having to assimilate into a new culture. This makes them vulnerable to many hardships, ranging from poverty, abuse, trauma, discrimination and more, that then turn into life stressors that when left unresolved can lead to mental health problems (Kanel, 2002). Latino adolescents also deal with the stressors and can come to manifest themselves through mental health problems ranging from anxiety to depression that left alone can lead to substance abuse and suicide. (Cervantes, Zarza, and Salinas, 2007). One landmark study found that Latino

First, we looked at a longitudinal study that analyzes the home environments of infants whose families are new immigrants (Bradley, Pennar, and Glick; 2014). The adult was asked various questions, including demographics, education level, and other measures used to evaluate home environments of their infants. What the results of the study found was that home environments are different across the various ethnicities, and are often dependent on the education levels of the parents. For example, Pilipino and East Asian immigrants were more likely to receive daily newspapers than other immigrant families, including Mexican, East Asian, European, Caribbean, and African families. The study implies that children of immigrants are often exposed to home environments influenced by their immigrant parent’s ethnicities. This can give a better insight into why some children of immigrant families may perform better than others. When immigrant parents have encyclopedias, books, and dictionaries at home, that can be a positive influence for their children.

Better research on immigrant health and health outcomes would go a long way to shining a light on how to tackle these problems. The current debate in the research concentrates on social determinants of health such as acculturation, which of course influences a lot of other health and healthcare decisions made by immigrants. However, only focusing on social determinants of health undermines the importance of other factors that also heavily affect immigrant health in the United States. Specifically in the case of undocumented immigrants, the debate need to focus on systemic issues impeding access to healthcare as well as pre and post migratory social, political, and economic factors. Some examples that Martinez et al listed include, “specific environmental conditions such as pollution and contamination of water, as well as pre-and-post migration experiences ranging from rape, sexual assault, and abuse to extortion and several other specific geopolitical and economic factors” (966). Social strife, political persecution or famines are real problems that can affect an individuals’ health and specifically their mental health for the rest of their lives. Torres et al urge “those involved in public health research, policy, and practice” to

Zayas, L. H., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Yoon, H., & Rey, G. N. (2015). The distress of citizen-children with detained and deported parents. Journal Of Child And Family Studies, 24(11), 3213-3223.

This may seem beneficial for Asian Americans at first; however, the model minority myth is actually detrimental to many segments of the population. This is especially true of recent immigrant Asian Americans. These individuals become deprived of resources because they are expected to have the same level of success as Asian Americans who have already lived in the U.S. for generations. Even in academia, the model minority myth causes Asian Americans to be understudied and misunderstood. Because Asian Americans are perceived to be successful and well-integrated individuals, Lee et al. (2001) show how there is “not enough research” that investigates Asian American mental health (160). In other words, even though some current data show higher rates of mental illness among Asian Americans, the model minority myth has distracted scholars from studying Asian American mental health. Thus, to ensure that Asian

There are more than 11 million individuals residing in the U.S. without legal authorization from the federal government. The total number of unauthorized or “undocumented” immigrants in the U.S. has remained stable since 2009, and the number keeps rising (Becerra, 180). The context of having a parent, sibling or relative without documentation, or not being documented oneself, is a unique stressor that cannot solely be understood as generic stress or trauma. Families with members who are undocumented often “live in the shadows,” experiencing a lack of safety and fear of deportation. Because of their relationship with students and families, teachers, counselors, and other school personnel are often on the front line of dealing with mental health concerns as they arise, and should be well informed about the challenges that immigration status issues may present. In a case study done by Sita Patel, Alinne Barrera, Michael Strambler, Ricardo Munoz, and Erynn Macciomei,

In today's world, illegal immigrants are given no opportunities in life. However, suppose there is a way to give immigrant children a chance to a new life. A way for those to connect and meet people with different backgrounds. Imagine the United States government funding and administering a living and educational facility for those immigrant children in search for a better life. The "New Beginnings" facility will educate the youth. The children will learn and explore diverse languages. The facility will teach the children about American culture and allow them to exchange ideas, for instance the food Americans eat, the sports played, and one's religion. This can enable the children to have careers and provide them with United States jobs later in their lives.

677). However, pull factors include “better chances for social and economic advancement, religious and political freedom, and greater opportunities for fulfillment in all aspects of life” (p. 678). Immigrant children and youth are at high risk for mental health problems (Cardoso & Dettlaff, 2010)). Conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorders and anxiety disorders are common in immigrant children and youth living in the United States (2010).

Children who are pulled out of their normal environment and inserted into different surroundings face an identity crisis due to the importance of identity in determining who one truly is. In a study, Trolly, Wallin, and Hansen discovered that fewer than fifty percent of the parents of foreign children felt that their children were only somewhat aware of their birth culture (Hollingsworth 48:209). These children lack a sense of who they really are and later in life will become confused on why they differ from their new families. Though it is often a painful topic that parents choose not to bring up, it is important that children understand their background because it results in a better quality of life. However, the prevalence of “cultural socializations” was low amongst Caucasian families who adopted Asian children (Deater-Deckard, Johnston, Petrill, Saltsman, and Swim 56:390). It is made clear that Westerners lack the cultural knowledge necessary to properly educate their internationally adopted children about the culture the children come from. This can result in a variety of psychological implications due to the significant effect of identity on the health of people of color (Deater-Deckard, Johnston, Petrill, Saltsman, and Swim 56:390). These implications tend to be internalized rather than externalized. In the same study, Chinese adoptees displayed the possibility of behavior such as hyperactivity, aggression,