Thriving, Flourishing, and Growth: Assessing Psychological Wellbeing Among Undocumented College Students

• In Event: 30260 - Joint Roundtables: Section on Social Psychology and Section on Sociology of Emotions
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 6: Social Psychology of Education

Abstract

Recent research on undocumented college students’ mental health finds that while exclusionary immigration laws and policies produce emotional distress, they can also utilize their agency to experience positive psychological wellbeing. However, there is limited work that has outlined what characteristics comprise psychological wellbeing among this marginalized group of students, and what factors promote their mental health. Drawing on 66 in-depth, one-on-one interviews with undocumented college students attending a public university in California, I examine undocumented college students’ mindsets, emotions, and psychological needs to understand what encompasses their psychological wellbeing. I find that despite students’ feelings of legal insecurity and uncertainty, their mindsets on reaching success through hard work and perseverance motivate them to continue pursuing their goals and contribute to their sense of thriving. Students describe that they experience feelings of happiness, gratitude, self-worth, and growth. In addition, student experience flourishing because they agree that they are engaged in their activities, competent in the activities that matter to them, and contributing to others’ happiness. However, I also find that threats or changes to immigration laws and policies jeopardize their psychological wellbeing because they must constantly process the implications of these threats or changes. In all, I contend that feelings of legal insecurity and uncertainty can compromise students’ psychological wellbeing, but undocumented students gain strength and perspective from their undocumented immigration status to continue pursuing their educational and career goals and hold onto hope for structural changes to address their undocumented immigration status.

Author

• Martha Morales Hernandez, University of California, Merced