Benefits of Discussing Immigration in Gender and Sexuality Alliances for Immigrant-Origin and Non-Immigrant-Origin Youth

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Sex, Gender

Abstract

The immigration policy climate in the United States is currently one of unprecedented exclusion, rather than integration (Pierce & Bolter, 2020). Adolescence is a particularly important period of development for discussions of sociohistorical issues such as immigration policy changes. Beyond social studies classes, extracurricular activities may foster discussions about sociohistorical issues. Such discussions could serve to empower youth from marginalized populations. Yet the potential outcomes of discussions in these extracurricular settings have not been studied in depth. Using data collected in school-based Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) during the periods leading up to and following the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, we examined whether GSA members who discuss immigration issues more frequently experience increased empowerment (perceived peer validation, hope) and critical consciousness (critical reflection, political efficacy).
We hypothesized that more frequent individual and collective discussion of immigration in GSAs over the year would predict residualized increases in youth’s perceived peer validation, hope, critical reflection, and political efficacy individually and collectively. We also considered whether the magnitude of these associations varied based on youth’s immigrant-origin status.
Methods
580 GSA members and 58 advisors participated from 38 purposively sampled GSAs across Massachusetts. Participants completed one October survey and one April survey.
Measures
Outcomes. At both waves, youth reported perceived peer validation (6-items; α=.92/.94), hope (6-items; α=.92/.92), critical reflection (8-items; α=.97/.97), and sociopolitical efficacy (5-items; α=.91/.92) with established measures.
Immigration Discussions. Youth reported how frequently they had participated in GSA-based immigration discussions from September-October and from November-April with 3 items (scored Never = 0 to Very often = 4). We created a weighted average of these variables.
Other covariates. Youth reported their sexual orientation, gender identity, race/ethnicity, age, receipt of free-/reduced-price lunch, whether they or either of their parents were born outside of the U.S. (coded to identify first-/second-generation immigrant-origin youth), and the frequency with which they participated in general GSA discussions. Advisors reported their perceived competence to discuss immigration and culture.
Analytic Plan
We tested our multilevel models using maximum likelihood estimation in Mplus 8.4 with random effects for GSAs. To test whether the association between frequency of discussions and residualized change in the outcomes differed based on immigrant-origin status, we added interaction terms to a second model.
Results
Youth’s greater frequency of immigration discussions over the school year predicted increased perceived peer validation (b=0.146, p<.05). We found that immigrant-origin youth, but not non-immigrant-origin youth, reported increased hope at the school year’s end when discussing immigration more frequently over the school year (b = 0.354, p<.05 for immigrant-origin youth vs. b = 0.029, p=n.s. for non-immigrant-origin youth). We found no significant results at the collective level.
Discussion
When they discuss immigration issues more frequently, GSA members, in general, feel more validated by their peers, and immigrant-origin members feel more hopeful. Surprisingly, we did not find a significant relationship between the frequency of immigration discussion and increases in critical consciousness. Given these benefits, it is important to identify ways to increase the frequency and effectiveness with which GSAs and similar groups discuss immigration issues.

Authors

• Sarah Rosenbach, New York University
  Presenting Author

• Steven Henry Sherwood, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author

• Paul Poteat, Boston College
  Non-Presenting Author

• Hirokazu Yoshikawa, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jerel P Calzo, San Diego State University
  Non-Presenting Author