Tapando el Sol con un Dedo: An Exploratory Study of Maternal Communication Concerning Immigration Status

• In Event: 1-183 - Raising Children in Limbo: Immigrant Socialization and Psychosocial Functioning Among Undocumented Latinx Families

Integrative Statement

Background: A burgeoning line of research has focused on the academic outcomes of undocumented children, their adolescent and adult transitions, and their access to higher education (e.g. Yoshikawa et al., 2016). While the relationship between immigration status and life outcomes is well established (e.g., Gonzales, 2016), the potential moderating impact of the method by which youth learn about their undocumented status remains unexplored. While extant literature on young adults shows some children are aware of their immigration status earlier than others, only a few studies have asked immigrant parents about their thoughts on communicating with their children about immigration issues (Balderas, C., Delgado-Romero, E., & Singh, A., 2016; Gonzales, 2016; Lykes, M. B., Brabeck, K. M., & Hunter, C. J., 2013). Results highlight the complexity and variation influencing parents’ decision-making strategies around communicating about this topic.

Methods: This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating how first-generation Latina mothers describe the context in which they parent their children, and how this context affects their decision to share their immigration story, including their undocumented status, with their children. Using in-depth phenomenological interviews, I interviewed nine undocumented Latina mothers of primary-school aged children living in a small city adjacent to a large metropolitan area in the northeast US (see table 1 for demographic characteristics). These mothers lived in a state with one of the widest income gaps in the country, but with some of the most inclusive immigrant integration policies. Given that no prior work has examined the potential moderating role of parent-child communication about documentation status in this geographical context and with this specific child age-group, I did not have pre-established hypotheses. Rather, I approached data analysis by remaining open to all theoretical possibilities and allowed both deviations and confirmations of past findings across the literature to emerge equally (Charmaz, 2006; see table 2 for examples).

Results: I found mothers’ perceptions of their identities as undocumented immigrant mothers led them to prioritize protectiveness in their parenting. The mothers described how the 2016 election and the climate of hate that it engendered impacted their children’s understanding of immigration and triggered their children’s questions. Consequently, these mothers grappled with the tension of figuring out how to best protect their children, which resulted in their use of three particular mother-child communication strategies: speaking about immigration in broad terms, open communication, and avoidance. There is also evidence that mothers’ perception of children’s developmental capacities impacts the degree to which they share details about their immigration status with their children.

Discussion/Implications: These mothers’ accounts further our understanding of the developmental trajectory and role of caregiver-child relationships in families impacted by immigration status category and suggests this line of inquiry merits further attention. Given today’s political climate, U.S.-based educators and service providers must understand the repercussions of socio-political hostility on children’s short- and long-term development. This study seeks to build a knowledge base that can inform policies and practices meant to support families with mixed or undocumented status.

Authors

• Sarah Rendon Garcia, Harvard University
  Presenting Author

• Hiro Yoshikawa, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author