IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v160y2024ics0190740924001130.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“Little by little, I go”: Multiple dimensions of distress and support for unaccompanied children in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Hasson III, Robert G.
  • Oliva, Clara A.
  • LaBella, Bianca
  • Rodriguez, Dahiana

Abstract

Unaccompanied children are a vulnerable group of immigrants who arrive to the United States (US) without a parent or caregiver. A growing body of research demonstrates that unaccompanied children experience trauma before, during, and after their arrival to the US. A gap in research in the US is a deeper understanding of how unaccompanied children describe the challenges they experience in resettlement, and what they perceive as most helpful as they adjust to new communities and social settings. This qualitative study is guided by the category fallacy theoretical framework and includes analysis of in-depth interviews with unaccompanied children who resettled in the US (n = 16). Findings reveal that unaccompanied children experience family separation and family reunification as distinct challenges. In addition, unaccompanied children perceive schools and social support as helpful with adjusting to new communities. The findings can inform how service providers design interventions and encourage policy makers to streamline school enrollment procedures.

Suggested Citation

  • Hasson III, Robert G. & Oliva, Clara A. & LaBella, Bianca & Rodriguez, Dahiana, 2024. "“Little by little, I go”: Multiple dimensions of distress and support for unaccompanied children in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:160:y:2024:i:c:s0190740924001130
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107541
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740924001130
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107541?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roth, Benjamin J. & Grace, Breanne L., 2015. "Falling through the cracks: The paradox of post-release services for unaccompanied child migrants," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 244-252.
    2. Doering-White, John, 2018. "The shifting boundaries of “best interest”: Sheltering unaccompanied Central American minors in transit through Mexico," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 39-47.
    3. Cardoso, Jodi Berger, 2018. "Running to stand still: Trauma symptoms, coping strategies, and substance use behaviors in unaccompanied migrant youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 143-152.
    4. Bracken, Patrick J. & Giller, Joan E. & Summerfield, Derek, 1995. "Psychological responses to war and atrocity: The limitations of current concepts," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 40(8), pages 1073-1082, April.
    5. Zhang, Wei & Hong, Seunghye & Takeuchi, David T. & Mossakowski, Krysia N., 2012. "Limited English proficiency and psychological distress among Latinos and Asian Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(6), pages 1006-1014.
    6. Crea, Thomas M. & Lopez, Anayeli & Hasson, Robert G. & Evans, Kerri & Palleschi, Caroline & Underwood, Dawnya, 2018. "Unaccompanied immigrant children in long term foster care: Identifying needs and best practices from a child welfare perspective," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 56-64.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Esther Salmerón-Manzano & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2018. "Unaccompanied Minors: Worldwide Research Perspectives," Publications, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Kerri Evans, 2023. "Policy and Legal Implications for Working with Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Foster Care in the United States," Laws, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Jani, Jayshree S. & Reisch, Michael, 2018. "Assisting the least among us: Social work's historical response to unaccompanied immigrant and refugee youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 4-14.
    4. Cardoso, Jodi Berger, 2018. "Running to stand still: Trauma symptoms, coping strategies, and substance use behaviors in unaccompanied migrant youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 143-152.
    5. Lynne Briggs & A. D. (Sandy) Macleod, 2006. "Demoralisation - A Useful Conceptualisation of Non-Specific Psychological Distress Among Refugees Attending Mental Health Services," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 52(6), pages 512-524, November.
    6. Zenker, Olaf, 2010. "Between the lines: Republicanism, dissenters and the politics of meta-trauma in the Northern Irish conflict," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 236-243, July.
    7. Rasmussen, Andrew & Keatley, Eva & Joscelyne, Amy, 2014. "Posttraumatic stress in emergency settings outside North America and Europe: A review of the emic literature," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 44-54.
    8. Min Ju Kim & Bridget K. Gorman, 2022. "Acculturation and Self-rated Health Among Asian Immigrants: The Role of Gender and Age," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(1), pages 89-114, February.
    9. Hasson, Robert G. & Crea, Thomas M. & Easton, Scott D. & Evans, Kerri & Underwood, Dawnya, 2021. "Clocking in: Employment outcomes for unaccompanied refugee minors leaving foster care in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    10. Rania, Nadia & Migliorini, Laura & Fagnini, Lucia, 2018. "Unaccompanied migrant minors: A comparison of new Italian interventions models," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 98-104.
    11. Roschelle, Anne R. & Greaney, Elizabeth & Allan, Timothy & Porras, Luz, 2018. "Treacherous crossings, precarious arrivals: Responses to the influx of unaccompanied minors in the Hudson Valley," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 65-76.
    12. Kienzler, Hanna, 2008. "Debating war-trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in an interdisciplinary arena," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 218-227, July.
    13. Miller, Kenneth E. & Rasmussen, Andrew, 2010. "War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: Bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 7-16, January.
    14. Budden, Ashwin, 2009. "The role of shame in posttraumatic stress disorder: A proposal for a socio-emotional model for DSM-V," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 1032-1039, October.
    15. Sousan Hamwi & Elsa Lorthe & Henrique Barros, 2021. "Language Proficiency and Migrant–Native Disparities in Postpartum Depressive Symptoms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, April.
    16. Ro, Annie & Bostean, Georgiana, 2015. "Duration of U.S. stay and body mass index among Latino and Asian immigrants: A test of theoretical pathways," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 39-47.
    17. Chiu, Hsin-Yao & McGuire, Austen B. & Jackson, Yo & Stoolmiller, Mike L. & Rodriguez, Alyssa M., 2023. "Maneuvering through life with positivity: Estimating the effects of foster youth’s appraisal on coping styles," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    18. Linlin Yu & Andre M.N. Renzaho & Lishuo Shi & Li Ling & Wen Chen, 2020. "The Effects of Family Financial Stress and Primary Caregivers’ Levels of Acculturation on Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems among Humanitarian Refugees in Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-19, April.
    19. Katsonga-Phiri, Tiamo & Lewis, Jarrett T. & Murray, Maxwell & DuBois, David L. & Grant, Kathryn E., 2021. "Mental health interventions for African children: A meta-analytic review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    20. Tol, Wietse A. & Kohrt, Brandon A. & Jordans, Mark J.D. & Thapa, Suraj B. & Pettigrew, Judith & Upadhaya, Nawaraj & de Jong, Joop T.V.M., 2010. "Political violence and mental health: A multi-disciplinary review of the literature on Nepal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 35-44, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:160:y:2024:i:c:s0190740924001130. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.