As we’ve mentioned before, the Center for Effective Living offers a variety of services to immigrants. The unique mental health challenges faced by immigrants are emerging into the larger conversation about mental health, and we’re glad to see more studies addressing them. Lorena Fulton covered one such study in an article for the Yuma Sun this week, and we thought it was worth sharing a bit with you. Following is an excerpt from her article, and you can click the link below it to read on. And if you’re in the greater Cleveland area and recognize yourself or someone you love in this excerpt, remember that we’re here.
The effects of stressful events and series of events on mental health sometimes include long-term behavioral and emotional problems related to adjusting to the social environment. When these events occur often and prolonged in childhood, the effects can be life-long. The stress associated with acculturating post immigration is sometimes overlooked and the affected families may experience social challenges related to the behavior of the children, employment and financial problems, and a negative stigma associated with reaching out for help. The children of newly immigrated families may experience this stress manifested as anger, isolation, depression or criminal behavior. Recent studies have looked at the perceptions of these children, and at other consequences of stress associated with acculturation. Stress associated with acculturation can be seen in children, even one generation from the immigrant and is exacerbated when the immigration event is associated with the loss of a primary caretaker.
The Pachter, Bernstein, Szalacha and Coll study looked at the perceptions of children related to their own discrimination and the subsequent stress-related effects of these perceptions. The strengths of the study are the consideration of children’s perceptions as opposed to the perceptions of adults. There is limited research regarding the effects of discrimination on children. It also considered the reality of mixed race and studied a somewhat wide age range from young children through mid-adolescence. The study concluded that most children of minority racial background perceive that they are victims of racial discrimination of some kind in one or more arena of their life.
Please click here to read on.