Mothers and Daughters
The Mental Health of Emigrant Mothers in America and Their Second-Generation Daughters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v13i3.7621Keywords:
Mental Health, Emigrant, Women, Second-Generation, Gender, Daughters, Mothers, Immigrants, RefugeesAbstract
Both female American immigrants and refugees, defined in this paper as emigrants, as well as their second-generation female children face recognizable and distinct mental health problems. They are both impacted at higher rates as compared to their male, native-born peers, given the intersectionality—the overlapping and interdependent impacts—of their gender and status. Even more, oftentimes impacts on their well-being are caused by their relationships and interactions with each other, as mothers and daughters. Some factors that can negatively influence the mental health of female American emigrant mothers include acculturative stress, protectiveness over children, cultural distance from their kids, and postpartum Depression. Meanwhile, some of the contributing stressors for second-generation daughters include having familial responsibilities, experiencing cultural dissonance from their parents, and internalized guilt and shame. Finally, second-generation youth also face several barriers when trying to access mental health care services. Along with all of the aforementioned components, both groups’ gender contributes to their decreased well-being. As a result, this research emphasizes the importance of specifically analyzing marginalized individuals when considering mental health, and analyzing familial relationships that may affect it.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
References
Abattouy, O., Stevens, G. W. J. M., Walsh, S. D., & Davison, C. M. (2023). Family support differences between immigrant and non-immigrant adolescents across 30 countries: Examining the moderating role of cultural distance, culture of origin, and reception in receiving societies. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 54(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221231169234
Batalova, J. (2024, March 13). Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and
Immigration in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from
states-2024
Cassella, C. (2019, March 13). The biggest immigration wave in US history had huge economic benefits, study shows. Science Alert. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.sciencealert.com/a-huge-wave-of-immigration-100-years-ago-still-impacts-the-us-economy-today
Children and young people: Statistics. (2023). Mental Health Foundation. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/children-young-people-statistics#:~:text=50%25%20of%20mental%20health%20problems,and%2075%25%20by%20age%2024
Children in U.S. immigrant families. (n.d.). Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/children-immigrant-families
facts about racial discrimination. (2020). Do Something. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination
Fuligni, A. J. (2001). Adolescents' value of education according to their sense of family obligation [Chart]. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/family-obligation-among-children-immigrant-families
Holmes, K. (2023, October 29). What is so wrong with being an overachiever? KDH Counseling. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.kdholmeslpc.com/en/blog/what-is-so-wrong-with-being-an-overachiever#:~:text=These%20compulsive%20behaviors%20can%20become,anxiety%2C%20and%20even%20depressive%20episodes
How involved are fathers in raising children? (2000, December 1). Population Reference Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.prb.org/resources/how-involved-are-fathers-in-raising-children/#:~:text=Similarly%2C%20mothers%20are%20far%20more,percent%20compared%20with%2027%20percent
How mental health affects second-generation adolescents. (2019, June 12). University of Pittsburgh SOVA. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://sova.pitt.edu/educate-yourself-how-mental-health-affects-second-generation-adolescents/
Immigrants in United States of America. (n.d.). American Immigration Council. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/national/#:~:text=United%20States%20of%20America,-Download%20PDF&text=The%20United%20States%20was%20built,of%20whom%20are%20naturalized%20citizens
Johansson, M., Ledung Higgins, K., Dapi Nzefa, L., & Benderix, Y. (2023). Postpartum depression and life experiences of mothers with an immigrant background living in the south of Sweden. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2187333
Laursen, B. (2005). Conflict between mothers and adolescents in single-mother, blended, and two-biological- parent families. Parenting, 5(4), 347-370. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327922par0504_3
Lo, I. (n.d.). Between two worlds: 8 challenges as a second generation immigrant. Medium. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://imilo.medium.com/between-two-worlds-8-challenges-as-a-second-generation-immigrants-4fe556e48fa7
Mental health facts on refugees, asylum-seekers, & survivors of forced displacement. (n.d.). American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-Refugees.pdf
Mental health of newcomer children and adolescents: Pediatric mental health minute series. (2024). American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/mental-health-minute/mental-health-outcomes-and-newcomer-children/#:~:text=Children%20of%20Asian%2C%20Pacific%20Island,of%20their%20non%2Dimmigrant%20counterparts
Moncrieffe, M. V. (2023). Specialized care for immigrants experiencing trauma is vital. psychologists are breaking down the mental health barriers. Monitor on Psychology, 54(8), 8. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/11/immigrant-mental-health#:~:text=A%202022%20study%20of%20children,%2C%20Psychological%20Trauma%2C%20Oct%2027%2C
Onion, A., Sullivan, M., Mullen, M., & Zapata, C. (Eds.). (2022, August 23). U.S. immigration timeline. History. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/immigration-united-states-timeline
Refugee admissions. (2024). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.state.gov/refugee-admissions/
Second generation immigrant struggles: 8 unspoken truths of having immigrant parents. (n.d.). Eggshell Therapy and Coaching. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://eggshelltherapy.com/second-generation-immigrant/#Second_generation_immigrants_carry_unconscious_guilt
Sen, A. (2024, March) “Silent Struggles: The Mental Health of South Asian American Emigrant Women” Not
published
Taylor, P. (2013, February 7). Second-Generation americans: A portrait of the adult children of immigrants. Pew Research Center. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/02/07/second-generation-americans/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CSecond%20generation%E2%80%9D%20refers%20to%20people,country%20are%20considered%20second%20generation
Todd, H., & Martin, E. (2020, August 20). Children of immigrants and their mental health needs. Think Global Health. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/children-immigrants-and-their-mental-health-needs
Turcios, Y. (2023, March 28). Supporting mental health of immigrant women. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/supporting-mental-health-immigrant-women#:~:text=Women%20migrants%20are%20especially%20vulnerable,increases%20immigrants%27%20risk%20for%20depression%20
Understanding and addressing mental health stigma in Asia. (2020, October). Cigna Healthcare. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.cigna.com.sg/health-content-hub/thought-leadership/mental-health-stigma-in-Asia#:~:text=Reasons%20for%20mental%20health%20stigma%20in%20Asian%20cultures&text=Asian%20cultures%2C%20for%20instance%2C%20tend,of%20shame%20for%20the%20family
Understanding the U.S. immigrant experience: The 2023 KFF/LA Times survey of immigrants. (2023, September 17). KFF. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.kff.org/report-section/understanding-the-u-s-immigrant-experience-the-2023-kff-la-times-survey-of-immigrants-findings/#:~:text=According%20to%202021%20federal%20data,report%20multiple%20races%20(3%25)
U.S. teens who report feeling persistently sad or hopeless [Chart]. (n.d.). ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/teen-girls-experiencing-record-high-levels-sadness-violence/story?id=97079978
Ward, N., & Batalova, J. (2023, June 15). Refugees and asylees in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/refugees-and-asylees-united-states#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20eight%20months%20of%20FY%202023%2C%2043%20percent,from%20Europe%20and%20Central%20Asia
Why do immigrants come to the US? (2023, November 17). USA Facts. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://usafacts.org/articles/why-do-people-immigrate-us/
Yu, S. M., & Singh, G. K. (2012). High parenting aggravation among US immigrant families. Am J Public Health, 102(11), 2102-2108. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477940/
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2024 Anya Sen; Heather Hewett, Kristen Yael Flatto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.
