Immigration Stress, Social Support, and Adjustment in the First Postmigration Year: An Intergenerational Analysis

Abstract

In this study of 429 newly immigrant children (ages 7–8 years) and their parents, we addressed generational variation in the stresses related to immigration. We also assessed whether child and parent psychological adjustment varied as a function of high versus low levels of stress and social support. Finally, we examined the comparability of effects across participants from different countries. Participants originated in Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, and the English-speaking West Indies. Children generally reported more immigration stress than did parents, although parents were more likely to have economic worries. Higher levels of stress significantly compromised the adjustment of both children and parents. The availability of social support to the family facilitated adjustment but was more effective for parents than for children. Stress and support levels varied, but links between stress, support, and adjustment were mostly comparable across country-of-origin groups.