Our findings indicate that there are differences in how Hispanic DACA students experience CC in relation to support for their political advocacy and activism. Findings also highlight that political outcome expectations predicted higher intent to persist in college for all students, including Hispanic DACA students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Anti-immigration rhetoric has consistently impacted the lives of immigrant young adults who are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. This qualitative study sheds light on the lived psychological experiences of 21 Latinx DACA recipients who were impacted by the political debates during the Trump administration. Content analysis revealed four main psychological impacts resulting from the DACA political debates: stress, fear, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology). Through these experiences, individuals who perceived being impacted by these political debates described three main strengths (i.e., luchando adelante, positive outlook, and DACA+ethnic pride) that assisted them. Finally, participants noted three main strategies (i.e., social and family support, religiosity/spirituality, and social advocacy) that also served them during the DACA political debates. These findings provide implications for practices and policies that foster healing from ethno-racial trauma in Latinx immigrant communities.
Undocumented immigrant students face a number of structural barriers that keep most from accessing and completing college. Those attending college experience ongoing discrimination on campus, influenced by recent anti-immigrant sociopolitical hostility. The current study examined the link between everyday discrimination and anxiety among 171 undocumented college students. A serial mediation model was constructed and tested to examine the role of critical agency and vocational outcome expectations as coping mechanisms in this link. Results suggest that higher experiences of everyday discrimination were linked to higher anxiety. Additionally, critical agency and vocational outcome expectations functioned collectively as protective coping mechanisms to resist everyday discrimination and protect students' psychological well-being. We provide recommendations for mental health providers, educators and higher education leaders, community groups, and policymakers to support undocumented students in developing higher critical agency and vocational outcome expectations.
Public Significance StatementThis study found that experiences of everyday discrimination are linked to higher anxiety among undocumented college students. The study also found evidence that critical agency to address social injustice and vocational outcome expectations serve as coping mechanisms to buffer the effects of discrimination. Recommendations are made for mental health providers, higher education leaders, community groups and policymakers to support undocumented students during the current period of increased hostility toward immigrants.
We used Allport's (1954) intergroup contact theory as a framework to test the effectiveness of 2 vicarious contact interventions on improving attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. The first intervention was DREAMzone, a 4-hr ally certification workshop. The second intervention was a 30-min documentary film chronicling the stories of 5 undocumented immigrants. Participants (N ϭ 239) experienced 1 of these 2 conditions or were part of a control group. Pre-and posttest assessments were conducted on various attitudes toward undocumented immigrants (i.e., empathy, anxiety, and prejudice). Our results indicated that both intervention modalities significantly improved attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. Attitudes of those in the control group did not change across assessments. Implications for higher education research and practice are discussed.
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