We tend to overlook immigrant families in policy and program discussions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of this continuing crisis. This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant families in an upper Midwest state. We interviewed 19 human and social service providers from agencies serving Somali, Latinx, and Karen (refugees from Burma/Myanmar) immigrant families between June and August 2020. Results analyzed for this paper focused on responses to questions asked about COVID-19-related financial and familial stress, and coping resources and constraints that providers were observing with their immigrant clients. Guided by the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response Model (Patterson, 1988), we identified a pile-up of financial and relationship stressors including employment, housing, and family relationship strains, and resource access constraints. We found that job loss in already financially vulnerable immigrant families was particularly impactful. Housing insecurity soon followed. Immigrant families also faced significant constraints to resource access including lack of documentation, fear of making a mistake, language barriers, and lack of technology skills. We identified family and community resources that families used to meet demands, coping strategies, and glimmers of resilience. As we near the end of the pandemic, we urge family researchers to monitor long-term effects of the crisis on immigrant families. Findings can inform the creation of programs and policies that address immigrant family needs for resources and culturally relevant services to support their financial recovery post-COVID.

Introduction: Immigrant and refugee families in the U.S. have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Health and human service providers who serve these communities have been essential in supporting them during this crisis, yet have also had to adapt the way they provide services. The current study aims to describe the challenges these service providers have faced and the adaptations they have made. Method: Our research team conducted semistructured interviews with 19 service providers at 10 organizations identified as serving one or more immigrant and/or refugee communities in the state of Minnesota. We analyzed the interviews for themes and used normalization process theory (May & Finch, 2009) to understand how service providers have shown resilience and where gaps in capacity emerged. Results: Mechanisms of adaptation to the COVID-19 crisis included staff taking on larger workloads, utilizing existing service frameworks in new ways, shifting their services remotely and/or substantively, and utilizing the trust they had built with communities and individuals over time. Challenges that had not been fully overcome included insufficient funding for community need and restrictions on methods of interaction. Discussion: Key implications include allocating funding for immigrant and refugee families, developing and evaluating new service formats in collaboration with clients, providing direct support for staff in times of crisis, and using practice-based evidence to speed implementation science research.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States. Common characteristics of ASD are marked deficits in communication and social connectedness. As autistic children approach adolescence, there is a lack of interventions available to them. Mentoring can provide adolescents with a relationship that facilitates social connectedness with another person who has a shared life experience, filling a gap in services. The Autism Mentorship Program (AMP) was designed to provide autistic adolescents a meaningful relationship with an autistic young adult. Via participation in focus groups, mentees (n = 5), mentors (n = 6), and parents of mentees (n = 6) shared their experience of participating in an afterschool, youth mentoring intervention. Themes were developed from an open coding procedure. Results showed that AMP was associated with helping mentees find social connection within their mentoring relationship and among the group of mentees. Mentors also reported mutual benefits in social connectedness. Perceived benefits of the program, including improved academic performance, and suggestions for future programming are reported. AMP appears to be a promising program that provides social benefits for adolescents with ASD who may have few options for this type of support.

Native scholars are advocating for decolonized research that integrates western methods with Indigenous worldviews and epistemologies. The study presented here was conducted in the Midwestern USA with six graduate students, four recent alumni, and three community Elders with experience in health research. Our goal was to learn from their experiences in scholarship so as to inform future teachers and trainees. An iterative thematic analysis revealed participants’ unanimous emphasis on processes in trust-building. Said processes include gaining insights about personal biases, seeking preparatory and ongoing guidance from Elders and other experienced personnel, educating oneself about Native histories, and functioning as a humble learner. Learning about and enacting these behaviors and strategies can facilitate authentic collaborations. Lessons, suggestions, and resources shared by participants are informative toward creating guidelines for current and future educators in research methods, alongside the new students and professionals that they engage in instruction for such scholarship.