The “Immigrant Paradox” Phenomenon: Assessing Problem Behaviors and Risk Factors Among Immigrant and Native Adolescents

Abstract

We investigated the "immigrant paradox" phenomenon by examining differences in problem behavior engagement and exposure to risk factors across four adolescent groups: 1,157 first-generation, 1,498 second-generation, and 3,316 White and minority third or higher generations. Latent mean differences in problem behavior engagement (i.e., academic failure, aggression, and substance use) and risk factors (i.e., low socioeconomic status, poor family relationship, and low sense of school belonging) were associated with significant differences across adolescent groups. Results supported the generational status effect by demonstrating sequentially greater adolescent problem behavior engagement. However, the difference in exposure to risk factors across adolescent groups only partially supported the immigrant paradox. Further, the multiple group analysis of the relationships between risk factors and engagement in problem behaviors showed increased susceptibility among second generation immigrants for substance use, White natives for academic failure and substance use, and minority natives for physical aggression. Study findings have implications for understanding how the immigrant paradox leads to different adjustment patterns and problem behavior manifestations among immigrant and native adolescents.

Cannabis use among middle and high school students in Ontario: a school-based cross-sectional study

“…The finding that being an immigrant was associated with lower odds of cannabis use also corroborates previous findings and provides further support for the immigrant paradox phenomenon. 31,32 These results support previous evidence suggesting that ethnoracial background should be an important consideration in investigations of cannabis use among foreign-born compared with nativeborn adolescents. 30 …”

The Role of Psychosocial Resources in the Adjustment of Migrant Adolescents

“…Again, possibly in hindsight, there is sense in the notion that these adolescents especially benefit from parental support. Thus, while past research (Chun & Mobley, 2014;Harris, 1999;Kao, 1999) has highlighted the elevated risk and morbidity levels of second-generation migrants, the current study adds to knowledge of factors that possibly protect against these risks. More intriguingly, current findings suggest that adolescents whose parents were born in different countries may benefit from different psychosocial resources (e.g., ethnic identity vs. parental support).…”

“…School connectedness, belonging, or membership has been associated with enhanced wellbeing in youth in general (Hall-Lande et al, 2007;Juvonen, 2006) and migrant youth (Chun & Mobley, 2014;Shoshani et al, 2016). Other research (e.g., Walton & Cohen, 2011) has shown that a sense of belonging to their school is an important protective factor in the wellbeing of children from minority backgrounds.…”

“…This may be especially true during adolescence, when the challenges of adapting to a new language, culture, and social milieu may exacerbate normative developmental transitions and challenges (Derluyn, Broekaert, & Schuyten, 2008). Yet the wellbeing of migrant adolescents has received surprisingly little research attention worldwide, including in Pacific Rim nations (Chun & Mobley, 2014;Cristini, Scacchi, Perkins, Bless, & Vieno, 2015;c.f. Khawaja, Yang, & Cockshaw, 2016).…”

Parenting and later substance use among Mexican-origin youth: Moderation by preference for a common language.

“…The growth of this demographic group is currently the subject of a nationwide discussion about the needs and challenges facing children of immigrants (Marks, Ejesi, & Garcìa Coll, 2014). This discussion centers around the immigrant paradox: despite decreases in objective risk factors (e.g., low socioeconomic status and English proficiency), later immigrant generation status (or increased acculturation) is associated with a myriad of problems, including increased substance use (Chun & Mobley, 2014). The paradox that later generations are at increased risk is not limited to families that immigrate to the United States, but is evident among immigrants to Europe as well (Van Geel & Vedder, 2010).…”