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The Contemporary Anti-Immigrant Environment and Latin American-origin Adolescents’ Perceived Futures: A Phenomenographic Content Analysis

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Abstract

Increasing xenophobia may have negative impacts on how Latin American-origin adolescents in the U.S. perceive the future for themselves and their families. Among 340 Latin American-origin 15- to 18-year-olds surveyed in late 2018 through early 2019, this study used phenomenographic content analysis to describe how youth feel about the future for themselves and their family and how these perceptions vary by parent residency status. A theme of negative feelings about the future characterized 75% of responses and represented three sub-themes: fear and worry; blocked opportunities to success; and discrimination. The theme of positive feelings characterized remaining responses with subthemes including confident security; a qualified sense of security; and hope. Compared to adolescents with citizen parents, those with non-citizen parents reported more fear and worry and less confident security.

Highlights

  • This study aimed to describe how Latin American-origin adolescents perceive the future for themselves and their family.

  • Adolescent narrative responses for future orientations varied by parent residency status.

  • Three-quarters of responses indicated a negative future outlook, indicated by themes of fear and worry; blocked opportunities to success; and discrimination.

  • Negative future orientations were more salient for adolescents whose parents had less secure residency statuses.

  • Pathways to citizenship may be key to promoting Latin American-origin youth’s ability to contribute as the next generation of leaders in the U.S.

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Funding

Funding for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health Center for Advancing Translational Sciences under award number UL1TR001876 (PI: Guay-Woodford).

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Correspondence to Kathleen M. Roche.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Roche, K.M., Walsdorf, A.A., Jordan, L.S. et al. The Contemporary Anti-Immigrant Environment and Latin American-origin Adolescents’ Perceived Futures: A Phenomenographic Content Analysis. J Child Fam Stud 30, 2328–2339 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02015-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02015-0

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