Family Structure and the Well-Being of Immigrant Children in Four European Countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 927-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthijs Kalmijn
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Father Absence ◽  
Immigrant Children ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Migration Process ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Heterogeneous Effects

Data on secondary school children in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden show that large differences exist in family structure within the minority population: In some groups, father absence is more common than among natives; in others, it is less common. These patterns reflect the differences in family structure in the origin countries, but the migration process also plays a role. Next, it is found that father absence has negative effects on immigrant children's well-being, but these effects appear weaker in minority groups where father absence is more common. Heterogeneous effects are interpreted in terms of different degrees of institutionalization of father absence in different minority groups.

Children as Language Brokers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachele Antonini
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
North African ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Brokers

Child language brokering (CLB) is a widespread practice of linguistic and cultural mediation or brokering that is generally performed by the children of immigrant and minority groups and that takes place in all those domains that pertain to these families’ social and daily life. It is a very young topic of interest; hence the body of research and literature available on CLB is still limited and highly fragmented and discipline-based, and attempts at bringing together researchers with different disciplinary and methodological perspectives are quite recent. Nonetheless, the increased interest in this topic of study has contributed to make it a fully fledged and freestanding area of study. Until the mid-1970s, the study of CLB was never the primary research question, and any observation on its existence was considered a byproduct of research focusing on other topics and issues. In the 1980s, articles and essays describing this practice started appearing in a variety of journals and volumes from a wide array of disciplinary perspectives. In the mid-1990s, research on CLB gained momentum and shifted to other aspects and issues of CLB, namely, the who, what, and where of CLB and its positive and negative effects on the language brokers’ education, identity construction, and psychological well-being. These include parentification and adultification issues that emerge when children assume the role of the decision-maker in the family and that may have a significant impact on family relationships, the children’s acculturation and learning process, and their attitudes toward their native and/or second language and culture. The study of CLB in Europe was introduced in the late 1990s and was initially almost exclusively UK-based. Since the end of the 1990s, it has developed in other European countries too, by focusing on the communities that represent the largest migrant groups present in each country, like for instance Moroccan communities in Spain, North African and Italian immigrants in Germany, and a variety of immigrant groups in Italy. CLB is now a topic of research in, inter alia, anthropology, bi- and multilingualism studies, educational studies, interpreting and translation studies, sociolinguistics, and psychology.

scholarly journals Family structure effects on U.S. children’s well-being? Re-examining the family instability hypothesis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Rodríguez Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Family Structure ◽  
Family Formation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Socioeconomic Conditions ◽  
Family Instability ◽  
Family Transitions ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Doubly Robust

Previous studies have shown that children who grow up in marriage-based twoparent families fare better in terms of their well-being than children who do not. Other researchers have instead argued that these negative effects are confounded by the children’s parents characteristics affecting selection into specific family structure trajectories, which likewise affect the children’s well-being. However, researchers have been unable to account for the complex and dynamic relation between the socioeconomic conditions of individuals and their trajectories of family formation and dissolution. Here I argue that even when researchers account for selection based on observable background characteristics, the negative effect of changes in family structure experienced during childhood on children’s well-being may be biased. Exposure-confounder feedback bias may be present in this association in the form of time-varying confounders such as socioeconomic conditions which affect family transitions and are affected by them dynamically. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study is used to empirically show this is the case. Family instability is here considered as a timevarying exposure. Estimations of effects of family transitions on multiple dimensions of children’s well-being are obtained through estimation of doubly robust marginal structural models and inverse probability of treatment weighting. It is shown that most of the effects of family instability are negative with a few noticeable exceptions. But more importantly, the paper shows that the size of these negative effects can be substantially reduced after partially accounting for an idiosyncratic selection of baseline background confounders and exposure-confounder feedback mechanisms. A discussion of these findings, as they relate to the association between socioeconomic conditions and contemporary family dynamics in the U.S., ensues.

scholarly journals Extremely high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in a strictly-Orthodox Jewish community in the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine M Gaskell ◽  
Marina Johnson ◽  
Victoria Gould ◽  
Adam Hunt ◽  
Neil RH Stone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Jewish Population ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Orthodox Jewish ◽  
Minority Populations ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
The Uk

AbstractBackgroundEthnic and religious minorities have been disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. The UK strictly-Orthodox Jewish community has been severely affected by the pandemic. This group shares characteristics with other ethnic minorities including larger family sizes, higher rates of household crowding and relative socioeconomic deprivation. We studied a UK strictly-Orthodox Jewish population to understand how COVID-19 had spread within this community.MethodsWe performed a household-focused cross-sectional SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey specific to three antigen targets. Randomly-selected households completed a standardised questionnaire and underwent serological testing with a multiplex assay for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. We report clinical illness and testing before the serosurvey, seroprevalence stratified by age and gender. We used random-effects models to identify factors associated with infection and antibody titres.FindingsA total of 343 households, consisting of 1,759 individuals, were recruited. Serum was available for 1,242 participants. The overall seroprevalence for SARS-CoV-2 was 64.3% (95% CI 61.6-67.0%). The lowest seroprevalence was 27.6% in children under 5 years and rose to 73.8% in secondary school children and 74% in adults. Antibody titres were higher in symptomatic individuals and declined over time since reported COVID-19 symptoms, with the decline more marked for nucleocapsid titres.InterpretationIn this tight-knit religious minority population in the UK, we report one of the highest SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence levels in the world to date. In the context of this high force of infection, all age groups experienced a high burden of infection. Actions to reduce the burden of disease in this and other minority populations are urgently required.FundingThis work was jointly funded by UKRI and NIHR [COV0335; MR/V027956/1], a donation from the LSHTM Alumni COVID-19 response fund, HDR UK, the MRC and the Wellcome Trust. The funders had no role in the design, conduct or analysis of the study or the decision to publish. The authors have no financial relationships with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.Research In ContextEvidence before the studyIn January 2020, we searched PubMed for articles on rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst ethnic minority groups and amongst the Jewish population. Search teams included “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, seroprevalence, “ethnic minority”, and “Jewish” with no language restrictions. We also searched UK government documents on SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst minority groups. By January 2020, a large number of authors had reported that ethnic minority groups experienced higher numbers of cases and increased hospitalisations due to COVID-19. A small number of articles provided evidence that strictly-Orthodox Jewish populations had experienced a high rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection but extremely limited data was available on overall population level rates of infection amongst specific ethnic minority population groups. There was also extremely limited data on rates of infection amongst young children from ethnic minority groups.Added value of the studyWe report findings from a population representative, household survey of SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst a UK strictly Orthodox Jewish population. We demonstrate an extremely high seroprevalence rate of SARS-CoV-2 in this population which is more than five times the estimated seroprevalence nationally and five times the estimated seroprevalence in London. In addition the large number of children in our survey, reflective of the underlying population structure, allows us to demonstrate that in this setting there is a significant burden of disease in all age groups with secondary school aged children having an equivalent seroprevalence to adults.Implications of the available evidenceOur data provide clear evidence of the markedly disproportionate impact of SARS-CoV-2 in minority populations. In this setting infection occurs at high rates across all age groups including pre-school, primary school and secondary school-age children. Contextually appropriate measures to specifically reduce the impact of SARS-CoV-2 amongst minority populations are urgently required.

Family Structure and Father Absence among Immigrant Children: The Role of Migration, Religion and Inequality

2018 ◽  
pp. 143-175
Author(s):  
Matthijs Kalmijn
Keyword(s):  
Family Structure ◽  
Father Absence ◽  
Immigrant Children ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Lower Prevalence ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Sub Saharan

This chapter examines differences in the families of ethnic minority and majority youth in four European countries (England, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden). The focus is on the degree to which the father is absent, as indicated by family structure and the strength of the father–child tie. To explain differences, we use three perspectives: a migration perspective, an economic perspective and a cultural perspective. Considerable heterogeneity is observed: some groups have much higher levels of father absence than the majority (sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America), whereas others have somewhat lower levels of father absence (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia). Cultural explanations partly explain the lower prevalence of father absence in some groups while suppressing the higher prevalence of father absence in other groups. Economic disadvantage, in contrast, partly explains the higher prevalence of father absence in some groups while suppressing the lower prevalence of father absence in others.

Using life narratives to understand and promote the well-being of unaccompanied immigrant children

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etiony Aldarondo ◽  
Josh Diem ◽  
Tamara Paula ◽  
Shanna Dulen ◽  
Michelle Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Immigrant Children ◽  
Life Narratives

Optimism

2009 ◽  
pp. 302-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles S. Carver ◽  
Michael F. Scheier ◽  
Daniel Fulford
Keyword(s):  
Disease Progression ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Seriously Ill

Optimism is expecting good things to occur in one's life. Such positive expectations are associated with higher subjective well-being, even under conditions of stress or adversity. In contrast, pessimists respond to adversity with more intense negative feelings. There are also differences in the manner in which optimists and pessimists try to cope with adversity. Optimists tend to put the best face on the adversity, but they acknowledge its existence and its importance, and they try to do as much as possible to resolve whatever problems can be resolved. Pessimists are more likely to distance themselves from the problem and put off doing anything about it as long as possible. They are also more likely to give up trying, if things remain difficult. Some kinds of problem solution is proactive, engaged in before the problem arises. Optimists also tend to engage in such proactive efforts, including taking actions to minimize various kinds of health risks. Perhaps, as a consequence of these preventive steps, optimists also tend to have better health than pessimists. They seem to heal faster from wounds, and there is some evidence that when they are seriously ill they experience slower disease progression. It has been suggested that optimists sometimes are no better off than pessimists, and sometimes are worse off: that their confidence can get them into situations where it is difficult to cope effectively. Evidence of such negative effects of optimism does exist, but it is relatively sparse.

scholarly journals School-Based Mind–Body Interventions: A Research Review

Human Arenas ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Cozzolino ◽  
Deborah R. Vivo ◽  
Giovanna Celia
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Third Graders ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Twelfth Graders ◽  
School Based ◽  
Current Review ◽  
School Based Interventions ◽  
School Curricula

AbstractThis paper contains a narrative review of the literature in the field of school-based mind–body interventions (MBIs). The aim of the current review is to verify whether the school-based MBI programs implemented in primary and secondary schools over the past 5 years are effective in helping schoolchildren cope with stress-related, behavioral, and affective issues, as well as improve stress response and school performance. All articles were retrieved using a number of databases. Inclusion criteria comprised qualitative and quantitative, English language, and peer-reviewed studies among third graders (8–9 years old) to twelfth graders (17–18 years old), including special needs pupils. Qualitative studies were limited to pupils’ experience only. Ten studies meeting the criteria for this review were assessed. The school-based interventions included yoga-based programs and mindfulness training. Evidence was evaluated and summarized. Across the reviewed studies, we found support for MBIs as part of school curricula to reduce negative effects of stress and promote overall well-being with caveats to consider in choosing specific programs. The practical implications of the current review include considerations related to the incorporation of MBIs in school curricula, which would likely benefit schoolchildren.

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