The social development of immigrant children: A focus on Asian and Latinx children in the United States

ABSTRACT

The number of international migrants has continued to grow globally between 2000 and 2020, with the United States having the largest number of immigrants. Two in three children are projected to be of a race other than White by 2060, suggesting that the United States will be more racially and ethnically diverse. Asians and Latinx are the largest and the fastest-growing United States racial-ethnic immigrant groups. This chapter defines Asian and Latinx immigrant children in the United States and discusses the family structure and cultural values of these two groups as may be pertinent to these children's social and emotional development, and highlights some unique challenges for their social development. It provides an overview of the extant literature on several key areas of socioemotional and behavioral development and their contributors among Asian and Latinx immigrant families with young children. It also considers specific social development challenges faced by Asian and Latinx immigrant during the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to highlight the major gaps in the current literature. The chapter ends with some directions for future studies towards understanding and supporting the diverse experiences and social development of Asian and Latinx immigrant children in the United States. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)