Nativity, Family, Disability: Results from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly.

Objectives: ativity and family support may influence attitudes and behaviors that delay or accelerate the disability process in older adults. The objectives of this study were twofold: 1) to evaluate nativity and migration cohort differences in trajectories of disability (assessed by activities of daily living [ADL]) among older Mexican Americans; and 2) to determine the role of objectively measured family support in the association between nativity, migration cohort, and disability changes over time. Methods: This is a longitudinal study with up to 18 years follow-up (1993-2011) using data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (N=2,785, mean age =72.4 years). Disability was assessed using self-reported limitations in activities of daily living (ADL). Nativity and migration cohort were self-reported. Family support was assessed by marital status and the number of their children participants saw each month. Linear growth curve models evaluated the trajectory of ADL disability over 18 years and assessed variations by nativity status, migration cohort and family support. Results: Foreign-born respondents who migrated before age 20 had more starting ADL limitations (ß= .36, P<.001) and accumulated disability faster (ß=.04, P<.01) compared with their US-born counterparts. In contrast, foreign-born respondents who migrated at later ages showed disability trajectories similar to US-born respondents. Married respondents had a lower level of disability (ß= -.14, P<.01) and a lower rate of accumulation over time (ß= -.02, P=.001) compared with participants who were not married. Discussion: Mexican Americans who migrate at younger ages may experience greater disability over time; however, family support may help mitigate the accumulation of disability among older Mexican Americans.

Charting Directions for Research on Immigrant Children Affected by Undocumented Status.

Three groups of children from Mexico and Central America are vulnerable to effects of US immigration policies: 1) foreign-born children who entered the US with undocumented immigrant parents; 2) unaccompanied children who entered the US alone; and 3) U.S.-born citizen children of undocumented immigrant parents. Despite the recent demographic growth of these youth, scholarship on their strengths and challenges is under-theorized and isolated within specific disciplines. Hence, service providers, researchers, and policymakers have insufficient research to inform their efforts to support the children's wellbeing. A group of scholars and service-providers with expertise in immigrant children convened to establish consensus areas and identify gaps in knowledge of undocumented, unaccompanied, and citizen children of undocumented immigrant parents. The primary goal was to establish a research agenda that increases interdisciplinary collaborations, informs clinical practice, and influences policies. This report summarizes key issues and recommendations that emerged from the meeting.

U.S. immigration policy and family separation: the consequences for children's well-being.

At the start of the twenty-first century, two arms of U.S. immigration policy shape the lives of families and children. The first, enforcement practices, lead to the involuntary separation of parents and children-or the fears of this outcome-when the United States government detains and forcibly removes the parents of U.S. citizen children. The second, the policies which restrict migration to the United States, cause children to experience both long and short term separations when their parents migrate without them. In this paper I use interviews collected between the years of 2003-2006 and 2009-2012 with children and their parents or guardians in both the United States and in Mexico to assess the meanings these two types of separations have for families and the potential impacts for children's well-being. I find that enforcement practices create economic and emotional hardship due to feelings of uncertainty, while restrictive immigration policies lead to resentment among children even post-reunification.