Table 1 Immigrant Child Adjustment across Time as a Function of

1. Florida International University Project SOL Adjustment in Newly Immigrant Children and Adolescents: Effects of Ecological Risk and Parental Support over Time Jonathan D. Lane, Mary J. Levitt, & Jerome Levitt Florida International University, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Studentsfrom Other Lands ABSTRACT Newly immigrant children (N = 512) were interviewed to assess the effects of ecological risk and parental support on their post-migration adjustment over a year-long period. Exposure to increased ecological risk over time was significantly related to lower levels of child adjustment. Risk appeared to affect children differently based on their age group. Parental support at Time 1 had a modest impact on child adjustment over time. INTRODUCTION Children are migrating to the U. S. in ever-increasing numbers, but little is known about their initial adjustment to their post-migration circumstances. Exposure to ecological risk factors, such as economic hardship and stressful life events, may compound the effects of difficulties already associated with the immigration experience. Parental support is likely to play a crucial role in promoting child adjustment, but some parents may be too overwhelmed with demands for adaptation and economic survival to provide effective support. Additionally, the effects of risk and parental support may vary with the age of the child. This report is focused on the adjustment of newly immigrant children as a function of parental support, ecological risk, and child age across the first two waves of a longitudinal study. • RESULTS • As illustrated in Table 1, higher risk at Time 1 predicted lower self-esteem at Time 2 and increased risk at Time 2 was associated significantly with decreased self-esteem, increased depression, and increased psychological symptoms over time. • Parental support at Time 1 was associated with increased self-esteem and school adjustment at Time 2, but changes in parental support were not related significantly to changes in adjustment. • Grade level alone was not significantly associated with any Time 2 outcome, but there were significant Grade x Risk interactions predicting depression and psychological symptoms. Follow-up regressions at each grade level indicated that the association of Time 1 risk to later adjustment was greater for older than for younger children. Increased risk over time was linked to an increase in symptoms only for the middle age group. • These results were largely consistent across gender and ethnic groups. • DISCUSSION • Initial exposure and increased exposure to ecological risk over time appears to compromise the adjustment of newly immigrant children, while grade by risk interactions suggest that risk has disparate influences on children differing in age. Parental support in the first year has a modest impact on adjustment over time. In general, this research advances the identification of factors that promote or hinder the early adjustment of immigrant children. Table 1 Immigrant Child Adjustment across Time as a Function of Ecological Risk, Parental Support, and Grade Level ____________________________________________ Time 2 Adjustment Self Dep. Sympt. School Esteem Adjust ____________________________________________ Self-Esteem T1 .37** ----- ----- ----- Depression T1 ----- .47** ----- ----- Symptoms T1 ----- ----- .56** ----- School Adj. T1 ----- ----- ----- .50** Grade Level -.02 -.01 .02 -.00 Risk T1 -.19** .02 .03 -.07 Support T1 .09* -.06 -.06 .11* Grade x Risk T1 .12 .24* .21* .04 Grade x Sup. T1 -.12 .07 -.03 -.13 Rsk x Sup. T1 .01 .00 .03 -.01 Risk T2 -.11* .16** .14** -.00 Support T2 .07 -.07 -.07 .10 Grade x Risk T2 .22 -.02 -.29** -.01 Grade x Sup. T2 -.05 -.00 -.09 -.04 Risk x Sup. T2 -.01 -.03 .03 -.01 ____________________________________________ Note. Numbers are standardized beta weights. **p<.01. *p<.05 This research was funded by the Spencer Foundation. The data presented, the statements made, and the views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors. Please address correspondence to: mailjonlane@yahoo.com • METHOD • Sample and Procedure • The sample included 512 public school students (261 male; 251 female), drawn from three grade levels (3-4, 6-7, and 9), who had been in the United States for less than one year at the time of the first interview. Follow-up interviews were conducted a year after the initial interview. Students came from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and other English-speaking Caribbean countries. Participants were interviewed individually, at school, in their primary language. • Measures • Measures used in these analyses were part of a larger study on the adaptation of newly-immigrant children. • Parental Support • The parental support measure was the sum of six emotional, self-affirmation, and instrumental support functions potentially received from parents (Levitt et al., 1993). • Risk • Risk was a composite measure that incorporated stressful life events and economic difficulty indices. • Adjustment • Adjustment measures included child-reported self-concept adapted from Harter (1985), depression (Kovacs, 1985), psychological symptoms (Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, in progress), and teacher-rated school adaptation (Alexander & Entwhistle, 1993).