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Author: Wu, Joanna
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Wu, Joanna
Rethinking "Success" of Second Generation Immigrants: The Role of Families and Communities in the Transition to Young Adulthood
M.S. Thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Keyword(s): Immigrants; Racial Differences; Socioeconomic Factors; Transition, Adulthood

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Second generation immigrants currently outnumber foreign-born children by more than six to one, a number that doubled in the past decade (Child Trends, 2010). As this contemporary second generation immigrant cohort transitions into adulthood, it will shape considerably the demographics of the young adult population. While many of the same socio-economic factors that negatively affect the outcomes of U.S. children also confront children of immigrants, they are additionally affected by risk factors unique to the immigration process, such as parental citizenship. Therefore, it is important to examine how these risk factors along with those specific to the immigrant experience may impact the success of second generation immigrants. Drawing from the life course perspective and resiliency theory, this study utilizes data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY: 1997) to examine how socio-economic and contextual factors within the family and community during adolescence impact the success of second generation immigrants once they reach young adulthood. This study adds to the growing body of literature on the experiences of immigrants by examining not only traditional socio-economic measures of "success" but alternative measures such as health and life satisfaction as well. Results show that for second-generation immigrants contextual factors early in life have an enduring effect in their transition to young adulthood. However, variation by racial groups also emerged across contextual factors and the multiple success indicators.
Bibliography Citation
Wu, Joanna. Rethinking "Success" of Second Generation Immigrants: The Role of Families and Communities in the Transition to Young Adulthood. M.S. Thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012.
2. Wu, Joanna
Lleras, Christy
Rethinking "Success": The Role of Families and Communities in Second Generation Immigrants' Transition to Adulthood
Presented: Denver CO, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2012
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Immigrants; Parental Influences; Socioeconomic Status (SES); Transition, Adulthood

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Nearly one in four children within the United States has an immigrant parent or parents (Hernandez, 2004). A significant portion of these children are born in the U.S. and are often referred to as second generation immigrants. Second generation immigrants currently outnumber foreign-born children by more than six to one, a number that doubled in the past decade (Child Trends, 2010). While many of the same socio-economic factors that negatively affect the outcomes of U.S. children also confront children of immigrants, they are additionally affected by risk factors unique to the immigration process, such as parental citizenship. As this contemporary second generation immigrant cohort transitions into adulthood, they will shape considerably the demographics of the young adult population. Drawing from the life course perspective and resiliency theory, this study utilizes data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY: 1997) to examine how socio-economic and contextual factors within the family and community during adolescence impact the success of second generation immigrants once they reach young adulthood. This study adds to the growing body of literature on the experiences of immigrants by examining not only traditional socio-economic measures of "success" but alternative measures such as health and life satisfaction as well. Findings show that contextual factors early in life have an enduring effect in their transition to young adulthood, but also suggest that the effect of contextual factors is dependent on the outcome examined. Variation by racial groups also emerged across contextual factors and the multiple success indicators.
Bibliography Citation
Wu, Joanna and Christy Lleras. "Rethinking "Success": The Role of Families and Communities in Second Generation Immigrants' Transition to Adulthood." Presented: Denver CO, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2012.