Publications

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Reports

Papers

  • Perreira KM, Potochnick S., Brietzke MP. 2019. Integrating Hispanic Immigrant Youth: Perspectives on Acculturation from White and Black Americans in Emerging Hispanic Communities and Schools, Ethnic and Racial Studies. In Press.

Abstract: Acculturation is bidirectional and includes not only the process of Hispanics adaptation to US culture(s) but also the process of US cultural adaptations to Hispanics. However, few studies of Hispanic adolescent adaptation have examined the ways in which US society accommodates or fails to accommodate its Hispanic immigrant populations. Our study addresses this gap by examining the ways in which non-Hispanic students, parents, and teachers in an emerging Hispanic community have acculturated to the Hispanic adolescents in their community. This study utilizes focus-group data from the [MAKED] study — a multi-site, high school-based study conducted in North Carolina between 2006 and 2010. We held 34 focus groups with 139 participants from two rural and two urban high schools. In each community, at least five focus groups were conducted to include non-Hispanics: (1) black students, (2) black parents, (3) white students, (4) white parents, and (5) high school teachers. In each of our high schools, we identified different modes of incorporation linked with receiving-community acculturation strategies that included varying degrees of accommodation of heritage cultures and languages as well as cultural exchanges ranging from inclusionary to exclusionary.

On-line Appendix.

Abstract: Previous research has linked stress to adverse mental health outcomes among Latino adolescents living in the United States. The mechanism through which this process operates continues to be explored, especially in regions of the country where Latin American immigrants and their children have only recently begun to migrate. Our study aimed to contextualize the processes of stress and coping among Latino adolescents growing up in an emerging Latino destination in the United States—North Carolina. All adolescents in our study were either the first- or second-generation children of immigrants from Latin American countries, including Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. We used a longitudinal qualitative design, conducting in-depth interviews with 12 parent-adolescent dyads during each adolescent’s first year of high school (2006-2007) and approximately 4 years later (2009-2010). We identified four stress-coping trajectories that varied on the following dimensions: primary sources of stress, buffers countering these stressors, coping approaches, and the effects of these processes on adolescents’ striving for socioeconomic mobility. Our findings underscore the interplay between family, school, and community environments within an emerging Latino destination.

As primary agents of socialization, families and schools can powerfully shape the academic adaptation of youth. Using data from the Social Identification and Academic Adaptation studies, we compare the family and school environments of Latino high school seniors living in a new destination, North Carolina, with those living in an established destination, Los Angeles. We then evaluate how family and school environments influence their educational aspirations, expectations, and performance. We find that parents’ achievement expectations promote Latino youths’ academic success, while perceived future family obligations inhibit them. Additionally, we find that schools remain essential in promoting Latino immigrant youths’ achievement by providing a supportive and safe learning environment. Discrimination in schools and the broader community is associated with lower educational expectations and aspirations but not lower academic performance.

Abstract: This paper examines how the contexts of reception in new and traditional receiving communities influence the daily psychological well-being of Latino youth. Data came from two companion studies, the UCLA Study of Adolescents’ Daily Lives and the Southern Immigrant Academic Adaptation study. Compared to Latino youth in Los Angeles, North Carolina’s youth experienced higher levels of daily happiness, but also experienced higher levels of daily depressive and anxiety symptoms.  Using random effect models, we evaluated how perceived discrimination, social acceptance, and daily ethnic treatment contributed to these differences in daily psychological well-being.  We found that discrimination and daily negative ethnic treatment worsened; whereas social acceptance combined with daily positive ethnic treatment improved daily psychological well-being.

Abstract: Understanding adolescents’ use of ethnic labels is a key development issue, particularly given the practical significance of identity and self-definition in adolescents’ lives. Ethnic labeling was examined among adolescents in the traditional receiving area of Los Angeles (Asian n = 258, Latino n = 279) and the non-traditional immigrant receiving area of North Carolina (Asian n = 165, Latino n = 239). Logistic regressions showed that adolescents from different geographic settings use different ethnic labels, with youth from NC preferring heritage and panethnic labels and youth from LA preferring hyphenated American labels. Second generation youth were more likely than first generation youth to use hyphenated American labels, and less likely to use heritage or panethnic labels. Greater ethnic centrality increased the odds of heritage label use, and greater English proficiency increased the odds of heritage-American label use. These associations significantly mediated the initial effects of setting. Further results examine ethnic differences as well as links between labels and self-esteem. The discussion highlights implications of ethnic labeling and context.

Abstract: An emerging literature suggests that high academic aspirations contribute to academic achievement. Yet, few researchers have studied the specific academic values and beliefs that lay behind students’ aspirations or how the social contexts of schools can affect these academic values and beliefs. Using data on 459 Latino 9th graders from the LA-SIAA and the NC-SIAA studies, we evaluate the specific educational values and beliefs that motivate the academic achievement of Latino youth and contrast the school experiences of Latino youth in an emerging Latino community, North Carolina, with the school experiences of youth living in a traditional settlement community, Los Angeles.  Despite their greater fears of discrimination, we find that Latino youth in North Carolina are more academically motivated than their peers in Los Angeles. This is partially because they are more likely to be immigrants. Being an immigrant, having a stronger sense of ethnic identification, and having a stronger sense of family obligation were each linked to a more positive view of school environments. Therefore, these factors each partially explained the immigrant advantage in academic motivation and helped to counter the harmful effects of discrimination on academic motivation.

Posters

Presentations

    • Spees, L. and Perreira, K. Achieving Excellence: Latino Student Graduating from High School in North Carolina.Southern Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Jacksonville, FL (May 2011)
    • Kiang, L. (Presenter) Perreira, K.M., Fuligni, A., Ethnic Label Use Among Adolescents in Traditional and Non-Traditional Immigrant Receiving Sites. Society for Research on Child Development, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (April 2011).
    • Yahirun, J., Fuligini, A., Perreira, K. “We Are Family” –Family Identity and Obligation across Contexts: A Comparison of Latino Youth in North Carolina and Southern California. Population Association of America, Dallas, TX (April 2010)
    • Potochnick, S., Perreira, K., Fuligni, A. Fitting in: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Daily Psychological Well-Being of Latino Youth.  On New Shores Conference, Guelph, Ontario, Canada (September 2010).
    • Perreira, K., Fuligni, A., Potochnick, S. Fitting in: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Academic Motivations of Latino Youth in the U.S. Southeast.

      Presented at:

      • Joint Session of the PAA and SOMEDE (Mexican Society of Demography), Detroit, MI (May 2009)
      • Society for Research on Child Development, Denver, CO (April 2009)
      • City University of New York, New York, NY (April 2009)
      • Columbia Population Center, Columbia University, New York, NY (February 2009)
      • Population Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (December 2008)
  • Potochnick, S., Perreira, K., Fuligni, A. Fitting in: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Health of Latino Youth in the U.S. Southeast.  Population Association of America, Detroit, MI (May 2009)
  • Potochnick, S. and Perreira, K. The Effects of Positive and Negative Racial/Ethnic Treatment on Adolescent Latino Mental Health in a New Receiving Community, Thirteenth Annual APPAM Research Conference, Los Angeles, CA (November 2008)
  • Potochnick, S. and Perreira, K. Migration, Academic, and Mental Health Experiences of Latino Youth in North Carolina.Panel discussion at the Latino Youth Issues Forum, Asheboro, NC (September 2008)
  • Potochnick, S. and Perreira, K.  Being Well and Doing Well: The Health and Academic Experiences of Latino High School Students in North Carolina. Southern Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Richmond, VA (April 2008)
  • Pedraza, J. and Perreira, K. Educational Aspiration and Expectations among 9th Grade North Carolina Latino/as. Race and Wealth Conference, Duke University, Durham, NC, (November 2007)
  • Pedraza, J. and Perreira, K. Educational Aspiration and Expectations among 9th Grade North Carolina Latino/as, Southern Demographic Association, Birmingham, AL (October 2007)
  • Pedraza, J. and Perreira, K.  Educational Aspiration and Expectations among 9th Grade North Carolina Latino/as.Pomona College Summer Research Conference, Claremont, CA (September 2007)