Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-m9kch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-05T17:10:57.726Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 7 - Psychosocial Stressors and Coping Strategies in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Undocumented College Students

from Part II - Experiences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

By
Rosalie A. Torres Stone ,
Kathryn Sabella  and
Alessandra Bazo Vienrich
Edited by
Blake R. Silver  and
Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron
Blake R. Silver
Affiliation:
George Mason University
Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron
Affiliation:
George Mason University
Get access

Summary

This study used semi-structured interviews to examine daily stressors and coping resources as experienced by twenty-one racially and/or ethnically diverse, undocumented college students residing in Massachusetts (USA). A legal violence framework and stress process theory were used to analyze the stress and coping experiences of undocumented college students. The findings reveal the presence of financial burdens, fears of deportation, blocked opportunities, and legal status concealment as daily stressors, as well as needed peer and informational supports as coping resources for undocumented students. Furthermore, for undocumented students, fear of deportation and stigma hindered their ability to identify and capitalize on needed peer and institutional support. The authors argue that not recognizing the structural and symbolic ways that immigration laws serve as legitimizing sources for afflicting social, psychological, and material harm places students with precarious legal status at risk for poor mental health. This chapter concludes by offering practice implications to help improve the ability of institutional agents within higher education to meet the needs of undocumented college students.

Keywords

undocumentedcollege studentsstress and copinglegal statusmental health
Type
Chapter
Information
Supporting College Students of Immigrant Origin
New Insights from Research, Policy, and Practice
 , pp. 133 - 154
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrego, L. J., & Gonzales, R. G. (2010). Blocked paths, uncertain futures: The postsecondary education and labor market prospects of undocumented Latino youth. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 15(1–2), 144–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824661003635168CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alif, A., Nelson, B. S., Stefancic, A., Ahmed, R., & Okazaki, S. (2020). Documentation status and psychological distress among New York City community college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 26(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000290CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baca Zinn, M. (1979). Field research in minority communities: Ethical, methodological and political observations by an insider. Social Problems, 27(2), 209–219. https://doi.org/10.2307/800369CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bazo Vienrich, A. (2021). “I used to be one of them”: Reflections on researching DACA students as a DACA beneficiary. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 34(8), 700–714. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2021.1956623CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bazo Vienrich, A., & Torres Stone, R. A. (2022). The educational trajectories of Latinx undocumented students: Illegality and threats to emotional well-being. Socius, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231221135966CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjorklund, P., Jr. (2018). Undocumented students in higher education: A review of the literature, 2001 to 2016. Review of Educational Research, 88(5), 631–670. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318783018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oaCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavazos-Rehg, P. A., Zayas, L. H., & Spitznagel, E. L. (2007). Legal status, emotional well-being and subjective health status of Latino immigrants. Journal of the National Medical Association, 99(10), 1126–1131. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2574408/Google ScholarPubMed
Cebulko, K. (2014). Documented, undocumented, and liminally legal: Legal status during the transition to adulthood for 1.5-generation Brazilian immigrants. The Sociological Quarterly, 55(1), 143–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/tsq.12045CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cebulko, K. (2018). Privilege without papers: Intersecting inequalities among 1.5-generation Brazilians in Massachusetts. Ethnicities, 18(2), 225–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468796817752562CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cebulko, K., & Silver, A. (2016). Navigating DACA in hospitable and hostile states: State responses and access to membership in the wake of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. American Behavioral Scientist, 60(13), 1553–1574. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764216664942CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cisneros, J., & Lopez, A. (2016). DREAMzone: Educating counselors and human service professionals working with undocumented students. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 8(2), 32–48. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.8.2.32-48CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cisneros, J., & Valdivia, D. (2020). “We are legit now”: Establishing undocumented student resource centers on campus. Journal of College Student Development, 61(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2020.0003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cobb, C., Xie, D., & Sanders, G. L. (2016). Coping styles and depression among undocumented Hispanic immigrants. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 18, 864–870. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0270-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Contreras, F. (2009). Sin papeles y rompiendo barreras: Latino students and the challenges of persisting in college. Harvard Educational Review, 79(4), 610–632. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.79.4.02671846902gl33wCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delgado, V. (2022). Can universities counteract immigrant illegality? Examining the impact of university-based institutional support on undocumented college students. Socius, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231221089390CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dozier, S. B. (1993). Emotional concerns of undocumented and out-of-status foreign students. Community Review, 13(1–2), 33–38.Google Scholar
Enriquez, L. E., Morales Hernandez, M., & Ro, A. (2018) Deconstructing immigrant illegality: A mixed-methods investigation of stress and health among undocumented college students. Race and Social Problems, 10(3), 193–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-018-9242-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enriquez, L. E., Velarde Pierce, S., MurilloJr., E. G., Ayón, C., & Valdez, Z. (2021a). Advancing research on undocumented college students in California through a UC and CSU Collaboration. Journal of Latinos and Education, 20(3), 213–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2021.1950959CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enriquez, L. E., Chavarria, K., Rodriguez, V. E., Ayón, C., Ellis, B. D., Hagan, M. J., Jefferies, J., Lara, J., Morales Hernandez, M., Murillo, E. G., Nájera, J. R., Offidani-Bertrand, C., Oropeza Fujimoto, M., Ro, A., Rosales, W. E., Sarabia, H., Soltero López, A. K., Valadez, M., Valadez, Z., & Velarde Pierce, S. (2021b). Toward a nuanced and contextualized understanding of undocumented college students: Lessons from a California survey. Journal of Latinos and Education, 20(3), 215–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2021.1952076CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feldman, M., Hubbard, S., Lim, A., Penichet-Paul, C., & Segel, H. (2020). Undocumented students in higher education. New American Economy & Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. www.immigrationresearch.org/system/files/PAHEI_NAE_Undocumented_Students.pdfGoogle Scholar
Gonzales, R. G., Suárez-Orozco, C., & Dedios-Sanguineti, M. C. (2013). No place to belong: Contextualizing concepts of mental health among undocumented immigrant youth in the United States. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(8), 1174–1199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213487349CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groce, L. L., & Johnson, L. V. (2021). School counselors igniting the hope of undocumented students in college access. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 46(1), 128–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2020.1856256CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hankin, B. L. (2008). Rumination and depression in adolescence: Investigating symptom specificity in a multiwave prospective study. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(4), 701–713. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374410802359627CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jefferies, J. (2014). Fear of deportation in high school: Implications for breaking the circle of silence surrounding migration status. Journal of Latinos and Education, 13(4), 278–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2014.887469CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kam, J. A., Merolla, A. J., & High, A. C. (2020). Latinx immigrant youth’s indirect and direct disclosures about their family-undocumented experiences, received emotional support, and depressive symptoms. Communication Research, 47(4), 599–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650219851424CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kam, J. A., Steuber Fazio, K., & Mendez Murillo, R. (2019). Privacy rules for revealing one’s undocumented status to nonfamily members: Exploring the perspectives of undocumented youth of Mexican origin. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 36(10), 3178–3198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518815980CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mallet-García, M. L., & García-Bedolla, L. (2021). Immigration policy and belonging: Ramifications for DACA recipients’ sense of belonging. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(9), 1165–1179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764221996777CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marpsat, M., & Razafindratsima, N. (2010). Survey methods for hard-to-reach populations: Introduction to the special issue. Methodological Innovations Online, 5(2), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.4256/mio.2010.0014CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menjívar, C., & Abrego, L. J. (2012). Legal violence: Immigration law and the lives of Central American immigrants. American Journal of Sociology, 117(5), 1380–1421. https://doi.org/10.1086/663575CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, M. A. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Mishler, E. G. (1991). Research interviewing: Context and narrative. Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morales Hernandez, M., & Enriquez, L. (2021). Life after college: Liminal legality and political threats as barriers to undocumented students’ career preparation pursuits. Journal of Latinos and Education, 20(3), 318–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2021.1949992CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muñoz, S. M. (2013). “I just can’t stand being like this anymore”: Dilemmas, stressors, and motivators for undocumented Mexican women in higher education. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 50(3), 233–249. https://doi.org/10.1515/jsarp-2013-0018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muñoz, S. M., & Vigil, D. (2018). Interrogating racist nativist microaggressions and campus climate: How undocumented and DACA college students experience institutional legal violence in Colorado. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(4), 451–456. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000078CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Immigration Law Center. (2022). Basic facts about in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students [Fact Sheet]. www.nilc.org/issues/education/basic-facts-instate/Google Scholar
Nienhusser, H. K., & Espino, M. M. (2017). Incorporating undocumented/DACAmented status competency into higher education institutional agents’ practice. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 54(1), 1–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1194286CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nunez, A., & Holthaus, G. (2017). In-state tuition for undocumented students: A policy analysis. Journal of the Student Personnel Association at Indiana University, 45, 47–63. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/jiuspa/article/view/23697Google Scholar
Patler, C. (2018) To reveal or conceal: How diverse undocumented youth navigate legal status disclosure. Sociological Perspectives, 61(6), 857–873. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121418775092CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patler, C., & Pirtle, W. L. (2018). From undocumented to lawfully present: Do changes to legal status impact psychological wellbeing among Latino immigrant young adults? Social Science and Medicine, 199, 39–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.03.009CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearlin, L. I., & Bierman, A. (2013). Current issues and future directions in research into the stress process. In Aneshensel, C. S., Phelan, J. C., & Bierman, A. (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 325–340). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_16CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peña, J. (2021). Undocumented students: History and implications for higher education administrators. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 20(1), 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192719860482CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perez, W., Espinoza, R., Ramos, K., Coronado, H. M., & Cortes, R. (2009). Academic resilience among undocumented Latino students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 31(2), 149–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986309333020CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raymond-Flesch, M., Siemons, R., Pourat, N., Jacobs, K., & Brindis, C. D. (2014). “There is no help out there and if there is, it’s really hard to find”: A qualitative study of the health concerns and health care access of Latino ‘DREAMers’. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(3), 323–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.05.012CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roth, B. J. (2019). The double bind of DACA: Exploring the legal violence of liminal status for undocumented youth. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 42(15), 2548–2565. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2018.1540790CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shinozaki, K. (2012). Transnational dynamics in researching migrants: Self-reflexivity and boundary-drawing in fieldwork. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 35(10), 1810–1827. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2012.659275CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shonkoff, J. P., Garner, A. S., Siegel, B. S., Dobbins, M. I., Earls, M. F., Garner, A. S., McGuinn, L., Pascoe, J., & Wood, D. L. (2012). The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics, 129(1), e232–e246. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-2663CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silver, A. M. (2018). Shifting boundaries: Immigrant youth negotiating national, state, and small-town politics. Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R. C., Rayas, A. B., Flores, D., Cabrera, A., Barbosa, G. Y., Weinstein, K., Xique, M., Bialeck, M., & Torres, E. (2021). Disrupting the traffic stop-to-deportation pipeline: The New York State Greenlight Law’s intent and implementation. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 9(2), 94–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/23315024211013752CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanfield, II, J. H. (1994). Ethnic modeling in qualitative research. In Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.), The landscape of qualitative research (pp. 175–188). Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Suárez-Orozco, C., & López Hernández, G. (2020). “Waking Up Every Day With the Worry”: A mixed-methods study of anxiety in undocumented Latinx college students. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 568167. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.568167CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suárez-Orozco, M., Teranish, R. T., & Suárez-Orozco, C. (2015). In the shadows of the ivory tower: Undocumented undergraduates and the liminal state of immigration reform. The UndocuScholar Project. Institute for Immigration, Globalization & Education, UCLA. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2hq679z4Google Scholar
Thoits, P. A. (1995). Stress, coping, and social support processes: Where are we? What next? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 53–79. https://doi.org/10.2307/2626957CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thoits, P. A. (2009). Sociological approaches to mental illness. In Scheid, T. L. & Brown, T. N. (Eds.), A handbook for the study of mental health: Social context, theories, and systems (2nd ed., pp. 106–124). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, C. C., & Dietrich, M. S. (2015). Stressful life events, worry, and rumination predict depressive and anxiety symptoms in young adolescents. Journal of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 28(1), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcap.12102CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zong, J., & Batalova, J. (2019). How many unauthorized immigrants graduate from US high schools annually? [Fact Sheet]. Migration Policy Institute. www.migrationpolicy.org/research/unauthorized-immigrants-graduate-us-high-schoolsGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×