YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM RESEARCH SUMMARY - Determinants of Health and Well-Being for Children of Immigrants: Moving From Evidence to Action

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Research summary dated October 9, 2019 examines determinants of health and well-being for children of immigrants, defined as youth under 18 living with at least one foreign-born parent. It describes how anti-immigrant climates, discriminatory policies, and intensified immigration enforcement produce developmental risks with short- and long-term impacts. Using a public health framework and a systematic review of Young Scholars Program-sponsored research, it connects social, economic, and sociopolitical conditions to child health outcomes and highlights action needs across family, school, neighborhood, and public policy settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Determinants of Health and Well-Being for Children of Immigrants: Moving From Evidence to Action

Background on the immigrant child population in the United States

Social determinants of child health and well-being

Key immigration terminology (mixed-status, naturalized citizen, qualified noncitizen)

YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM RESEARCH SUMMARY OCTOBER 9, 2019 Determinants of Health and Well-Being for Children of Immigrants: Moving From Evidence to Action by Lisseth Rojas-Flores, Ph.D., & Jennifer Medina Vaughn, M.S. Children of immigrants—specifically children under the age of 18 who reside with at least one foreign-born parent—are propelling the growth of the child population in the United States (Pew Research Center, 2015) . As of 2017, more than 18 million children in the United States lived with at least one immigrant parent (Migration Policy Institute, 2017) . However, current social conditions in the United States (e.g., an anti-immigrant climate, discriminatory social policies, and heightened immigration enforcement) create, maintain, and perpetuate unprecedented challenges for this growing youth population, resulting in short- and long-term negative developmental outcomes. For more than 10 years, the Foundation for Child Development–Young Scholars Program (YSP) has supported policy and practice-relevant research focused on the early learning and developmental needs of children of immigrants. Names highlighted in orange throughout the paper signify YSP scholars. To date, former YSP scholars continue to carry on this important and timely line of inquiry and have generated substantial research. Through a systematic review of research sponsored by the YSP, this paper utilizes a public health framework to situate the physical and mental health and well-being of children in low-income, immigrant families into a broader sociopolitical context. Our nation’s current sociopolitical environment demands increased action and investment to protect and promote the future of vulnerable children of immigrants in our society. A social determinants of health approach requires action across multiple settings and domains. Therefore, we highlight YSP research and discuss contextual conditions that may contribute to greater resilience among children of immigrants and present recommendations for action at the familial, school, neighborhood, and public policy levels. This resource has been developed by the Foundation for Child Development. For additional resources, [please visit our website:](please visit our website: www.fcd-us.org)[ www.fcd-us.org](please visit our website: www.fcd-us.org) A growing body of evidence indicates that the psychological, behavioral, and physical health of populations in general—and child and youth populations in particular—are strongly socially determined (Spencer, 2018; Turney, Lee, & Mehta, 2013) . Social determinants of child health are the social, economic, and sociopolitical conditions that directly influence a child’s overall well-being, including the prevalence and severity of developmental problems. Notably, children are dependent on their caregivers for protection against the effects of social factors associated with disadvantage and social exclusion. Furthermore, social determinants are profoundly influenced by social and political decisions that directly, and indirectly, impact children and families, despite being completely outside their control (Spencer, 2018) . The complex pathways in which social, economic, and political factors exert their effects on children are clearly illustrated by the case of children of immigrants growing up in mixed-status families in the United States (see Fig. 1 on page 3) . In the United States, one in four children lives with at least one immigrant parent (Zong, Batalova, & Hallock, 2018) . Additionally, 5.3 million children and youth are either growing up with an unauthorized parent or are unauthorized themselves. Specifically, 4.5 million children are U.S.-born citizens with at least one unauthorized parent, and 775,000 have unauthorized status themselves (Yoshikawa, Suárez-Orozco, & Gonzales, 2017) . In 2016, of the total number of children of immigrants in the United States, 25.2% were ages 0 to 5, while children ages 7 to 18 made up 26% of that po

FAQs

Who are considered children of immigrants in this research summary?

Children of immigrants are children under age 18 who live with at least one foreign-born parent.

What social conditions are linked to negative outcomes for these children?

Anti-immigrant climate, discriminatory social policies, and heightened immigration enforcement create persistent challenges that affect developmental outcomes.

What approach does the summary use to connect evidence to action?

It uses a public health framework and a systematic review of research sponsored by the Young Scholars Program, emphasizing action across family, school, neighborhood, and public policy levels.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob