IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joimai/v23y2022i3d10.1007_s12134-021-00900-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Paths to Self-Sufficiency for Youth Served Through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Foster Care Program in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Kerri Evans

    (University of Maryland Baltimore County)

  • Thomas M. Crea

    (Boston College School of Social Work)

  • Yoosun Chu

    (Keimyung University)

  • Christopher P. Salas-Wright

    (Boston College School of Social Work)

  • David Takeuchi

    (University of Washington)

  • Westy Egmont

    (Association of New Americans)

  • Carolina Todo-Bom-Mehta

    (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service)

Abstract

Self-sufficiency is a concept commonly used to explore well-being and success of adult refugees. Yet, this concept has not been widely applied to the integration of young adult refugees and immigrants who arrive to the United States unaccompanied and who enter foster care. Therefore, this study meets a gap in the literature by investigating self-sufficiency for immigrants who have recently discharged from the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) foster care program in the US. We analyze an administrative dataset client outcomes (n = 417) collected at discharge from the URM program from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service’s network of URM programs across the United States. This study uses a path analysis model to examine direct paths between the outcome variable: self-sufficiency and a series of predictor variables including educational attainment, English proficiency level, and employment. Another hypothesis was that length of time spent in the URM program will indirectly influence self-sufficiency through improved English and educational attainment. Lastly, we posited that country of origin will indirectly influence self-sufficiency through educational attainment level. Findings show direct and positive relationships between employment and self-sufficiency; English proficiency and self-sufficiency; and greater educational attainment and self-sufficiency. Additionally, increased months in the URM foster care program positively influence self-sufficiency indirectly through both English proficiency and educational attainment. Results suggest that service providers should consider education, employment, and English language development in their casework with URMs to ensure the best chances of self-sufficiency as they enter adulthood. Additionally, the limitations of this administrative dataset illuminate specific ways in which the agency could improve data collection procedures, and future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Kerri Evans & Thomas M. Crea & Yoosun Chu & Christopher P. Salas-Wright & David Takeuchi & Westy Egmont & Carolina Todo-Bom-Mehta, 2022. "Paths to Self-Sufficiency for Youth Served Through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Foster Care Program in the United States," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1471-1493, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:23:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12134-021-00900-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-021-00900-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12134-021-00900-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12134-021-00900-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Betancourt, T.S. & Frounfelker, R. & Mishra, T. & Hussein, A. & Falzarano, R., 2015. "Addressing health disparities in the mental health of refugee children and adolescents through community-based participatory research: A study in 2 communities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105, pages 475-482.
    2. Gee, G.C. & Walsemann, K.M. & Takeuchi, D.T., 2010. "English proficiency and language preference: Testing the equivalence of two measures," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(3), pages 563-569.
    3. Malin E. Wimelius & Malin Eriksson & Joakim Isaksson & Mehdi Ghazinour, 2017. "Swedish Reception of Unaccompanied Refugee Children—Promoting Integration?," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 143-157, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael Hollifield & Eric C. Toolson & Sasha Verbillis-Kolp & Beth Farmer & Junko Yamazaki & Tsegaba Woldehaimanot & Annette Holland, 2021. "Distress and Resilience in Resettled Refugees of War: Implications for Screening," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Justine L. Lewis, 2021. "Social Capital: Supportive of Bhutanese Refugees’ Integration in the United States," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 333-345, March.
    3. Min Ju Kim & Bridget K. Gorman, 2022. "Acculturation and Self-rated Health Among Asian Immigrants: The Role of Gender and Age," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(1), pages 89-114, February.
    4. Kathryn A. V. Clements & Diane Baird & Rebecca Campbell, 2020. "“It’s Hard to Explain.”: Service Providers’ Perspectives on Unaccompanied Minors’ Needs Based on Minors’ Forms of Immigration Relief," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 633-648, June.
    5. Zhang, Wei & Hong, Seunghye & Takeuchi, David T. & Mossakowski, Krysia N., 2012. "Limited English proficiency and psychological distress among Latinos and Asian Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(6), pages 1006-1014.
    6. Ro, Annie & Bostean, Georgiana, 2015. "Duration of U.S. stay and body mass index among Latino and Asian immigrants: A test of theoretical pathways," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 39-47.
    7. Isabel Goicolea & Anne Gotfredsen & Frida Jonsson & Ulrika Wernesjö, 2023. "The Promise of Belonging: Racialized Youth Subject Positions in the Swedish Rural North," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 695-713, June.
    8. Sarah Elizabeth Neville & Kira DiClemente-Bosco & Lila K. Chamlagai & Mary Bunn & Jordan Freeman & Jenna M. Berent & Bhuwan Gautam & Abdirahman Abdi & Theresa S. Betancourt, 2022. "Investigating Outcomes of a Family Strengthening Intervention for Resettled Somali Bantu and Bhutanese Refugees: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Annie Ro, 2014. "The Longer You Stay, the Worse Your Health? A Critical Review of the Negative Acculturation Theory among Asian Immigrants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, August.
    10. Mervyn Ian Sim Peng Chow & Aili Hanim Hashim & Ng Chong Guan, 2021. "Resilience in adolescent refugees living in Malaysia: The association with religiosity and religious coping," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 67(4), pages 376-385, June.
    11. Shamrova, Daria P. & Cummings, Cristy E., 2017. "Participatory action research (PAR) with children and youth: An integrative review of methodology and PAR outcomes for participants, organizations, and communities," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 400-412.
    12. Santosh Jatrana & Ken Richardson & Samba Siva Rao Pasupuleti, 2018. "The Effect of Nativity, Duration of Residence, and Age at Arrival on Obesity: Evidence from an Australian Longitudinal Study," VID Working Papers 1811, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    13. Michlig, Georgia J. & Johnson-Agbakwu, Crista & Surkan, Pamela J., 2022. "“Whatever you hide, also hides you”: A discourse analysis on mental health and service use in an American community of Somalis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:23:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12134-021-00900-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.