Undocumented parents teach Latino kids to be overly cautious

Parents who are undocumented immigrants are more likely than documented parents to teach mistrust to their children and to be wary of interactions with law enforcement personnel and non-Latinos, say University of Michigan researchers. These messages, in turn, can lead to higher levels of depression among those adolescents, they say. Ethnic-racial socialization is often used to prepare adolescents for life outside of the home and tends to be protective, says Fernanda Cross, assistant professor at the U-M School of Social Work and lead author of a new study on ethnic-racial socialization among undocumented Latino parents. Cross says the current presidential administration is overtly antagonistic toward undocumented Latino immigrants, in particular, who face the constant possibility of deportation and family separation. These pressures, she says, may have a significant impact on what and how Latino parents teach their children about ethnicity and race relations, including increasing children's awareness of the potential prejudices and barriers they will face because of their background. More than 100 Latino adolescents aged 13-17 and their mothers-documented or undocumented-completed the surveys in English or Spanish about their experiences, difficulties related to discrimination, mindsets and coping strategies. About 90% of the parents, regardless of documentation status, endorsed the importance of teaching children about ethnicity and racial pride, such as language, customs, tradition and history.