Crossroads: The Psychology of Immigration in the New Century

lesbian, gay, bisexual, disabilities, education, educational paradox,
assessment, testing, immigrant paradox, epidemiological paradox,
Latino paradox, anxiety, depression, intervention, best practice, and
evidence-based practices, among others.
The terms Latino, Hispanic, Asian, African, and Caribbean were
cross-referenced with these same terms, considering whether
or not first- and second-generation immigrants were part
of the study. The focus was on research conducted in the
U.S. context. In keeping with good practice with diverse
populations (APA, 2010c), we included quantitative as well
as qualitative and mixed-methods research as available. To
promote effective psychological practice, the best-available
research was integrated “with clinical expertise in the
context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences”
(APA, 2005).
We found notable patterns of limitations to the available
data. There was relatively little empirical research in the
literature to guide clinical interventions by mental health
service providers for immigrant adults, children, older
adults, and families. There was a paucity of evidence
to determine which interventions were likely to be
efficacious within and across particular immigrant groups
because of lack of systematic evaluations of immigrantgroup-specific
interventions. As is the case with services
for ethnic minority groups (U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services, 2001), some potentially excellent
mental health care delivered to immigrants has not been
documented or studied in standardized ways. Thus, we made
recommendations for practice-based evidence as potential
guides for intervention and for setting directions for needed
research based on available evidence.
This report attempts to include data representing immigrants
from a wide array of origins, though there were several
challenges to this task. First, immigrants originating
from Spanish-speaking countries have been arriving
through long-standing immigration corridors over several
generations, and as a result, Latinos constitute the largest
group of immigrants to the United States (U.S. Census
Bureau, 2010). Thus, not surprisingly, the preponderance
of research on immigrant populations in the United States
has been conducted with immigrants of Latino origin.
Second, most studies of Latinos and Asians do not specify or
differentiate immigrants from later-generation descendants.
Therefore, it was not always possible to report on evidence
specific to immigrants versus Latino and Asian Americans.
Third, because of the sheer range of origins of immigrants
to the United States, it is beyond the scope of this report to
represent every immigrant group.
Presentation of the Data
This report begins by providing an overview of the new
wave of immigration, briefly considering the principal
motivations that propel migration as well as demographic
profiles of the U.S. immigrant population based on
multidisciplinary research from demography, sociology, and
economics. Recognizing the significance of the receiving
social context to psychological functioning, the report
considers the role of social attitudes toward immigrants,
discrimination, and neighborhood contexts in immigrant
adaptation.
The next section examines two of the central contributions
of psychology to immigration research—acculturation and
identity formation. The report then considers challenges
relevant to several vulnerable populations and specific
developmental challenges across the life span. Next, the
report addresses issues central to the field of psychology: the
assessment and testing of immigrants and second-language
learners in educational contexts and clinical settings.
The educational setting, a context critical to the wellbeing
and future success of the children of immigrants,
is also considered. The report examines the important
mental health challenges of immigrants in clinical
settings, addressing classic presenting problems as well as
issues pertinent to diagnosis, assessment, treatment, and
intervention.
The concluding chapter reviews the demographic
imperative of attending to issues related to immigrantorigin
individuals and their families, considers the current
implications of evidence to the field of psychology, and
draws conclusions about where psychology should be
going as a field to better serve the immigrant population.
The report ends with a series of bulleted recommendations
for culturally and developmentally informed services and
supports, research, education and training, and collaboration
and advocacy. The report also provides a Glossary for
definitions of commonly used terms in the field.
14 Report of the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration