Socioeconomic resources, parenting, and child development among immigrant families

Children from immigrant families represent one of the fastest growing groups of children in the United States today. After almost four decades of rising immigration since the 1965 changes in immigration laws, approximately one-fifth of American children have at least one foreign-born parent (Hernandez & Charney, 1998). This proportion is expected to grow in the years ahead, as the 1990s saw a record number of immigrants enter the United States. Children from immigrant families also constitute the vast majority of children with Latin American and Asian backgrounds, two of the fastest growing ethnic minority groups in the United States (Rumbaut, in press). Given the notable presence of children from immigrant families in the general population, as well as the significant challenges they face as newcomers to the United States, it is imperative for social scientists to understand how this unique group adjusts and becomes integrated into American society.