Undocumented Immigrants Essay

Little research has been done on the serious effects of psychological distress on undocumented immigrants. A research conducted by literature review (Arobona, 2010) found that only two published studies were done to examine the mental health status of undocumented immigrants. Several other articles related to this issue were found to examine the daily lives of undocumented immigrants or were studies aimed at describing the hardship of these individuals. Although little research has been done, insufficient evidence in this issue is still uncertain of the potential psychological distress has on undocumented children and what potential it has on the learning ability for students in school. One possibility why evidence-based studies have not been conducted is due to the sensitivity of the subject and the lack of participation of the population. Sullivan and Rehm (2005) suggest that researchers may be hesitant to study this population because of perceptions that undocumented immigrants are not going to want to disclose their status. Additionally, researchers may fear that directly asking about undocumented status may affect the participants’ willingness to participate in the study and create a sense of mistrust (Arbona, 2010). Many …show more content…
One of the greatest barriers cited by 56% of undocumented students and was prominent over lack of resources, being illegally in the U.S, or discrimination was the ability to “learn English” (Gaytan, 2007). Undocumented children have a tough time adjusting to the unfamiliar environment along with a new language. In most cases, these youths will have access to basic K-12 education, so they often acculturate to U.S. language and culture norms more quickly than do their parents. This can be difficult in the early phases of adjustment, but it does bring some benefit in terms of language proficiency, educational opportunity and

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