The Immigrant Paradox in the Problem Behaviors of Youth in the United States: A Meta‐analysis. Issue 2 (2nd February 2021) - Tilley, Jacqueline L.
Abstract : This meta‐analysis synthesizes the empirical data on problem behaviors among foreign‐ (G1) and U.S‐born (G2+) youth and explores the effects of immigrant status on youth internalizing and externalizing problems. A random effects meta‐regression with robust variance estimates summarized effect sizes for internalizing and externalizing problems across 91 studies ( N = 179, 315, M age = 13.98). Results indicated that G1 youth reported significantly more internalizing problems ( g = .06), and fewer externalizing problems than G2+ youth ( g = −.06). Gender and sample type moderated the effects. The findings provide a first‐step toward reconciling mixed support for the immigrant paradox by identifying for whom and under what conditions the immigrant experience serves as a risk or protective factor for youth.