Source 1

Title: Waking Up from the American Dream 

Author: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

The purpose of Villavicencio’s work is to provide insight into growing up as an undocumented immigrant with undocumented immigrant parents. This is to showcase the wide range of challenges faced ranging from education to economic disparities for her targeted audience of anyone interested in the experience of undocumented children in America, especially policymakers as she tries to gain empathy in hopes of a better future for children of immigrants. In her piece, she discusses her and her family’s personal challenges, especially her parents who work difficult blue collar jobs as she navigates America and the education system herself while simultaneously trying to help her parents. It’s relevant to the topic because the author experiences pressures and difficulties in terms of her education that I plan on highlighting in my writing. It’s unique as it’s a personal narrative, which can be considered weak due to manipulation of details. However, her writing is extremely detailed which shows the authenticity behind her narrative. 

Source 2

Title: The Hidden Stress of Growing Up a Child of Immigrants

Author: Nicole Clark

The purpose of this source is to shed light on the unique challenges and stressors faced by individuals who are the second generation of immigrant families. The article delves into the complexities of navigating two cultural identities and the pressure to succeed academically and professionally. Clark highlights the often overlooked psychological impact of immigration on the second generation, shedding light on the hidden stressors that can affect their well-being and the cultural stigma surrounding mental health. There’s a wide range of audience that this source could be written for such as the general public that’s curious about the second-generation immigrant experience, mental health professionals, educators, and policymakers, all which can gain a deeper understanding of life of second generation immigrants. It’s relevant to the topic because the different experiences and focal points is what I plan on discussing in my writing. It has unique features of including multiple narratives while weaving the author’s own experiences, which is also a strength considering how all of the different narratives share similar emotions of stress and hopelessness. 

Source 3

Title: Children of Immigrants and Their Mental Health Needs

Author: Hannah Todd and Eliza Martin

The purpose of this work is to explore and address the mental health needs of children with immigrant backgrounds. The authors aim to contribute to the understanding of the barriers in accessing mental health resources amongst children of immigrants. The source discusses factors such as financial difficulties and difficulty in accessing the resources, then going into possible solutions. It has a possible targeted audience of policymakers in an attempt to reduce these barriers by passing more public assistance programs that immigrants and their children are eligible for. It has great relevance to the topic and my work, because a great portion of my writing discusses the barriers to accessing mental health struggles. A unique feature of the source is that there isn’t much explicit citation as the authors weave it into their writing without interrupting the flow. The strength of this piece is the structure that first goes into the problem then possible solutions and the next steps to address the problem. 

Source 4

Title: Living up to the American Dream: The Influence of Family on Second-Generation Immigrants 

Author: Nicole Palmeri 

The purpose of the research paper is to explore the concept of biculturalism and its effects. The study focuses on the bicultural identity of second-generation immigrants who identify both as American and another culture. The research investigates the influence of family on bicultural identity and psychological distress in second-generation immigrants with 39 research participants. The findings emphasize the impact of family dynamics on the mental well-being of second-generation immigrants navigating bicultural identities. The audience this is written for are those interested in understanding the psychological well-being and identity development of second-generation immigrants like psychologists. The strength of the source is that it’s a simple research paper that includes many statistics and use of facts, making it credible. A weakness of the source is the results of the study that found a lack of relationship between some of the study’s hypotheses. 

Source 5

Title: The Social Mobility of Immigrants and Their Children

Authors: Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Will Somerville, and Madeleine Sumption 

The purpose of this work is to analyze the social mobility of immigrants and their children. The authors aim to understand the factors influencing the upward or downward social mobility of immigrants and how the experiences of the second generation differ from those of their immigrant parents. The work explores different aspects of social mobility, including economic opportunities, education, cultural integration, and the impact of immigration policies. The authors use statistical data and case studies to provide an analysis of how immigrants navigate and contribute to the nation they’ve immigrated to. The work is likely written for a diverse audience, including policymakers, researchers, academics, and individuals interested in immigration issues. It’s relevant to the topic because social mobility is a critical aspect of the American Dream that in part puts pressure on second-generation immigrants. The source has unique features such as case studies from different countries, comparative analyses, and recommendations for policymakers. A weakness is the biases of the authors relying heavily on data from specific regions, and a strength is addressing both social mobility of first and second generation immigrants as a means of comparison. 

Source 6: 

Title: Coping and physical well-being among first, 1.5, and second generation immigration immigrants from of non-European descent 

Author: Jacob R. Stein

The purpose of this work is to investigate the similarities and differences in coping strategies and physical well-being among non-white individuals who are first-generation, 1.5-generation, and second-generation immigrants due to the generational gap. The paper conducts a study in which 3 hypotheses are tested regarding coping strategies, physical well-being, and their relationship to each other. It uses different scales to measure each, and the study found that overall, there weren’t much differences between 1.5-generation and second-generation. This could be written for a targeted audience of psychologists who are trying to better understand the coping strategies and well-being of each generation to better address the issues. It’s relevant to the topic because coping strategies are a part of mental health, and a key thing I discuss in my writing is the differences in trauma and barriers faced by first and second generation immigrants. A strength of the source is the lengthy background information that goes over terms and important details useful to know for readers.