The Psychology of Immigration: Mental and Behavioral Needs of Immigrant Families with Deaf Children

Access to mental health, medical, and educational resources for immigrant families with d/Deaf and hard of hearing children is becoming ever more important. The immigrant population in the United States has increased and is predicted to continue increasing in the near future (Bhaskar, Arenas-Germosen, & Dick, 2013; Pitkin & Myers, 2011). In 2011, parents who immigrated and children with recent immigrant roots consisted of 22.5% of the total population in the United States. Parents and children with recent immigrant roots are projected to be 30.5% of the total United States population in 2040. Moreover, the number of D/deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children with recent immigrant roots is expected to increase (Gerner de Garcia, 1995). Currently, there is no research about how these families access medical, academic, and mental health resources. There is also no research exploring potential discrepancies in access to resources by immigrants compared to their American born peers. In 2011 the American Psychology Association (APA) Presidential Task Force on Immigration made a call for an evidence-based report. Subsequently, Crossroads: The psychology of immigration in the new century (2011) was developed to disseminate information regarding immigrants’ health needs in the way of awareness, recommendations for improvements in policy and resources, etc. The following review of literature uses a social psychology lens to inform service providers (i.e. healthcare professionals, teachers, psychologists, etc.) how to best support deaf people from an immigrant background and their various experiences.