Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies

Department

Child Development

First Reader/Committee Chair

Hyeungok Kang

Abstract

In recent decades, the United States has seen a growing anti-immigration climate marked by restrictive policies, racialized political rhetoric, and public discourse targeting immigrant communities. This environment has heightened fear, discrimination, and exclusion for immigrant families, especially those of Latinx origin, affecting daily life in schools, healthcare, and community spaces (Caballero et al., 2022; Roche et al., 2021). These families experience socio-emotional challenges, including anxiety, depression, and fear, alongside barriers to social and health services.

While research documents the harmful effects of anti-immigration policies and rhetoric on Latinx families, few interventions focus on protective factors that help Latinx families navigate these challenges. This project addresses that gap by developing a strengths-based workshop grounded in Latinx Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to promote families’ socio-emotional well-being through protective factors such as familism, counter-storytelling, and community building, rather than focusing solely on deficits or trauma.

By integrating LatCrit-informed protective factors, participating families will develop critical consciousness, recognize systemic oppression, and foster resilience. Families will draw on their strengths to reinforce family bonds, strengthen community connections, build resistance to systemic inequities, and actively engage in community empowerment.

Download

  Contact Author

Share

COinS