ABSTRACT
Immigration is a complex process that affects families at multiple levels. Since the previous chapters were focused mostly on adults’ outcomes, such as economic and social achievements, this chapter presents an overview of the impact of immigration on children and youth in immigrant families. Immigration impacts children in many ways, mostly through parents’ childrearing practices. The impact of cultural and religious values that determine parenting behaviors such as conflict management or parental involvement in education are discussed. These issues are important to be known when working with immigrant families in different types of social services like family therapy or parenting programs. Child and youth outcomes such as academic achievement and psychological functioning are discussed. The chapter includes three major sections. The first presents findings regarding Eastern European immigrant children around the world. The second section is based on our own research on Eastern European immigrant children and youth in the United States and presents several country-specific examples of parenting strategies and children outcomes. The last part of the chapter illustrates how the post-communist economic transitions and migration impact children living in Eastern Europe.
