ABSTRACT
This chapter explores factors that affect the mental health of immigrant and migrant Hispanic children as they grow and develop. Adaptation among immigrant children and their families needs to be considered in a continuum that ranges from adaptation to maladjustment. The concept of risk implies the identification of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors that increase the probability of negative outcomes for children. The family is one of the most important aspects of life among Hispanic immigrants. The implication for mental health research and intervention is that families and children must be respected. Immigrant parents may resist the acculturation and assimilation of their children, since the marked differences between the host country’s values and those from the home country can precipitate parent-child conflict. Children of immigrant parents come from various socioeconomic backgrounds. A child’s perceptions and concepts about racial differences follow a developmental sequence similar to that of other perceptions and concepts about other factors.
