ABSTRACT
The large number of immigrants entering the United States since the latter part of the 20th century has resulted in a dramatic increase in the proportion of American children having foreign-born parents. Approximately one fifth of the children in this country have at least one immigrant parent, and the proportion is expected to increase over the next 20 to 30 years (Hernandez & Charney, 1998). Most of these children come from families with Latin American and Asian backgrounds, and, as a result, the majority of Latin American and Asian children in the United States have at least one foreignborn parent (Rumbaut, in press). These recent trends highlight the necessity for research examining the impact that immigration may have on family life and children’s development, particularly among Latin American and Asian immigrant families. The field of immigrant adaptation, however, has traditionally focused on the occupational and economic integration of adults, and has neglected taking sophisticated developmental approaches to the adjustment of children. Although research on children from immigrant families has increased in recent years, shedding light on the adaptation of this unique population, most studies have focused exclusively on the adolescent period. Almost nothing is known about the development of children from immigrant families during the years of middle childhood.
