Risks to psychological and emotional health of immigrant children: Perspectives of multicultural workers and implications for policy and practice

Children of immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population and their health and wellbeing are very significant for Canada’s overall progress. Yet many of these children are exposed to emotional and... [ view full abstract ]

Children of immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population and their health and wellbeing are very significant for Canada’s overall progress. Yet many of these children are exposed to emotional and psychological challenges that can have an adverse impact on their health, cognitive development, education and long-term socio economic prospects. This paper reports on the findings of a pilot study that examined the experiences of multicultural community workers who work with immigrant families that are experiencing domestic violence and are involved with the child welfare and protection system. The study aimed to gain the perspectives of these workers on the impact on children of parental conflict and violence and the role of service providers in addressing this issue. The method employed to address the study objectives was focus group interviews using a semi-structured interview guide with multicultural workers of an organization that works closely with child welfare and health care providers. The multicultural workers provide long-term support to immigrant families experiencing conflict and violence. Results highlight that many children are at risk of exposure to prolonged family conflict and violence, in part due to the several challenges that families face and the fear and lack of trust many immigrants have for child welfare and protection services. Implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for policy and intervention are included as part of the conclusion.

Key words: immigrants, domestic violence, immigrant children