Language brokering and immigrant-origin youth’s well-being: A meta-analytic review.

American Psychologist, Vol 77(8), Nov 2022, 921-939; doi:10.1037/amp0001035Youth from immigrant families often translate or interpret materials for their parents who lack proficiency in the dominant language of the mainstream society. However, evidence remains mixed regarding whether such a language brokering role is promotive or disruptive for youth’s well-being. This meta-analysis synthesized 65 studies (1,242 effect sizes, 17,791 individuals; grand Mage = 16.68, SDage = 4.78) to examine whether, how, and when brokering frequency and feelings were related to well-being. Language brokering frequency was inversely associated with youth’s positive family relationships (r = −.10) and socioemotional outcomes (r = −.10) and positively related to youth’s acculturation stress (r = .06). However, positive or negative language brokering feelings were stronger predictors of youth’ well-being or maladjustment (|r| = .10–.29). The associations between language brokering frequency and youth’s adjustment also varied across subgroups, with the effects of frequent language brokering being more detrimental for European immigrant-origin (vs. Latinx), female (vs. male), and foreign-born (vs. native-born) youth. These findings underscore the need for a nuanced understanding of the impacts of youth language brokering. Finally, practical and policy implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: American Psychologist - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research