Bullied Immigrant Youth, Emotional Distress, and Social Well-Being: Moderating Roles of Family and School

This study utilized data from a national survey on student health/well-being to examine the complex interrelations between bullying, social-emotional well-being, student-parent relationship quality, and feelings about school among immigrant youth in grades 7–10 from a strength-based perspective. Using structural equation modeling, we explored the moderating role of the quality of relationship between parents and youth on the link between bullying and emotional distress, as well as between bullying and social well-being, and how feelings about school influenced levels of emotional distress and social well-being in immigrant students. Analyses revealed significant relationships between all constructs, and that the quality of immigrant students’ relationships with parents and their feelings about school moderated the link between bullying and low emotional distress, but not social well-being. These findings suggest that interventions and policies focusing on two key microsystems surrounding immigrant youth—the home and school context—may minimize the adverse effects of bullying. Impact Statement The study’s findings and implications significantly enhance our systems-based understanding of the frequent bullying experiences faced by immigrant students. Beyond implementing school-wide interventions targeting bullying prevention, there is a valuable opportunity to bolster the family microsystem, fortifying the resilience of immigrant students confronted with bullying.