Hispanics/Latinos have been a historically oppressed group in the United States for a large portion of the country’s history. According to the United States Census Bureau (2016), 17.6% of the United States’ population is of Hispanic/Latino origin. This makes Hispanic/Latino individuals the largest racial/ethnic minority category within the country (United, 2016). Despite being such a large portion of the country’s inhabitants, Hispanics/Latinos remain underserved and face discrimination. Children whose families identify as members of this oppressed population are faced with a unique set of stressors and barriers. For example, a potential stressor for a child with undocumented parents would be the fear of losing a parent due to immigration …show more content…
Parental attitudes toward mental health services affect the likelihood of children receiving services that may be necessary for overall wellbeing (Young & Rabiner, 2015). Another potential barrier for Hispanic/Latino children is the overall lack of parental involvement in school settings (Crosnoe & Ansari, 2015). In the United States, parental involvement in education is highly expected and perceived as necessary for academic success. Kornrich and Furstenberg (2013) and Lareau (2003), as cited in Crosnoe & Ansari (2015), discussed how white, middle class parents have heavily embraced the concept of parental …show more content…
Finally, barriers Hispanic/Latino children may be faced with are stereotypes held by individuals in the community and school system. For example, due to race and ethnicity, school counselors and educators typically have low expectations concerning Hispanic/Latino students’ academic performance (Cavazos, Cavazos, Hinojosa, & Silva, 2009). The myth is held that Hispanic/Latino students do not care about education, which is why they are more likely to drop out of school (Cavazos, Cavazos, Hinojosa, & Silva,