Latinx immigrants’ psychological sense of community: variation by immigration status across divergent U.S. policy contexts

Abstract

An immigrant’s experiences in their new community can shape their development of psychological sense of community (PSOC) in relation to this community. Development of PSOC is likely the result of a complex interplay of individual and community characteristics. This study examined the effects of immigration status on PSOC among 407 Latinx immigrants living in four different contexts in the United States. Immigrants living in contexts with more restrictive immigration-related policies were hypothesized to have weaker PSOC with their receiving communities. It was further hypothesized that PSOC would vary according to immigration status, such that the PSOC of immigrants without an authorized immigration status would be more negatively impacted by context than the PSOC of authorized or naturalized immigrants. Results of a 4x3 ANCOVA suggested that PSOC varied by immigration status, as immigrants without immigration authorization reported the weakest PSOC. No effect was observed for context. Further, the longer immigrants had lived in the United States, the stronger their reported PSOC. Therefore, community-level interventions directed at newer immigrants and immigrants with precarious legal statuses may be especially helpful in developing PSOC. Future research on PSOC should be conducted between additional variables that make up a community’s context of reception.