It's a phenomenon that's continued for over 30 years and seems not to be abating. There are many reasons that we can say as to why this is happening; many of the girls are the children of immigrants and there we see generational differences and acculturation all differences. Differences between themselves and their parents parents who want to subscribe to the old ways of their countries of origin and the girls who are adapting to a new world different from that of their parents.
This can cause a great deal of family stress and perhaps even for the girl to isolate from her parents and not tell,tell them about the stresses she's going through. Because of the differences between what they expect of her and what the world outside of home expects of her.It's something that clinicians have to keep in mind as they work with these young, this young population of Latina girls, and boys as well.
One of the ways that we can begin to intervene as providers is to be able to identify them,in schools and in clinics, the girls that are more likely to attempt. We might start with the girls of immigrants, where the girl is either born in the country that their parents come from or is the first generation in this country. There we can begin to see the stresses those stresses appear most likely during the middle school years; 6th, 7th, 8th grade when the girls independence is blossoming.
And, the school is expecting more independent behavior and so are her peers. The parents may not want to see their daughters express that independence because that's not the way a quote "girl should act" end quote. And, the parents are subscribing to another way of girls socialization and behavior that comes from a different era, a different time, a different place. As teachers guidance counselors social workers we can identify those girls in the school, just simply by finding out if their parents are immigrants or not, and beginning to talk to them about the differences they might have with their parents. It might be done through groups that may be the best way so that takes away the stigma of being called in, groups in which the girls might be asked about the differences between them and their parents.
What's going on in their lives,what is it like to live in an immigrant home, so they too can understand what it's like for their parents. Who have had a different experiences from their own to understand their daughters. That is to say that we can present, as as professionals, something about the experiences that parents had when they were growing up in their countries of origin and how that differs from what the girl encounters today.
But that's not enough, we need to think about how we get parents in so they too can understand the stresses, the strains, the demands on their daughters. Parents too will want to understand their daughters but, they need to understand too what it's like being a teenager in contemporary America. Where it's different from their home countries and in the times that they were growing up. We might explain to parents that really there are two different adolescent experiences; the ones that they had in their countries and the ones that their child is having now.
We have to trust in the fact that parents love their daughters and want the best for them and we have to help the parents come along and understand what it's like to be a teenager today. As clinicians we have a role to play in preventing the suicide attempts of young Latins, and we can't forget the boys they too need our attention, and similar approaches can be used. Parents love their children, parents love their daughters, and their sons, and they want them to be happy and healthy. We as teachers, social workers, counselors can step in and pave a better future for these families. Thank you.
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