Which population shows better mental health and school performance on average?

Which population shows better mental health and school performance on average?

• A. US-born peers
• B. Immigrant adolescents
• C. Native country adolescents
• D. Older adolescents

Answer: (B)

Immigrant adolescents often show better mental health and school performance on average, a pattern known as the immigrant paradox. Protective factors like strong family support, cultural emphasis on education, and motivation to succeed help buffer stress and keep students engaged in school, leading to typically stronger outcomes despite facing challenges that come with adapting to a new country. Because of these buffering factors, immigrant adolescents tend to outperform their US-born peers in these areas. The other groups don’t capture this effect: US-born peers can experience acculturation-related stress, adolescents in the native country are in a different educational context, and “older adolescents” refers to a developmental stage rather than a population with distinct immigration experiences.

Immigrant adolescents often show better mental health and school performance on average, a pattern known as the immigrant paradox. Protective factors like strong family support, cultural emphasis on education, and motivation to succeed help buffer stress and keep students engaged in school, leading to typically stronger outcomes despite facing challenges that come with adapting to a new country. Because of these buffering factors, immigrant adolescents tend to outperform their US-born peers in these areas. The other groups don’t capture this effect: US-born peers can experience acculturation-related stress, adolescents in the native country are in a different educational context, and “older adolescents” refers to a developmental stage rather than a population with distinct immigration experiences.