Soy El Primero: First-Generation Latino/a College Students' Experiences of Acculturative Stress and Coping Response in College

Abstract

First-generation Latino/a student enrollment in U.S. Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) is increasing. However, first-generation Latino/a students' ability to persist and graduate from PWIs has been and continues to be a pressing concern. The climate of the PWI campus caters to the prevailing norms and practices of white students and likely contributes to first-generation Latino/a students’ experiences of acculturative stress on the college campus. This phenomenological research study explored the acculturative stress experienced by first-generation Latino/a students attending PWIs, as well as their subsequent coping responses to this stress. Study findings revealed several on- and off-campus causes of acculturative stress and several coping responses, some of which were more successful than others. Recommendation for PWI policy and practices are offered.