Sociopolitical Development among Latinx Child Farmworkers
Parissa J. Ballard,
Stephanie S. Daniel,
Taylor J. Arnold,
Jennifer W. Talton,
Joanne C. Sandberg,
Sara A. Quandt,
Melinda F. Wiggins,
Camila A. Pulgar,
Thomas A. Arcury
Affiliations
Parissa J. Ballard
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
Stephanie S. Daniel
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
Taylor J. Arnold
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
Jennifer W. Talton
Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
Joanne C. Sandberg
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
Sara A. Quandt
Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
Melinda F. Wiggins
Student Action with Farmworkers, 1200 Spaulding Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Camila A. Pulgar
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
Thomas A. Arcury
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
The objectives of the present study were to describe civic attitudes and behaviors among Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina, examine civic outcomes across relevant demographic characteristics, and discuss the implications for research on sociopolitical development among Latinx child farmworkers and for developmental theory. Descriptive statistics (count, percent, or mean, standard deviation as appropriate) were calculated for demographic and civic variables. Associations between the demographic variables and the four civic summary variables were calculated using Generalized Linear Models, the Kruskal–Wallis test, t-tests, or Chi-Square tests. Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina (N = 169; ages 11–19, Mage = 15.8, 62.7% boys) endorsed relatively high levels of beliefs that society is fair and connections/efficacy in their communities. They reported relatively low involvement in volunteering and political activity. Future work should examine how the daily lives and experiences of child farmworkers inform their developing ideas about civic life in the US and their behavioral participation as they mature.
