Resilience Through Language, Culture, and Community: A Qualitative Study of Multilingual and Multicultural Families

Nilvio Alexander Punguil Bravo; Naomi Rahn; Kristen Linzmeier; Brooke Winchell

doi:10.66815/ajqr/19257

Nilvio Alexander Punguil Bravo ¹ ^* , Naomi Rahn ², Kristen Linzmeier ², Brooke Winchell ²

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 4, pp. 148-171

https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19257

OPEN ACCESS 39 Views 11 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how multilingual and multicultural immigrant families draw upon their cultural and linguistic assets to navigate challenges and foster resilience during the adaptation process. Using a strengths-based framework, a secondary qualitative analysis was conducted using narrative interview data from 15 multilingual immigrant mothers participating in a statewide early childhood evaluation. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach to examine how resilience emerged through participants’ lived experiences. Findings show how families used cultural practices, heritage language, and community engagement as tools for coping and adaptation. Three main themes of resilience were identified: (1) language as a link to cultural heritage, (2) cultural traditions as anchors of identity, and (3) community participation as access to social support and belonging. Results demonstrate that resilience operates as an everyday, culturally grounded process shaped through relational and community practices. These findings extend existing understandings of immigrant family resilience by highlighting how multiple forms of cultural wealth work together to support well-being. Implications for educational practice and policy include the importance of recognizing and supporting families’ cultural and linguistic assets.

Keywords: community, cultural wealth, immigrant families, language, resilience

References

Alshabani, N., Godfrey, L. B., Taknint, J. T., Sahib, W., Atari-Khan, R., & Price, K. (2025). Intergenerational resilience in the context of historical and ongoing trauma. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 11(2), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000446
Arce, M. A., Kumar, J. L., Kuperminc, G. P., & Roche, K. M. (2020). “Tenemos que ser la voz”: Exploring resilience among Latina/o immigrant families in the context of restrictive immigration policies and practices. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 79, 106–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.08.006
Barua, H., & Maheshwari, N. (2025). The interplay between migration and self-identity: A structured review using TCCM and bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1563508
Bekteshi, V. (2024). Decoding acculturative stress and psychological distress in Mexican immigrant women: Insights from a path mediation analysis. BMC Women’s Health, 24(1), 667. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03494-1
Brance, K., Chatzimpyros, V., & Bentall, R. P. (2024). Social identity, mental health and the experience of migration. British Journal of Social Psychology, 63(4), 1681–1700. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12745
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brodsky, A., Buckingham, S., Fedi, A., Gattino, S., Rochira, A., Altal, D., & Mannarini, T. (2022). Resilience and empowerment in immigrant experiences: A look through the transconceptual model of empowerment and resilience. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 92(5), 564–577. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000634
D’Costa, S., Leverett, P., Rodriguez, A., Uribe, A., & Fife, Q. (2025). Community cultural wealth: Supporting migrant youth in schools. School Psychology Review, 54(5), 578–590. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2024.2377955
deSouza, D. K., Lin, H., & Cox, R. B. (2023). Immigrant parents and children navigating two languages: A scoping review. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 15(1), 133–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12484
Doty, J. (2019). Resilience in immigrant and refugee families. In J. Ballard, E. Wieling, C. Solheim, & L. Dwanyen (Eds.), Immigrant and refugee families: Global perspectives on displacement and resettlement experiences (2nd ed., pp. 176–197). University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. https://doi.org/10.24926/8668.2901
Estrada-Moreno, I. S., Palma-Garcia, M. D. L. O., Gomez Jacinto, L., & Hombrados-Mendieta, M. I. (2026). Resilience in immigrants: A facilitating resource for their social integration. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 35(3), 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2024.2447274
García Coll, C. T., & Marks, A. K. (Eds.). (2012). The immigrant paradox in children and adolescents: Is becoming American a developmental risk? American Psychological Association. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1chs7p0
Gendron, A. (2024). Identity and sense of belonging in second-generation immigrants of Montréal [Master’s thesis, Concordia University]. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/995011/1/Gendron_MA_S2025.pdf
Gillen, M., Goodman, A., Danaher, F., Bosson, R., Greenwald, M., & Jasrasaria, R. (2024). Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience among Im/Migrant Families: Child Mental Health Outcomes and Psychosocial Mechanisms of Transmission. Health, 16(10), 888–920. https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2024.1610063
Johnson, D. J., Chuang, S. S., & Glozman, J. (Eds.). (2022). Re/formation and identity: The intersectionality of development, culture, and immigration. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86426-2
Karpava, S. (2021). Heritage language use, maintenance and transmission by second-generation immigrants in Cyprus. In D. Turcanu-Carutiu (Ed.), Heritage—New Paradigm. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98634
Kerker, B. D., Barajas-Gonzalez, R. G., Rojas, N. M., Norton, J. M., & Brotman, L. M. (2024). Enhancing immigrant families’ mental health through the promotion of structural and community-based support. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1382600. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1382600
Kim, H. H., & Vietze, D. L. (2023). Using narrative inquiry for exploring biculturalism and resilience in Korean American young adults in New York City. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12711
Kim, S. Y., Chen, Q., Wang, Y., Shen, Y., & Orozco-Lapray, D. (2013). Longitudinal linkages among parent-child acculturation discrepancy, parenting, parent-child sense of alienation, and adolescent adjustment in Chinese immigrant families. Developmental Psychology, 49(5), 900–912. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029169
La Barbera, M. (2015). Identity and migration: An introduction. In M. La Barbera (Ed.), Identity and migration in Europe: Multidisciplinary perspectives (pp. 1–13). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10127-9_1
Luthar, S. S., & Cicchetti, D. (2000). The construct of resilience: Implications for interventions and social policies. Development and Psychopathology, 12(4), 857–885. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400004156
Masten, A. S. (2014). Global perspectives on resilience in children and youth. Child Development, 85(1), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12205
Masten, A. S. (2025). Ordinary magic: Resilience in development (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Motti-Stefanidi, F., & Masten, A. S. (2017). A resilience perspective on immigrant youth adaptation and development. In N. J. Cabrera & B. Leyendecker (Eds.), Handbook on positive development of minority children and youth (pp. 19–34). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43645-6_2
Motti-Stefanidi, F., & Masten, A. S. (2020). Immigrant youth resilience: Integrating developmental and cultural perspectives. In D. Güngör & D. Strohmeier (Eds.), Contextualizing immigrant and refugee resilience: Cultural and acculturation perspectives (pp. 11–31). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42303-2_2
Omole, W. (2024). Impact of migration on identity formation: A study of second-generation immigrants. International Journal of Humanity and Social Sciences, 2, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.47941/ijhss.1883
Park, S. (2025). Breaking barriers to immigrant parental engagement: A systematic review and policy implications. Policy Futures in Education, 24(3), 401–419. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103251381948
Peña, C., Jones, L., Orange, A., Simieou, F., & Márquez, J. (2018). Academic success and resiliency factors: A case study of unaccompanied immigrant children. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 2(1), 161–181. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/5797
Rafieifar, M., Gallegos, T. A., & Praetorius, R. T. (2025). Understanding family dynamics in mixed-status families: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis. Child & Family Social Work, Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.70006
Saleebey, D. (1996). The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social Work, 41(3), 296–305.
Sametband, I., & Strong, T. (2017). Immigrant family members negotiating preferred cultural identities in family therapy conversations: A discursive analysis. Journal of Family Therapy, 40(2), 201–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12164
Scharp, K., Geary, D., Wolfe, B., Wang, T., & Fesenmaier, M. (2020). Understanding the triggers and communicative processes that constitute resilience in the context of migration to the United States. Communication Monographs, 88, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2020.1856395
Song, J., & Wu, A. E. (2024). Intergenerational autoethnography of heritage language maintenance: Focusing on emotion, identity, and power. The Modern Language Journal, 108(S1), 14–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12898
Suárez-Orozco, C., Motti-Stefanidi, F., Marks, A., & Katsiaficas, D. (2018). An integrative risk and resilience model for understanding the adaptation of immigrant-origin children and youth. American Psychologist, 73(6), 781–796. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000265
Talleyrand, R., Bailey, C. G., Saldana, M., Tran, J. T., & Li, Z. (2022). Exploring migration experiences of undocumented latinx youth through a qualitative lens: Implications for mental health providers. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 6(3), 269–286. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12654
Tate, J. A., & Happ, M. B. (2018). Qualitative secondary analysis: A case exemplar. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 32(3), 308–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2017.09.007
Ungar, M. (2006). Resilience across cultures. British Journal of Social Work, 38(2), 218–235. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcl343
U.S. Department of Education. (2023). Family engagement to support immigrant and multilingual families [Family Engagement Learning Series brief]. U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/documents/family-community/support-immigrant-multilingual-families.pdf
Walsh, F. (2021). Family resilience: A dynamic systemic framework. In M. Ungar (Ed.), Multisystemic resilience: Adaptation and transformation in contexts of change (pp. 255–270). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190095888.003.0015
Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/1361332052000341006

Citation

Punguil Bravo, N. A., Rahn, N., Linzmeier, K., & Winchell, B. (2026). Resilience Through Language, Culture, and Community: A Qualitative Study of Multilingual and Multicultural Families. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(4), 148-171. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19257

Punguil Bravo, N. A., Rahn, N., Linzmeier, K., and Winchell, B. (2026). Resilience Through Language, Culture, and Community: A Qualitative Study of Multilingual and Multicultural Families. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(4), pp. 148-171. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19257

Punguil Bravo NA, Rahn N, Linzmeier K, Winchell B. Resilience Through Language, Culture, and Community: A Qualitative Study of Multilingual and Multicultural Families. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2026;10(4), 148-171. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19257

Punguil Bravo, Nilvio Alexander, Naomi Rahn, Kristen Linzmeier, and Brooke Winchell. "Resilience Through Language, Culture, and Community: A Qualitative Study of Multilingual and Multicultural Families". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2026 10 no. 4 (2026): 148-171. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19257

Punguil Bravo, Nilvio Alexander et al. "Resilience Through Language, Culture, and Community: A Qualitative Study of Multilingual and Multicultural Families". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 10, no. 4, 2026, pp. 148-171. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19257

Punguil Bravo NA, Rahn N, Linzmeier K, Winchell B. Resilience Through Language, Culture, and Community: A Qualitative Study of Multilingual and Multicultural Families. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2026;10(4):148-71. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19257