The Effect of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program on the Self-Concept of DACA Recipients

Abstract

This study investigated the role that the fluctuating status of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has on the self-concept and related components, self-esteem and self-concept clarity, of young adult DREAMers or DACA recipients (aged 21-35 years) throughout the U.S. Given the short period of time that the DACA program was in effect (2012-2017), researchers encountered many difficulties when attempting to study and understand the emotional and psychological effects experienced by DACAs, some of whom continue to live reclusive lives in fear of being deported. In fact, researchers have only just begun to explore DACA’s fluctuating impacts on the population. This study hypothesized that DACA recipients have a lower self-concept, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem than non-DACAs (legal residents and U.S. citizens). The study used self-reported measures of the participants’ general self-concept (Self Description Questionnaire III; Marsh & O’Neill, 1984), self-concept clarity (Self-Concept Clarity Scale; Campbell et al., 1996), and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; Rosenberg, 1979). To date, due to the ethical implications and liminal legalities (Menjívar, 2006) involved with the stigmatization of this minority immigrant group, no studies exist on how the program’s uncertainty affects the DREAMer self-concept, or the way members of this cohort perceive themselves. This research took place following the June 2020 Supreme Court verdict to reinstate the DACA program, following its 3-year long termination since September 2017. It is one of the first studies to examine the self-concept, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem of DACA recipients.