Novel Research Reveals Costs, Rewards of Youth Who Serve as Emotion Interpreters

Joining Subramoney as research co-authors for the most recent study were her longtime mentor, developmental psychology Professor Eric Walle, along with developmental psychology Professor Alexandra Main and Spanish linguistics Professor Dalia Magaña .

Nearly 420 UC Merced students of Latinx heritage were surveyed for the study. Results showed that emotion brokering occurred less frequently than language brokering but had a stronger emotional impact on the broker.

"A key finding is people who experience embarrassment while brokering emotion puts them at risk for poor mental health," Subramoney said.

The unpredictability of emotion brokering episodes was likely a key factor, Walle said.

"With language brokering, a child is mentally prepared to, say, interpret at a doctor's office," he said. "But I think of emotion brokering as more on the fly. The child has to either react in the moment or discuss it later."

The unexpected nature of emotion brokering can ramp up embarrassment and stress, increasing the risk of depressive symptoms. However, this is where the healing factors of family and culture can come into play. A child who learns to appreciate a role in their family can ward off shame with pride. Similar protections apply to young people who are comfortable with their cultural norms.

"I think a big predictor of whether you will feel embarrassed or proud is the quality of relationship you have with the person you're brokering for," Main said. "Not just how close it is, but how positive."

Latinx children and adolescents with an awareness of their family history can see interpreting as a form of giving back, Magaña said.

"Immigrants often leave everything behind and make these incredible journeys to the U.S., knowing they may not be welcomed in certain spaces but take that risk," she said. "The children recognize the parents sacrificed everything, so if they can broker language or emotions, they feel it's the least they can do."

Subramoney said the team's unprecedented research into emotion brokering will improve the tools of people who work with immigrant families, such as school counselors, health care workers and mental health professionals. The UC Merced research also could lead to folding emotion brokering into corporate training on cultural awareness.

A question on the survey of student participants asked at what age they first acted as an emotion broker.

"About half said they were younger than 9," Walle said. "For about a quarter of the participants, it was younger than 7."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.