393 Tactics and social navigation under stress: adolescent agency while transiting ‘unaccompanied’

PTH 8: Miscellaneous 1, B304 (FCSH), September 5, 2025, 11:30 - 12:30 Millions of adolescents have entered the US as ‘unaccompanied’ minors by crossing overland from Latin America. Although several studies have examined their emotional health once settled in the US, or while temporarily resettled in Mexico, few examine time in transit. Aim We propose to examine narratives of journey experiences while transiting from South/Central America through Mexico to understand coping strategies under duress. Methods In the mixed methods CAMINANDO study of unaccompanied minors recently resettled in New York, youth were invited to share their journey. Using an inductive approach, we examined the journey narratives of 15 youth who migrated at ages 15-17 from Latin America. Results Youth’s northbound transit narratives emphasized tactics and social navigation to maneuver around obstacles in order to continue on their trips. For some youth these strategies appeared a source of pride, while others’ accounts were more pragmatic. Narratives juxtaposed descriptions of details of familiar objects such as types of trees that served as unofficial landmarks delineating crossroads in their journeys, with descriptions of decision making and calculated risk-taking to allow their journeys to proceed. Youth described interactions with other youth, (migrants, as well as host country origin) which highlighted strategies they had used to circumvent restrictions and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, evidencing ways in which they rationalized their possibilities for achieving their goal of continuing their journey. Vignettes shared by youth also described their positionality vis-a-vis other migrants whom they saw as especially vulnerable (e.g. pregnant women) and for whom they appeared willing to prioritize limited resources. Conclusion Narratives simultaneously reflected childlike optimism, and pragmatic resourcefulness in problem solving when survival was at risk. Examination of trajectory narratives reveal tactics and social navigation used under duress and can serve as an informative lens through which to observe evolving decision making skills, resilience and agency in these adolescents.