Intergenerational Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Migration Aspirations in Nicaragua

Adolescents' aspirations are strong predictors of their future outcomes, including later migration experiences. Adversity also shapes aspirations for and decisions about the future. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are measures of early exposure to adversity and may be associated with migration aspirations, though this relationship is understudied. Given high rates of gender-based violence, single-headed households, and economic insecurity, Nicaragua is an important context to study this relationship. Drawing on data from the Nicaragua Health and Stress Study, we estimate multinomial logistic regressions to examine the association between adolescents' and mothers' ACEs and adolescent migration aspirations. We find that mothers' ACEs, but not adolescents' ACEs, are positively associated with adolescent migration aspirations. We also find that girls are more likely than boys to aspire to migrate. Results highlight how family and gender work together to shape young people's migration goals, with important implications for migration flows within and outside of Central America.