Open AccessA Qualitative View of Migration-Related Stressors on the Mental Health of Latinx Americans in the Current Sociopolitical Climate of Hostility Towards Migrants
Author(s) -
Miguel Pinedo,
J. Beltrán-Girón,
Zélia Corrêa,
Carmen R. Valdez
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of immigrant and minority health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.758
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1557-1920
pISSN - 1557-1912
DOI - 10.1007/s10903-021-01207-6
Subject(s) - stressor , mental health , hostility , public health , immigration , qualitative research , psychology , social stress , clinical psychology , gerontology , medicine , psychiatry , political science , sociology , social science , nursing , law
This qualitative study aimed to elucidate and contextualize which and how migration-related stressors may influence Latinx Americans' (i.e., US-born; US-citizens) mental health status, including substance misuse. In 2019, a community sample of 22 Latinx Americans were recruited for an in-depth qualitative interview. Eligibility criteria included: being an adult, self-identify as Latinx, report a migration-related stressor, and report at least one symptom of a mental health or substance use problem. Open-ended questions focused on the migrant experience, perceptions and impacts of immigration enforcement, and how these experiences related to their mental health. Using a migration as a social determinant framework, we identified several migration-related stressors at the structural- and social-level of environmental influence that were related to participants' mental health. Findings highlight how migration-related stressors at the structural- and social-level of influence create systematic uncertainty by inducing fear into the daily lives of Latinx Americans.