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A Qualitative View of Migration-Related Stressors on the Mental Health of Latinx Americans in the Current Sociopolitical Climate of Hostility Towards Migrants

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA027767) and the Population Research Center (P2CHD042849), awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology & Health Education, College of Education, University of Texas At Austin, 2109 San Jacinto Blvd., Stop D3700, Austin, TX, USA

    M. Pinedo

  2. Critical Social/Personality Psychology Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, USA

    J. Beltrán-Girón

  3. Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas At Austin, Austin, USA

    Z. Correa

  4. Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, & Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas At Austin, Austin, USA

    C. Valdez

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  1. M. Pinedo
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  3. Z. Correa
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  4. C. Valdez
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Correspondence to M. Pinedo.

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Pinedo, M., Beltrán-Girón, J., Correa, Z. et al. A Qualitative View of Migration-Related Stressors on the Mental Health of Latinx Americans in the Current Sociopolitical Climate of Hostility Towards Migrants. J Immigrant Minority Health 23, 1053–1064 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-021-01207-6

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