Painful Passages: Traumatic Experiences and Post-Traumatic Stress among Immigrant Latino Adolescents and their Primary Caregivers

This study provides prevalence data on migration-related trauma exposures and the development of PTSD symptoms, as well as the risk and protective factors that influence these outcomes among Latino immigrant adolescents and their caregivers. We used from the Latino Adolescent Migration, Health, and Adaptation Project (LAMHA), a population-based study of mental health, migration and acculturation among 281 immigrant Latino youth (ages 12-18) and their primary caregivers (ages 25-60) in North Carolina. We estimated the prevalence of traumatic experiences prior to migration, during migration, and post-migration. We also examined the relationship between these experiences, the manifestation of PTSD symptoms, and the prevalence of PTSD using the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale for caregivers and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) for the youth. Finally, we estimated adjusted models to assess which pre-migration, migration, and post-migration factors were associated with exposure to trauma and which factors either exacerbate or mitigate the risk for PTSD. High percentages of Latino immigrant caregivers and their adolescent children had experienced a traumatic event (29% of youth and 34% of caregivers). Among adolescents, 10% had TSCC scores indicating difficulty or clinical significance. For caregivers, 18% reported at least one PTSD symptom. Adjusted models suggest that discrimination and living in an unsafe neighborhood increase risk of PTSD symptomatology for both adolescents and their caregivers. PTSD risk among caregivers was also increased for those that entered the US with documentation and who spoke only Spanish.