A major source of stress for several Mexican and Central American families is the experience of immigration, which involves abrupt separation from family members and social and cultural discontinuities. The mental health costs of migration have also escalated in the context of sweeping immigration and welfare reforms. Understanding how Mexican and Central American immigrants in precarious legal statuses cope with the immigration experience remains an unexplored, yet an increasingly important issue from human rights and mental health policy perspectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of family separation, perceived stress, and coping strategies on the mental health status of Mexican and Central American immigrants. The sample consisted of 421 immigrants (204 males, 217 females) who have resided in the United States for 12 years or less. Sixty-five percentage of them was 35 years of age or younger. The majority came from Mexico (67%) followed by Honduras (14%), El Salvador (12%), and Guatemala (6%). Most of the respondents had limited formal schooling and reported living in households that earned less than $20,000 a year. Results indicated that almost 50% of the sample reported symptoms of depression. Family separation was associated with symptoms of depression, and that even legal status or male gender was not a protection for depression. Concerning the coping strategies, immigrants relied on cigarette smoking, seeking social support, avoidance, and problem solving strategies to manage the stress. Furthermore, immigrants who avoided thinking about their problems were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1.recognize the coping strategies used to deal with the process of immigration and settlement by immigrants from Mexico and Central American 2. assess the prevalence of depression among immigrants from Mexico and Central America 3.assess the variation of psychological risk/protective factors associated with mental health among immigrants
Keywords: Mental Health, Immigrants
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.