Identifying the Concerns of Mexican Immigrant Mothers in a Home Visiting Intervention

Background and study purpose. Mexican immigrant mothers and their children experience multiple risks as they adapt to life in the US. A challenge for researchers is to partner with this population in prevention programs that have high relevance in addressing their needs. The purpose of this study is to describe problems that Mexican immigrant women revealed during a home visiting intervention study.

Methods. This study is a secondary analysis of home visiting records from the Mexican American Problem Solving Program. Participants were Mexican immigrant mothers (n=302) of 4th and 5th grade children in the Chicago area. The intervention involved nurses and mothers working together to solve problems identified by mothers. Home visiting records were kept by nurses delivering the intervention to assure fidelity. Included in the records was a description of problems mothers wanted to discuss. Data were abstracted from 121 home visiting records and were recorded on a coding form. The research team then grouped the problems into like categories, and recorded the number of times problems were discussed. Problem frequencies were entered into SPSS for descriptive statistics.

Findings. Nine categories of problems were identified as well as the percentage of women who discussed them. Frequent problems discussed were related to physical and mental health needs of their families as well as parenting concerns, family relationship problems and financial stress.

Conclusions. Study findings provide direction for prevention programs aimed at addressing salient needs to Mexican immigrant mothers of school aged children.