Mental Health Consequences of Sociodemographic Risk and Deportation Fears in Latinx Families

What is it about?

In this study, which we conducted in collaboration with members of a community agency serving low income Latinx families, we assessed linguistically expressed deportation fears in mothers and examined its association with mental health in this community. We found that observed maternal deportation fears are linked with greater depression for both youth and mothers. However, these associations are only present when the family’s exposure to demographic stress is lower. Providers working with this community should assess which stressors loom largest in families’ lives (e.g., deportation fears, sociodemographic stressors) and target those in order to address familial mental health.

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Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Latinx families are disproportionately affected by sociodemographic risk factors such as poverty, which presents a risk for mental health issues and also increase the potential for barriers to mental health care. Mental health disparities among the Latinx community have been linked to recent immigration enforcement and threat of deportation. Our findings help to explicate the adverse consequences of anti-immigrant sentiment through the associations of deportation fear and psychopathology for Latinx youth and their immigrant parents, underscoring the importance of policy, rhetoric, and sociocultural shifts.

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