Objective: This study examined the scale and scope of family separation among Mexican immigrants in the United States and the association between family separation and immigrants' emotional health. Background: Prior research documents the negative consequences of family separation on the health of immigrants. However, population-level data on the exposure to family separation among Mexican immigrants living in the United States have been unavailable, leaving a gap in understanding the scale of its effects on immigrant emotional well-being. Methods: Using representative panel data from Waves 1 and 3 of the Mexican Family Life Survey, this study describes rates of separation from family members among a recent cohort of Mexican immigrants living in the United States. Next, the associations between family member separation (from a partner and/or offspring, or mother) and different dimensions of immigrant emotional health are assessed and gender differences in the association are also explored. Results: This study found that 24% of Mexican immigrants in the sample were separated from a partner and/or offspring and 79% were separated from a mother who lived in Mexico. For migrant women, separation from family members had negative consequences on multiple dimensions of emotional well-being whereas migrant men were less negatively impacted by family separation.
Conclusion:This study demonstrates that separation from one's partner and/or offspring, and mother, impose an emotional toll on newly arrived immigrant women, with implications for future health trajectories.
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