Beyond undocumented: Differences in the mental health of Latinx undocumented college students

Abstract

Undocumented college students face several threats to their well-being and mental health. Different social locations, including whether students have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, students’ gender, and family factors may shape students’ ability to be well. How these factors work together to shape mental health outcomes among undocumented Latinx college students is not well understood. This study examines several factors (demographic, familial, immigration, and socioeconomic factors) associated with anxiety scores of undocumented Latinx college students who participated in the UndocuScholars Project national online survey in 2014. We observe three notable findings: (1) DACA recipients report heightened levels of anxiety, (2) women with DACA status report higher levels of anxiety compared to non-DACAmented undocumented college students and men with DACA, and (3) students whose families motivate them report lower levels of anxiety. Latinx undocumented college students are not a monolith; demographic, family, and socioeconomic factors matter.

Immigration status, mental health, and intent to persist among immigrant college students.

“…In this manner, immigrant college students’ legal statuses can lead to a precarious sense of self and structural and social exclusion on college campuses. A liminal immigration status, therefore, contributes to increased levels of anxiety and depression within this population, and these outcomes may differ from those with nonliminal status (Bjorklund, 2018; Flores Morales & Garcia, 2021; Moreno et al, 2021).…”

“…Immigrant college students with liminal status are also uniquely impacted by identity-based and immigration-related stressors, which have been linked to lower academic persistence (Moreno et al, 2021; Shapiro et al, 2017). Research suggests that low-socioeconomic status, academic stress, lack of belonging, and anti-immigrant rhetoric have increased anxiety levels in immigrant college students and may differ based on immigration status (Flores Morales & Garcia, 2021; Moreno et al, 2021). For example, at the local, state, and federal levels, anti-immigration rhetoric has been associated with higher stress among immigrant college students (Moreno et al, 2021; Nienhusser & Oshio, 2019; Ro & Van Hook, 2021).…”