Coping with Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resilience and Mental Health Among Latino Day Laborers

Abstract

Resilience, the successful process of growth and adaptation in the face of adversity, stress, or trauma, is crucial for optimal well-being. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Latino day laborers (LDLs) faced multiple stressors, making them vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes. Using a cross-sectional study design, we examine the association between situational stressors, mental health, and resilience among LDLs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data included sociodemographic information and measures of situational stressors, mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress), and resilience. Positive and negative resilience subscales were analyzed separately due to a high correlation. A total of 300 male participants completed the surveys, with a mean age of 45.1 years. Almost half had never been married (48%) and had completed nearly eight years of school. The results indicated no significant associations between stressors, positive resilience, and mental health outcomes (B = 0.023, NS) but a significant association between negative resilience, mental health outcomes, and some stressors, such as lack of money (B = 0.103; p < 0.05). The implications of this study include the need to further investigate the use of negatively worded items and how resilience is demonstrated among other vulnerable populations or cultural groups.