Cultural Stress and Substance Use Risk among Venezuelan Migrant Youth in the United States

Salas-Wright, Christopher P.; Schwartz, Seth J.; Cohen, Mariana; Maldonado-Molina, Mildred M.; Vaughn, Michael G.; Sánchez, Mariana; Rodríguez, José; AbiNader, Millan A.; John, Rachel; Oliveros, Kesia; Andrade, Patricia

doi:10.1080/10826084.2020.1795684

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This school integration allows the adolescents to set short- and medium-term educational objectives aimed at facilitating their inclusion into Peruvian society and providing opportunities for social mobility for themselves and their families. Nevertheless, problems of discrimination at the hands of Peruvian students, and even some teachers, coincide with previous findings on the obstacles faced by adolescents in integrating into the host country (Mondain and Lardoux, 2013; Salas-Wright et al, 2020). Therefore, it is also common for adolescents, especially girls, to socialise at school with other adolescent girls of the same national origin (Bergnehr et al, 2020).…”

Section: Concluding Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Otherwise, there is evidence of integration problems-particularly in the school environment, due to poor language skills, disagreements with teachers, and discrimination by peers (Stodolska, 2008)-that in some cases increase adolescents' stress and susceptibility to substance use (Salas-Wright et al, 2020). Gender and identity shape school integrations, and girls often face stricter social controls than boys (Williams et al, 2002).…”

Section: Adolescents In International Survival Migrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Different trajectories from a common crisis. Survival migrations and resilience of venezuelan adolescents to Peru

Cavagnoud

2023

Childhood

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article examines the biography of adolescents who emigrated from Venezuela with family members due to economic hardship. It aims to highlight how a common crisis produces a variety of experiences, but that resilience is a central aspect of all life courses. It analyzes the stages of the adolescents’ migratory trajectory: their departure, journey, and settlement in Peru. The results show that the crisis homogenises the living conditions and produces a heterogeneity of migration experiences in which resilience is ever-present.

show abstract

Section: Concluding Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Adolescents In International Survival Migrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different trajectories from a common crisis. Survival migrations and resilience of venezuelan adolescents to Peru

Cavagnoud

2023

Childhood

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mougenot et al (2021) observed that close to 40% of Venezuelan migrants in Peru reported experiencing identity-based discrimination and noted links between discrimination experiences and mental health challenges. This finding is in keeping with the prior studies focused on discrimination experiences and their connections with behavioral health among Venezuelan adolescents in the United States (Salas-Wright et al, 2020; Salas-Wright et al, 2021).…”

supporting

confidence: 91%

Online xenophobia and mental health among Venezuelan migrant youth in Colombia: The interplay with “in-person” discrimination.

Salas-Wright,

Schwartz,

Maldonado-Molina

et al. 2024

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Emerging research provides insights into migration-related cultural stress experiences and mental health among Venezuelan migrants; however, prior studies have not considered the critical distinction between online xenophobia and in-person discrimination. To address this gap, we assess the psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Perceived Online Racism Scale (PORS) with Venezuelan migrant youth and examine the interplay between online xenophobia, in-person discrimination, and mental health. Survey data were collected from Venezuelan migrant youth (N = 319; ages 13-17, 49.5% female) in Colombia in April-July 2023. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the PORS, and multiple regression was conducted to examine key associations. The CFA showed excellent model fit: χ 2 (7) = 13.498, p = .061; comparative fit index = .989; Tucker-Lewis index = .977; root-mean-square error of approximation = .055; standardized root-mean-square residual = .026. Controlling for demographic factors, online xenophobia was associated with depressive symptoms (β = .253, p < .001) and anxiety (β = .200, p = .001). The online xenophobia-mental health association weakened when controlling for in-person discrimination but remained nevertheless significant (depression: β = .181, p = .002, anxiety: β = .135, p = .026). Interaction effects (Online × In-Person) revealed a pattern in which greater exposure to online xenophobia was associated with greater distress, but only at relatively low levels of in-person discrimination. Findings provide new insights regarding (a) the properties of an increasingly relevant measure of cultural stress, (b) how online xenophobia relates to mental health, and (c) the interplay of Community Advisory Boards who have been essential to the development of the study. The authors also acknowledge Patricia Andrade of Miami, Florida and the entire Corporacio ´n Nuevos Rumbos team in Bogotá, Colombia.

show abstract

“…Crisis migration researchers have also examined the importance of premigration factors for mental health. In a sample of Venezuelan migrant youth, Salas-Wright, Schwartz, et al (2020) found that those reporting experiences of hunger prior to migration were substantially more likely to endorse moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms compared to those who did not experience hunger. This finding is consistent with a broader pattern in which exposure to stress and trauma prior to migration is related to subsequent negative mental health consequences among forced migrants (see review articles by Bronstein & Montgomery, 2011; Mesa-Vieira et al, 2022).…”

Section: The Venezuelan Diasporamentioning

confidence: 96%

Interplay of premigration crisis exposure and postmigration cultural stress on depressive symptoms among Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia.

Salas-Wright,

Mejía-Trujillo,

Maldonado-Molina

et al. 2024

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: A growing body of research points to a relationship between exposure to migration-related cultural stress and mental health problems. However, such research is often conducted with the tacit assumption that postmigration experiences are the primary—if not singular—driver of psychological distress. In the present study, we aim to extend the cultural-stress paradigm by examining the influences of both premigration crisis exposure and postmigration cultural stress on depression in a sample of Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia. Method: Survey data for the present study were collected from Venezuelan youth (N = 429, ages 12–17, Mage = 14.0 years, 49% female) and adults (N = 566, ages 18+, Mage = 35.1 years, 82% female) in Bogota and Medellin, Colombia between April and June 2023. Results: Both crisis exposure and discrimination were independently related to depressive symptoms. However, when examined in a multivariate model along with discrimination, crisis exposure was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms among youth, and its influence weakened considerably among adults. Among both youth and adults, a Crisis Exposure × Discrimination interaction term significantly predicted depressive symptoms, indicating that discrimination was a more robust predictor of depressive symptoms among those endorsing lower levels of crisis exposure than among those reporting high levels of crisis exposure. Conclusion: Our research provides new insights into the experiences of Venezuelan migrant youth and adults in Colombia. It provides further support for the importance of drawing from a crisis-informed cultural-stress framework when working with crisis migrant populations.

show abstract

Cultural Stress and Substance Use Risk among Venezuelan Migrant Youth in the United States

Cited by 18 publications

References 33 publications

Different trajectories from a common crisis. Survival migrations and resilience of venezuelan adolescents to Peru

Different trajectories from a common crisis. Survival migrations and resilience of venezuelan adolescents to Peru

Online xenophobia and mental health among Venezuelan migrant youth in Colombia: The interplay with “in-person” discrimination.

Interplay of premigration crisis exposure and postmigration cultural stress on depressive symptoms among Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About