Depressive symptoms among recent Latinx immigrants in South Florida: The role of premigration trauma and stress, postimmigration stress, and gender

Abstract

In the past decade, recent Latinx immigrants (RLIs) from South and Central America have arrived in the United States seeking asylum from countries affected by war, political upheaval, and high crime and poverty rates. The premigration stress and trauma they experience are further compounded by postimmigration stress due to discrimination, lack of access to health care, and financial instability. Evidence suggests RLIs who experience such stress and trauma have an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms. We examined the combined effect of premigration stress and trauma and postimmigration stress on postimmigration depressive symptoms; we also explored the moderating effect of gender. Hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses were conducted on a cross-sectional sample of 540 young adult RLIs (age range: 18-34 years, 50.2% men) in South Florida. Higher levels of postimmigration stress, β = .37, p < .001, were associated with increased postimmigration depressive symptoms. No significant associations emerged between premigration stress and trauma and postimmigration depressive symptoms. Moderation analyses revealed no significant interaction effect of gender. Post hoc analyses indicated that country/region of origin moderated the relation between postimmigration stress and depressive symptoms such that the association was stronger among Venezuelan, β = 1.51, p < .001; other South American, β = 1.06, p < .001; and Central American/Mexican RLIs, β = 1.38, p < .001, compared with Caribbean RLIs, β = .45, p = .122. These findings suggest that interventions focused on addressing postimmigration stress early in the immigration process can potentially lower subsequent depressive symptoms among RLIs.

Traumatic experiences and place of occurrence: An analysis of sex differences among a sample of recently arrived immigrant adults from Latin America

“…Our results reflect that immigrants traverse political instability [24,31], lack of trust in institutions and impunity [32], and are increasingly vulnerable to being treated as commodities throughout their migration journey [33]. Conflict/war-like situations and experiencing the murders of family are consistent with previous studies about factors driving migration decisions for people seeking safety in the U.S [20,34].…”

“…Very few studies focus on in depth research of specific trauma experiences of women immigrants [19]. Some studies have focused on the impacts of exposure to trauma and mental health among Latinx immigrants [11,[20][21][22], though few have studied exposure to trauma among recent Latinx immigrants [23,24]. The rationale for our study is that we present a first time comparison of traumatic experiences of recent immigrant adults from Latin America by sex and place of occurrence.…”

“Le pueden pagar más al que tiene papeles y menos al que no tiene”: An exploratory study of critical consciousness processes among newcomer Latinx immigrant youth.

“…More recently arrived immigrant youth are also more likely to experience the effects of acculturative stress, which arises from conflicts that individuals face when adapting to new cultures, languages, and status in the host country (Berry, 1997; Sirin et al, 2020). Many NLIY also report experiencing discrimination, isolation, and fear related to immigration status (Patel et al, 2015; Vazquez et al, 2022)—all of which may be worsened by anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies (Hatzenbuehler et al, 2017). Altogether, these experiences contribute to higher rates of mental health concerns among NLIY (e.g., Cardoso, 2018).…”

Barriers and Facilitators to HIV/AIDS Testing among Latin Immigrant Men who have Sex with Men (MSM): A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…This, in turn, can motivate them to seek testing and adopt effective preventive measures to safeguard their well-being and that of their partners [16,24]. Consequently, promoting widespread knowledge of HIV serostatus, particularly through health promotion initiatives [30,31] and the utilization of artificial intelligence in surveillance systems for testing monitoring [32], can yield positive implications for MSM in the context of international migration. Similarly, enhanced knowledge about HIV and testing can facilitate linking MSM to treatment [33].…”