Fractured Migrant Families

Abstract

The increasing feminization of migration from Oaxaca, Mexico, in a context of economic globalization has profound implications for the emotional and psychological health of indigenous transnational immigrant women, who often arrive in the United States (US), having left family members or their children behind in the care of relatives. Simultaneously, indigenous women who are left behind on the migration trail also grapple with the suffering of separation and persistent undercurrents of sorrow because of an increasingly dangerous and intransigent US-Mexico border that makes family reunifications so difficult. The public policy discourses surrounding unauthorized immigration across the US-Mexico border tend to neglect attention to the mental and social health effects on families and communities. This article describes their experiences by sharing their voices, and challenges us both to shape new clinical responses, international connections, and solidarity in efforts humanize immigration policy, and to transform the dynamics of economic globalization that contribute to these conditions.

Examining differences in culturally based stress among clinical and nonclinical Hispanic adolescents.

“…Studies on cultural stress find that in addition to the normative strains of adolescence, such as changing family expectations, and planning for the future (Guinn & Vincent, 2002; Robson & Cook, 1995), Hispanic and other minority adolescents face non-normative stressors associated with their culture and minority status (Cordova & Cervantes, 2010; Garcia & Magnuson, 2005; Rice & Dolgin, 2002). These culturally specific stressors include reactions to anti-immigrant attitudes, familial separation related to immigrant status (McGuire & Martin, 2007), and the experience of negative public references toward their ethnic identity (Cervantes, Fisher, Córdova & Napper, 2011; Córdova & Cervantes, 2010). The stress associated with acculturation has also been related to negative mental health outcomes (Rogler, 1994; U.S.…”

The emotional toll of out‐migration on mothers and fathers left behind in Mexico

“…Mexican families experience a unique form of transnationalism due to trends of temporary and undocumented migration from Mexico to the US (Boehm, 2012;Singer and Massey, 1998;Fitzgerald, 2013). Because many Mexican migrants cross into the United States without authorization, families are separated for indefinite amounts of time and often experience uncertainty about when they will be reunited (McGuire and Martin, 2007;Massey and Gentsch, 2014). Within the growing body of research on the unique experience of Mexican-US transnationalism, most attention has been given to how migrants are impacted by maintaining transnational ties; much less attention has been given to the larger group of family members (i.e.…”

Transnational migration and Mexican women who remain behind: An intersectional approach

“…The analyzed articles in this study focused on some of Mexico’s poorest and most marginalized communities—Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, and Campeche [ 28 , 29 , 32 , 34 , 47 ]—some of which are high in Indigenous populations [ 30 , 32 , 36 ]. Mexican women represented in this literature have little schooling; the majority have nine years or less of formal education [ 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 39 , 48 ].…”

“…Mexican women represented in this literature have little schooling; the majority have nine years or less of formal education [ 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 39 , 48 ]. Additionally, it is important to note that women in these articles respond to cis-heterosexual females, where the male partners assume breadwinner titles and migrate to live and work abroad to provide for their families [ 36 , 39 , 49 , 50 ] while the women remain to care for their families [ 48 ]. Male partners are seen to migrate to high-income countries like the United States and Canada [ 28 – 39 , 47 – 53 ].…”

“…Many authors discuss mental health concerns, such as feelings of abandonment [ 47 ]; symptoms of distress (i.e. sadness, fear) [ 36 , 39 , 48 ]; difficulty sleeping and obsessive thinking [ 48 ]; anger [ 29 ]; anxiety, stress, and depression [ 32 , 50 , 53 ]; and emotional disorders [ 30 , 36 ]. Many of the mental health problems have been attributed to the women’s inability to communicate with their partners [ 50 ], health emergencies [ 47 ], worries about their partners’ health and wellbeing while abroad [ 50 ], fear of their partners’ deportation [ 50 ], and the increase in the women’s roles and responsibilities (i.e.…”