Navigating health and well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Experiences of Latina immigrant mothers in rural Midwestern communities

Abstract

ObjectiveIn this study, we sought to gain insight into the challenges Latina immigrant mothers in rural Midwest communities encountered during the pandemic, strategies they employed to avoid infection of the virus, and impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being.BackgroundIn rural Midwestern communities, the pandemic disproportionately affected immigrants, many of whom are Latino and worked in meatpacking and food processing plants. Latina mothers are commonly viewed as caretakers of the family. This prescribed role placed mothers at the center of safeguarding their families' health during the pandemic.MethodIn this descriptive study, we conducted individual interviews with 124 Latina immigrant mothers across six rural Midwestern communities who participated in one of two previous studies in the communities. Thematic analyses was used to identify themes that aligned with three areas of interest: challenges experienced, strategies employed to avoid virus infection, and impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being.ResultsMothers enacted behaviors (e.g., sanitation practices, wore masks, stayed home) to lessen negative impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being. Factors beyond their control (e.g., public policies, work policies and practices) placed families at greater risk for poor health and well‐being. Eleven themes were identified that aligned with the three areas of interest.ConclusionFindings build upon and extend prior research that reexposed unjust employment conditions, inadequate health‐care systems, and an anti‐immigrant context during the pandemic that perpetuated health disparities among Latino immigrants and other minoritized populations.ImplicationsEthnographic and longitudinal studies that give voice to populations underrepresented in COVID‐19 research and at high risk for poor health are warranted to inform policies and practices to protect health during public health crises.

The impact of COVID‐19 on mental health and well‐being of Latine youth from rural and agricultural families in the Midwest

“…Research with Latine mothers also supported the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their children. One study found that immigrant Latine mothers reported stress about meeting the basic needs of their families, such as ensuring their children had enough food and succeeded academically (Williams et al, 2023). Another study found that rural Latine immigrant mothers were less satisfied with communications from their children's schools and less likely to feel confident their children would be prepared for the next school year compared to urban mothers (Quandt et al, 2021).…”

“…Rural communities were especially vulnerable to COVID‐19‐related economic shocks due to a heavy reliance on industries that are susceptible to pandemic‐related closures (e.g., factory work) as well as due to residing in communities of high levels of economic hardship and poverty. Latine immigrant workers in rural communities were often employed in occupations that were exempted from stay‐at‐home orders such as farm or agricultural work and meat and poultry processing, and many were ineligible for benefits such as unemployment (Quandt et al, 2021; Williams, et al, 2023). Compounding these experiences, many Latine immigrant families in new‐destination areas in the United States also experience additional stressors such as language barriers, geographic isolation, work‐related hazards, and poorer access to healthcare and other crucial services (Stein et al, 2016).…”