“Se vale llorar y se vale reír”: Latina Immigrants’ Coping Strategies for Maintaining Mental Health in the Face of Immigration-Related Stressors

Abstract

Latina immigrant women in the United States (U.S.) are at increased risk for poor mental health status, due to socioeconomic and immigration-related stressors. We sought to describe the mechanisms linking immigration-related stressors and mental health, including how the current social and political climate affects women's mental health status, and which coping strategies are used to maintain well-being. We conducted four focus groups with Latina immigrants (N = 58) recruited through local community-based organizations. We drew on the stages of migration framework to guide our study design and analysis. Focus group transcripts were analyzed to identify emergent themes across groups. On average, focus group participants were 35.5 years old and had lived in the United States for 12.5 years. Most were from Mexico. Participants reported immigration-related stressors including unsafe migration, worry about immigration enforcement, broken social ties, and limited access to health and social services. In the face of these stressors, they relied on transnational social networks and connections with other Latina immigrant women. Social ties with family in the United States also helped them alleviate social isolation and overcome barriers to social services. Those who were mothers expressed that their children were a source of encouragement and comfort with feelings of stress. Immigration policies that contribute to unsafe migration, worry about immigration enforcement, limited social ties, and limited access to social services were associated with increased stress among Latina immigrants who participated in the focus groups. These participants could benefit from increased access to mental health care and community-based programs that connect them to resources.

Depressive Symptoms of Latinx Women in Rural Farmworker and Urban Non-Farmworker Families in North Carolina

“…Being born in the USA is associated with lower depressive symptom scores. Research among immigrant Latinas reports that immigration-related stressors, such as worry about immigration enforcement and broken social ties, are important [ 37 ]. Roblyer and colleagues [ 38 ] report that documentation status is a stressor among undocumented Latinas, but this stressor is not associated with greater depressive symptoms.…”

Clinical situation of Venezuelan migrants living with HIV in a hospital in Lima, Peru

“…Poverty, social support, mental health problems, and legal status need to be addressed as major barriers for the continuity of HIV care of migrants. 12 , 25 …”

“…Women are particularly vulnerable to the violence and disparities of migration processes. 25 According to a local study, 17.8% of Venezuelan women in Peru reported being victims of harassment and 2.9% knew a victim of sexual assault. 26 In our study, women represented a minority (9.5%) throughout the whole period, but the percentage of women in 2019 exceeded that of the two previous years combined.…”

“…According to the International Organization for Migration, from July to December 2019, the percentage of Venezuelan women crossing the Peruvian border was, for the first time, slightly higher than men. 23 , 27 Given that migrants might face a high-risk environment for HIV transmission 25 determined by the confluence of poverty, violence, and at-risk sexual behaviors, it is important to understand if sexual violence and/or sexual work is driving the increase of HIV cases among Venezuelan women.…”

VALOR: Cultural considerations when assessing Central American immigrant women in behavioral health settings.

“…In addition, the power of social support, in the United States and transnationally, cannot be minimized. Migration disrupts a woman’s support networks and often leads to persistent feelings of sadness and loneliness (Rios Casas et al, 2020). The latter is particularly important, as social isolation has been linked to depression and suicidality (De Oliveira et al, 2017; Fortuna et al, 2007).…”