Abstract
In the past decade, recent Latinx immigrants (RLIs) from South and Central America have arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum from war torn countries with political upheaval and devastatingly high rates of crime and poverty. The pre-migration stressors and trauma they experience are further compounded by post-immigration stressors including discrimination, language barriers, lack of access to health care, fears due to immigration status, financial instability, and loss of social support. There is evidence that shows that RLIs that experience these stressors and traumatic events are more likely to develop depressive symptoms. This study examined (a) the cumulative effects of pre-migration stress/trauma and post-immigration stressors on post-immigration depressive symptoms among young adult RLIs and (b) the moderating effect of gender on this association. Hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) and moderation analyses were conducted on a cross-sectional sample of 540 (N=271 males and N=269 females) young adult RLIs between the ages of 18-34 years in South Florida. Findings indicate that higher levels of post-immigration stressors were associated with higher post-immigration depressive symptoms among young adult RLIs. No significant association was found between pre-immigration stress or trauma and post-immigration depressive symptoms. Moderation analyses revealed no significant interaction were found by gender. These findings show that the socio-cultural context after immigrating to the U.S. likely weigh more heavily than pre-migration factors in predicting depressive symptoms among RLIs after immigrating to the U.S. Interventions that focus on addressing post-immigration stressors have the potential to lower depressive symptoms in this population.
Presenters
Vicky Vazquez-BarriosNIH-NIAAA NRSA Research Fellow, Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Florida International University, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2021 Special Focus—Advancing Health and Equity: Best Practices in an International Perspective
KEYWORDS
Public Health, Health Disparities, Race, Ethnicity, Gender
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