University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Social Work, 193 Polk Avenue, Suite 101, Nashville, TN, 37221, USA.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Social Work, 1618 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 2022 Aug;307:115172. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115172. Epub 2022 Jun 30.
Latinx, and especially Mexican and Central American, adults in the United States (U.S.) have been detrimentally impacted by policies under the Trump administration that instilled continual stress associated with immigration enforcement. Both native- and foreign-born adults are affected when either they or loved ones are deported, resulting in family disruption. Though research has established a connection between Trump-era exclusionary immigration policies and mental health status of Latinx community members, data are notably lacking for Mexicans and Central Americans in the southeastern U.S., where enforcement activity is particularly high.
To inform service provision and policymaking, the current study was designed to investigate stress associated with policies under the Trump administration on two mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety) among Mexican and Central American adults in the southeastern U.S. Additionally, the mediating effect of social support on the relationship was examined. A sample of 264 Mexican and Central American adults in the southeast was surveyed via an online platform. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we employed a two-step procedure to first test a measurement model to ensure that the latent variables were explained by the indicators. In the next step, we estimated a structural model for hypothesized direct and indirect relationships between Trump-era policy stress, social support, and two outcome variables: depression and anxiety.
Findings suggest that Trump-era policy stress significantly and positively predicted depression and anxiety symptoms. In addition, policy stress predicted lower levels of social support, which in turn, predicted more symptoms of both depression and anxiety.
Findings can inform service provision and policymaking for a vulnerable community that underutilizes mental health services.
拉丁裔，尤其是来自美国的墨西哥裔和中美洲裔成年人，受到特朗普政府政策的不利影响，这些政策引发了与移民执法相关的持续压力。无论是本土出生还是外国出生的成年人，当他们或亲人被驱逐出境时，都会受到影响，导致家庭破裂。尽管研究已经确定了特朗普时代排斥性移民政策与拉丁裔社区成员心理健康状况之间的联系，但在美国东南部，针对墨西哥和中美洲人的相关数据明显缺乏，因为那里的执法活动特别频繁。
为了为服务提供和决策提供信息，本研究旨在调查特朗普政府政策下的政策压力对美国东南部墨西哥和中美洲成年人的两种心理健康结果（抑郁和焦虑）的影响。此外，还研究了社会支持对这种关系的中介作用。通过在线平台对美国东南部的 264 名墨西哥和中美洲成年人进行了调查。使用结构方程模型（SEM），我们采用两步程序，首先测试测量模型，以确保潜在变量由指标解释。在下一步中，我们估计了特朗普时代政策压力、社会支持与两个结果变量（抑郁和焦虑）之间假设的直接和间接关系的结构模型。
研究结果表明，特朗普时代的政策压力显著且正向预测了抑郁和焦虑症状。此外，政策压力预测了社会支持水平降低，而社会支持水平又预测了抑郁和焦虑两种症状的更多症状。
这些发现可以为一个利用心理健康服务不足的脆弱社区提供服务提供和决策方面的信息。
