USC Equity Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA.
Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA.
Ethn Dis. 2024 Jul 2;34(2):84-92. doi: 10.18865/ed.34.2.84. eCollection 2024 Feb.
The immigration enforcement system has significant effects on the health of immigrants, their families, and society. Exposure to the immigration enforcement system is linked to adverse mental health outcomes, which may have been exacerbated by sustained immigration enforcement activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study was conducted to investigate the association between exposure to immigration enforcement and the mental health of undocumented young adults in California during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data are from the COVID-19 BRAVE (Building Community Raising All Immigrant Voices for Health Equity) Study, a community-engaged cross-sectional survey of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on undocumented immigrants in California. A total of 366 undocumented immigrants between 18 and 39 years of age completed the online survey, which was conducted between September 2020 and February 2021. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to examine the association between immigration enforcement exposure and depression.
Almost all participants (91.4%) disclosed exposure to the immigration enforcement system, with most reporting an average of 3.52 (SD=2.06) experiences. Multivariate analyses revealed that an increase in the immigration enforcement exposure score was significantly associated with higher odds of depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10, 1.40), and women were 92% more likely to report depression than were men (aOR=1.92; 95% CI: 1.12, 3.31). Those who reported deportation fears were significantly more likely to be depressed (aOR=1.24; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.40).
Researchers should consider the mental health implications of a punitive immigration enforcement system, and policymakers should examine the impacts of immigration policies on local communities.
移民执法系统对移民及其家庭和社会的健康有重大影响。接触移民执法系统与心理健康不良结果有关，而在 COVID-19 大流行期间持续的移民执法活动可能使这些结果恶化。
本研究旨在调查接触移民执法与 COVID-19 大流行期间加利福尼亚州无证年轻成年人心理健康之间的关联。
数据来自 COVID-19 BRAVE（建立社区提升所有移民健康公平的声音）研究，这是一项针对 COVID-19 对加利福尼亚州无证移民影响的社区参与横断面调查。共有 366 名 18 至 39 岁的无证移民完成了在线调查，调查于 2020 年 9 月至 2021 年 2 月进行。采用多变量逻辑回归模型来检验移民执法接触与抑郁之间的关联。
几乎所有参与者（91.4%）都透露接触过移民执法系统，大多数人报告平均有 3.52 次（SD=2.06）经历。多变量分析显示，移民执法接触评分的增加与抑郁的几率显著相关（调整后的优势比[aOR]=1.24；95%置信区间[CI]：1.10，1.40），女性报告抑郁的几率比男性高 92%（aOR=1.92；95% CI：1.12，3.31）。报告有被驱逐出境担忧的人抑郁的几率显著更高（aOR=1.24；95% CI：1.10，1.40）。
研究人员应考虑惩罚性移民执法系统对心理健康的影响，政策制定者应审查移民政策对当地社区的影响。
