Vargas Laura X, Ariefdjohan Merlin, Page Chloe E, Meisel Zachary F, Ulrich Connie M, Alegría Margarita, Pimentel Norma, Epperson C Neill, Richmond Therese S
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 1890 N. Revere Court, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
J Immigr Minor Health. 2025 Feb;27(1):181-189. doi: 10.1007/s10903-024-01643-0. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
In this paper, we describe a research protocol for surveying and interviewing Latinx immigrants recently arrived at the US southern border, and we raise important and unique issues that need to be considered with this population. The main objective is to share experiences, challenges, opportunities, and essential considerations (which we call lessons learned) that researchers should take into account when working with this vulnerable study population. The six lessons learned focus on: (1) fostering relationships with community partners; (2) participant consent and compensation; (3) linguistic and cultural fluency of researchers; (4) adapting data collection procedures to the environment and conditions; (5) establishing trust with participants and being trustworthy; and (6) addressing the ethical considerations of research with immigrant populations and the positionality of researchers. This paper provides a unique perspective of working with a vulnerable population that is in transit, often coming from circumstances of danger and risk to their lives, who are now headed towards new and uncertain experiences that may include disadvantage, exclusion or other risks. The lessons learned from the field inform best practices for working with recently arrived Latinx immigrants, with implications for public health research that may extend to other immigrant populations.
在本文中，我们描述了一项针对刚抵达美国南部边境的拉丁裔移民进行调查和访谈的研究方案，并提出了针对这一人群需要考虑的重要且独特的问题。主要目的是分享经验、挑战、机遇以及重要考量因素（我们称之为经验教训），研究人员在与这一脆弱的研究人群合作时应予以考虑。这六点经验教训聚焦于：（1）与社区伙伴建立关系；（2）参与者的同意与补偿；（3）研究人员的语言和文化流利程度；（4）使数据收集程序适应环境和条件；（5）与参与者建立信任并做到值得信赖；（6）处理与移民人群研究相关的伦理考量以及研究人员的立场问题。本文提供了与处于过渡阶段的脆弱人群合作的独特视角，这些人通常来自危及生命的危险和风险环境，如今正迈向新的、不确定的经历，这些经历可能包括不利处境、排斥或其他风险。从实地获得的经验教训为与刚抵达的拉丁裔移民合作提供了最佳实践方法，对公共卫生研究具有启示意义，可能会延伸至其他移民人群。
