Policy stress and social support: Mental health impacts for Latinx Adults in the Southeast United States.

Autor: Held ML; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Social Work, 193 Polk Avenue, Suite 101, Nashville, TN, 37221, USA. Electronic address: mheld@utk.edu., First JM; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Social Work, 1618 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA., Huslage M; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Social Work, 1618 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA., Holzer M; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Social Work, 193 Polk Avenue, Suite 101, Nashville, TN, 37221, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Social science & medicine (1982) [Soc Sci Med] 2022 Aug; Vol. 307, pp. 115172. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jun 30.
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115172
Abstrakt: Background: 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.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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.
Conclusion: Findings can inform service provision and policymaking for a vulnerable community that underutilizes mental health services.
(Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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