Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, and Emotional Problems in Latinx Immigrant Youth

Trauma exposure and mental health outcomes among Central American and Mexican children held in immigration detention at the United States–Mexico border

“…We find that early‐life adversity in the form of premigration trauma is the most significant predictor of PTSD symptom severity among Central American and Mexican migrating children after release from ICE and CBP detention centers, such that higher levels of premigration trauma were associated with higher PTSD symptom severity. This finding is consistent with past findings documenting an association between early‐life adversity and emotional problems in recently immigrated Latinx youth (Zetino et al., 2020).…”

“…The finding that children's exposure to trauma experienced in their home country prior to migration is associated with increased PTSD symptom severity adds to an extensive literature that childhood adversity increases risk of anxiety and mood disorders (Björkenstam et al., 2017; Chapman et al., 2004; Dunn et al., 2017; McLaughlin et al., 2017; Nelson et al., 2018; Scott et al., 2012; Yehuda et al., 2001; Zetino et al., 2020). Post hoc visualization of the association between level of premigration trauma exposure and experience of parent–child separation may suggest that a child's trauma history influences their response to parent–child separation, consistent with stress sensitization models that theorize that early‐life adversity primes a greater salience or reaction to subsequent stress (Koss et al., 2016; McLaughlin et al., 2010; Peña et al., 2017; Saxton & Chyu, 2020; Wade et al., 2019).…”

“…Mechanistically, aspects of early‐life adversity have been related to enduring changes in both basal and stress‐induced cortisol levels into adulthood (Otte et al., 2005; Yehuda et al., 2001), blunted physiological adaptation to stressors (Koss et al., 2016), and changes in amygdala and prefrontal cortex volume and connectivity (McLaughlin et al., 2019). High rates of premigration trauma exposure among migrating children (Cleary et al., 2018; Keller et al., 2017; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2015; Zetino et al., 2020) may imply that this population is particularly vulnerable to stress experienced during migration and detention.…”

“…This study is limited by a relatively small sample size, although the sample size is in range of other studies of migrating children's mental health (Mares & Jureidini, 2004; Rojas‐Flores et al., 2017; Zetino et al., 2020). All but two of the children in the current sample were detained in CBP and/or ICE facilities for at least 1 day.…”

“…Migrating children seeking asylum have high rates of exposure to childhood trauma prior to migration (Cleary et al., 2018; Keller et al., 2017; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2015; Zetino et al., 2020). Epidemiological evidence indicates that families migrating from the Northern Triangle have a high incidence of exposure to sexual and physical assault, murder, extortion, human trafficking, disappearance of family members, and threats by gangs or other armed criminal groups and drug cartels (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2015).…”