Anti-immigration policy and mental health: Risk of distress and trauma among deferred action for childhood arrivals recipients in the United States.

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the association between immigration legal status and distress from the announcement of the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program among individuals affected by this potentially traumatic event (PTE), along with identifying relevant risk factors. Method: Participants (N = 233) affected by the termination announcement provided crosssectional self-reports on distress from the announcement that was measured using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. Results: Of the participants, 40.7% met the clinical cutoff for distress from the PTE indicative of posttraumatic stress disorder. DACA recipients had significantly higher levels of distress from the PTE compared with non-DACA undocumented immigrants and documented counterparts, v 2 (2, N = 233) = 23.25, p , .001. After controlling for covariates, being a DACA recipient (OR = 4.11, 95% confidence interval [1.99, 8.50], p , .001), being male (OR = 2.06, [1.05, 4.03], p = .035), and having lower financial security (OR = .54, [.38, .75], p , .001) were significantly associated with distress. Conclusion: The future of DACA recipients is uncertain, which can be trauma inducing. The field of psychology needs to make space for this kind of experience as potentially traumatic. Advocacy efforts to shift immigration policies can be strengthened to alter the negative effects of the potential termination of DACA on those affected by it. Clinical Impact StatementDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients experience significant distress from the potential termination of the DACA program, which has allowed undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and who met a set of strict vetting criteria to become eligible for a temporary work and education permit, renewable every 2 years. The future of DACA recipients is uncertain, which can be trauma inducing. The field of psychology needs to make space for this kind of experience as potentially traumatic.

“Nos apoyamos mutuamente”: Strategies to supporting community health workers addressing the emergency and chronic needs of Latinx families.

“…For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has put mixed-status Latinx immigrant families at greater risk of unemployment, social isolation, economic insecurity, and housing insecurity, with greater demands for psychosocial services as a result (Krogstad & Lopez, 2020; Lovato & Ramirez, 2022; Vargas & Sanchez, 2020). Undocumented immigrants are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic due to their precarious legal status (Garcini et al, 2023; Held et al, 2022). Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased family violence globally due to the lack of unemployment, social support, and health concerns (Rauhaus et al, 2020; World Health Organization, 2020).…”

UndocuCare: Strategies for mental health services that affirm undocumented college students’ psychological needs

“…The volatile and anti‐immigrant sociopolitical climate, especially pronounced during the emergence of President Donald Trump (Moreno et al., 2021; Nienhusser & Oshio, 2019), has also impacted the psychological well‐being of undocumented youth. Some challenges undocumented youth have faced amid this harmful environment have been acculturation difficulties (Cervantes et al., 2015), discrimination (Cadenas et al., 2020; Cervantes et al., 2015), and distress (Garcini et al., 2022).…”

“…There are also several recommendations for mental health and counseling‐related preparation programs in higher education, including psychology, counseling education training, social work, and other behavioral health‐related programs. First, mental health services in higher education can benefit from preparation programs that position psychological needs and psychological practice within immigration‐related factors (e.g., fear of deportation, uncertainty with their liminal status, and challenges faced by mixed‐status families; Garcini, Domenech Rodríguez, et al., 2022; Rios Casas et al., 2020). These factors continue to shape undocumented students’ experiences and psychological well‐being that are associated with historical events (e.g., Adames & Chavez‐Dueñaz, 2016; García et al., 2022) and recent events (e.g., the anti‐immigrant policies and stances of the Trump administration and current political debates on immigration and border crisis; Moreno et al., 2021).…”

Impact of Racist Microaggressions and LGBTQ-Related Minority Stressors: Effects on Psychological Distress Among LGBTQ+ Young People of Color

“…Given existing literature linking more singular forms of LGBTQ-related stress and interpersonal racism with their negative effects on mental health, this is a substantial gap in the scientific literature. Unfortunately, the experience of LGBTQ-related stressors may be complicated when considering interpersonal racism (stressors that are unique to POC), including anti-Black ( 9 ) and anti-Asian ( 10 ) racism or racism-related stressors, as well as anti-immigrant and anti-Latinx discrimination and xenophobia ( 11 ). Additionally, interpersonal racism against SGM POC can often manifest as an intracommunity form of discrimination, in which SGM POC are racially discriminated against by (often white) SGM people ( 12 , 13 ).…”