Health Effects of Dramatic Societal Events — Ramifications of the Recent Presidential Election

Applying a Community Violence Framework to Understand the Impact of Immigration Enforcement Threat on Latino Children

“…We echo the need for a more compassionate consideration (Levers & Hyatt-Burkhart, 2012) of the lived experiences of the 4.5 million American children living in mixed-status households, as well as for research that documents the damage incurred to citizen children when national policies encourage practices that threaten children's sense of belonging and safety (Santos et al, 2018;Williams & Medlock, 2017;Wray-Lake et al, 2018). Research that takes into consideration family and community strengths, and the impact of supportive settings (e.g., schools) is needed to guide best practices aimed at mitigating uncertainty and ensuring that all children feel safe.…”

“…Yet, the 2016 presidential election, as well as rapid and far‐reaching transformations in immigration policy in the United States (U.S.) are fueling a sense of fear and uncertainty in many households across the nation (Roche, Vaquera, White, & Rivera, ; Wray‐Lake, Wells, Alvis, Delgado, Syvertsen, & Metzger, ). The long‐term public health impact of this “dramatic societal event” (Williams & Medlock, ), remains to be known. Using the World Health Organization's (WHO, ,b) definition of violence as, “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against one's self, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation” (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, ; p. 1084; NAS, ), this paper draws on literature from psychology, sociology, medicine, political science, social work, and developmental psychology to outline how the anti‐immigrant climate in the U.S. and the threat of immigration enforcement activities in everyday spaces are experienced by some Latino children as psychological violence.…”

“…Syvertsen, & Metzger, 2018). The long-term public health impact of this "dramatic societal event" (Williams & Medlock, 2017), remains to be known. Using the World Health Organization's (WHO, 1996a,b) definition of violence as, "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against one's self, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation" (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002;p.…”

Association of Reported Concern About Increasing Societal Discrimination With Adverse Behavioral Health Outcomes in Late Adolescence

“…P ublic expressions of resentment, discrimination, and hostility toward minority and disadvantaged populations have become increasingly prominent. 1 Several events leading up to 2016 exemplify such trends, including highly publicized incidents of police violence toward racial/ ethnic minorities, backlash against same-sex marriage legislation, and the largest number of hate crimes against American Muslims since the period immediately following September 11, 2001. [2][3][4] The social climate intensified during 2016 and 2017, when the Trump presidential campaign and administration released several statements and social policy proposals perceived by many as discriminatory.…”

Political Determinants of Population Health

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There is growing awareness of the association of highly racialized political discourse with health behaviors and, ultimately, health outcomes. 1 In this context, the study by Gemmill and colleagues 2 finding a significant increase in preterm births among Latina women following the 2016 US presidential election adds novel information to our understanding of the health impact of political events. Using a conservative interrupted time series analysis, they reported that there were 3.2% to 3.6% more preterm infants born to Latina women after the presidential election than the number expected if the election had not occurred.

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