Interplay of premigration crisis exposure and postmigration cultural stress on depressive symptoms among Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia.

Abstract

Objectives: A growing body of research points to a relationship between exposure to migration-related cultural stress and mental health problems. However, such research is often conducted with the tacit assumption that postmigration experiences are the primary—if not singular—driver of psychological distress. In the present study, we aim to extend the cultural-stress paradigm by examining the influences of both premigration crisis exposure and postmigration cultural stress on depression in a sample of Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia. Method: Survey data for the present study were collected from Venezuelan youth (N = 429, ages 12–17, Mage = 14.0 years, 49% female) and adults (N = 566, ages 18+, Mage = 35.1 years, 82% female) in Bogota and Medellin, Colombia between April and June 2023. Results: Both crisis exposure and discrimination were independently related to depressive symptoms. However, when examined in a multivariate model along with discrimination, crisis exposure was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms among youth, and its influence weakened considerably among adults. Among both youth and adults, a Crisis Exposure × Discrimination interaction term significantly predicted depressive symptoms, indicating that discrimination was a more robust predictor of depressive symptoms among those endorsing lower levels of crisis exposure than among those reporting high levels of crisis exposure. Conclusion: Our research provides new insights into the experiences of Venezuelan migrant youth and adults in Colombia. It provides further support for the importance of drawing from a crisis-informed cultural-stress framework when working with crisis migrant populations.