“No Way! Like Only Hispanics are Illegal”: Examining the Racialized Psychosocial Development of Migrant “Illegality” Across Immigrant Groups in the United States

Ellis, Basia D.; Offidani-Bertrand, Carly; Ferrera, Maria

doi:10.1177/07435584211064195

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 37 publications

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“…Conducting our study within a pro-integration environment can in turn help us better understand how supportive environments are associated with students’ decisions to seek out mental health support. We focus on Latina/o/x undocumented students because recent scholarship suggests that undocumented young people’s experiences and capacities to seek social support are racialized (Ellis et al, 2022; Enriquez, 2019).…”

Section: Individual-level Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health help-seeking among Latina/o/x undocumented college students.

Ayón¹,

Ellis²,

Hagan³

et al. 2024

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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Objectives: Informed by a social-ecological framework, this study nested undocumented students' individual mental health needs within micro-level campus factors and the macro-level immigration policy context to examine how these are associated with undocumented Latina/o/x college students' use of on-campus mental health services. Method: A large-scale survey was administered to 1,277 undocumented college students attending 4-year public universities in California. Only Latina/o/x respondents were included in this study (N = 1,181). Fifty percent of students attended a UC system (n = 589). On average, students were 21.84 years old (SE = .15), and most were women (75.3%, n = 890). Results: Greater level of mental health symptoms and perceived mental health need, and greater use of campus-wide resources and undocumented student services predicted greater likelihood of using on-campus mental health services. Greater perceptions of social exclusion due to the immigration policy context predicted lower use of mental health services. Conclusions: Results indicate that a greater use of resources and an inclusive campus environment, as well as efforts to minimize policy-related feelings of social exclusion, may facilitate undocumented students' professional mental health help-seeking. These findings emphasize the need to take multiple and multi-level ecological factors into account when considering mental health service use, particularly in the case of undocumented immigrants and likely other structurally marginalized groups. Public Significance StatementUndocumented college students face unique challenges due to their immigration status that not only compromise their mental health but also limit with their capacity to seek help from mental health professionals. This study nested undocumented students' individual mental health within campus and immigration policy contexts to examine how these are associated with students' use of on-campus mental health services. Findings show that greater perceptions of social exclusion deter undocumented students from seeking mental health services, whereas using more general campus-wide resources and undocumented student services increased the likelihood that they would seek services. Anxiety and depression symptoms as well as perceptions of mental health need were also strongly associated with mental health service use.

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Section: Individual-level Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health help-seeking among Latina/o/x undocumented college students.

Ayón¹,

Ellis²,

Hagan³

et al. 2024

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Policy

García,

Suárez-Orozco,

Davalos

et al. 2024

Encyclopedia of Adolescence

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From lost to leading: How undocumented student resource centers are transforming student lives

Offidani-Bertrand,

Ellis

2024

Culture & Psychology

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In response to a growing awareness of undocumented students’ experiences and the challenges they face, many colleges in the United States are developing supports and resources for undocumented students, and a growing number are establishing Undocumented Student Resource Centers (USRCs)—i.e., supportive offices on campus dedicated to the success of these students (Cisneros & Valdivia, 2020). However, no studies to date have explored the psychosocial impacts of USRCs on the lives of undocumented students. In this paper, we examine the psychosocial impact of USRCs on undocumented students through qualitative interviews with USRC coordinators and students who accessed USRC services and programs in California. Our study utilizes the cycles of deportability framework to theorize undocumented students’ experiences as dynamic psychosocial processes, and to explore what happens to these cycles when students encounter the supportive culture of the USRC and begin to experience its practical and psychological supports. Our results demonstrate how Undocumented Student Resource Centers can transform the lives and trajectories of undocumented students not only by providing resources that help them overcome status-related barriers, but by equipping them with the creative agency, psychological strength, and social support needed to pursue their goals despite their status-related limitation.

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“No Way! Like Only Hispanics are Illegal”: Examining the Racialized Psychosocial Development of Migrant “Illegality” Across Immigrant Groups in the United States

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Mental health help-seeking among Latina/o/x undocumented college students.

Mental health help-seeking among Latina/o/x undocumented college students.

Policy

From lost to leading: How undocumented student resource centers are transforming student lives

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