2016/01/01 by Mislael Valentín‐Cortés, Quetzabel Benavides, Richard Bryce +6 · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Health Professions · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Classical Studies and Legal History #Comparative International Legal Studies #Historical Economic and Legal Thought #Homelessness and Social Issues #Migration, Health and Trauma #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/ajcp.12455
openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/24
This paper applies the Minority Stress framework to data collected from an ongoing community-based participatory research project with health and social service agencies in Southeast Michigan. We examine the stressors and coping strategies employed by undocumented Latinx immigrants and their families to manage immigration-related stress. We conducted in-depth interviews with 23 immigrant clients at Federally Qualified Health Care Centers (FQHC) in Southeast Michigan and 28 in-depth interviews with staff at two FQHC's and a non-profit agency serving immigrants. Findings suggest that immigrants face heightened anxiety and adverse mental health outcomes because of unique minority identity-related stressors created by a growing anti-immigrant social environment. Chronic stress experienced stems from restrictive immigration policies, anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media and by political leaders, fear of deportation, discriminatory events, concealment, and internalized anti-immigrant sentiment. Though identity can be an important effect modifier in the stress process, social isolation in the immigrant community has heightened the impact of stress and impeded coping strategies. These stressors have resulted in distrust in community resources, uncertainty about future health benefits, delayed medical care, and adverse mental health outcomes. Findings provide a framework for understanding the unique stressors experienced by immigrants and strategies for interventions by social service agencies.