Unauthorized Status, Stress, and Depressive Symptoms among Mexican Immigrant Women in the United States

• In Event: 343 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour). Table 01. Immigration, Migration, and Health

Abstract

Segmented assimilation theory argues that the ways in which immigrants and their children are received into the host society plays a critical role in their incorporation. Most of this research has focused on economic or educational outcomes. Less is known about how unauthorized status coupled with an anti-immigrant climate exacerbate the stressors experienced by Mexican immigrant women. Merging the segmented assimilation literature with the stress process model literature, I identify three key sources of stress for unauthorized Mexican immigrant women. Using thirty semi-structured interviews in Houston, Texas, I find they experience a pervasive deportation threat creating: 1) constant fear; 2) family fragmentation, and 3) economic uncertainty. Furthermore, I show how these stressors are linked to depressive symptoms. This research highlights the processes through which unauthorized immigrant status and an anti-immigrant sentiment fan a deportation threat posing risks for depressive symptoms.

Author

• San Juanita Edilia Garcia, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill