Understanding the Work-Life Experiences and Stressors among Latino Emancipated Migrant Farmworker Youth: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry

• In Event: 1-185 - Understanding the Impact of Sociocultural factors on Latino youth’s Mental Health and Academic Achievement

Integrative Statement

Introduction. Emancipated Migrant Youth (EMY), are a vulnerable subgroup of farmworker youth who come to the U.S. without their parents, and work in agriculture (Peoples et al., 2010). Latino EMY risk exploitation (Hurst 2007) which can be worsen due to poor safety knowledge, field inexperience (McLaurin & Liebman, 2012), and family separation (Ward, 2010). From a developmental perspective, the “breadwinner” role EMY take on by financially providing for their parents pose difficult cost-benefit examinations (Rusch & Reyes, 2012). EMY may be at risk for a profound loneliness, social isolation, and pronounced stressors due perhaps to their developmentally inappropriate roles which may worsen EMY’s risk for depressive symptoms. To date, little is known about these youth’s experiences of living and working in the U.S. and it remains unclear the type of day-to-day stressors among these youth that may be putting their health at risk.

Research Questions. In the present research, Study 1 and Study 2 examined the following research questions respectively: (a) What are the experiences EMY go through when working in agriculture and living in the U.S.?, and (b) What are the effects of the severity of stress inherent in the migrant farmworker lifestyle on EMY’s health (i.e., depressive symptoms) and experiences of loneliness,
Study population. Study 1 included n = 20 in-depth interviews with EMY (50% Mexican, 50% Guatemalan, 50% H2A visa, 50% undocumented) living in South Georgia and South Florida. Participants were male and 15-20 years old. Study 2 included n = 36 interviewer-administered survey questionnaires with EMY (ages 15-20, 83% from Guatemala, 75% undocumented) living in South Florida.
Methods. This research used an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design (QUAL → quan; Morse, 2003), whereby the qualitative component (Study 1) followed a phenomenological and thematic analysis using NVivo 11 pro software that helped inform the quantitative component (Study 2) collection (Greene et al., 1989). Study 2 hypothesis included: H1: The migrant farmworker stress inventory (MFWSI), loneliness, and social isolation would be predictors for EMY’s depressive symptoms. H2: There would be a mean difference on EMY’s MFWSI, depressive symptoms, loneliness and social isolation, based on EMY’s age group (0 = 15-17, 1 = 18-20 years old).
Results. Study 1 had five core themes (1) “You have to keep pushing forward,” (2) “It feels ugly but it’s all worth it,” (3) “The sun is unbearable, but we have to keep working,” (4) “I just take some medicine and it goes away,” (5) “I have to do everything on my own.” A representative quote from EMY is presented in Table 1. After controlling for age, results supported H1, MFWSI (b = .11, p < .05), loneliness (b = .23, p < .01), and social isolation (b = .53, p < .05) were predictors for EMY’s depressive symptoms. Finally, H2 was not supported; one-way ANOVA showed no mean differences based on EMY’s age group. Becoming “emancipated” by leaving families behind to pursue work in the U.S has substantial implications for youth’s well-being as they carry the household’s financial burden from a young age.

Author

• Fiorella L. Carlos Chavez, University of Missouri, Columbia
  Presenting Author