Latina immigrant mothers experiencing the immigration climate: Helpful and harmful school-based interactions and communication

• In Event: Examining Diversity in the School-Based Experiences of Latinx Families: Stressors, Support Processes, and Well-Being

Abstract

Introduction: Heightened immigration policing, anti-immigrant rhetoric and immigration policy changes since the 2016 presidential election have amplified a highly uncertain, psychologically-threatening environment for immigrant communities. This exploratory study seeks to better understand how Latina immigrant mothers’ experienced the immigration climate, specifically via interactions with their children’s schools. We sought to understand whether and in what form, communication from the school regarding immigration was experienced as being helpful or harmful. Finally, this study explored whether and how school-based interactions were associated with mothers’ report of their own well-being and the well-being of their children.
Hypotheses: Given the limited research on immigration-related information in schools, we did not have a hypothesis about the type of communication mothers would prefer. Guided by stress models and an ecological-transactional framework, we expected that mothers who experienced more discriminatory interactions would report greater distress.
Study Population: 30 Latina immigrant mothers in NYC participated in this study; 13% spoke Mixteco as their primary language, 87% spoke Spanish as their primary language; all mothers were comfortable participating in Spanish. 83% identified as Mexican, 6% as Peruvian, 3% as Guatemalan, 3% as Dominican. Children ranged in age from 5 years-21 years with a mean age of 9. Fifty percent of the children were female; children were in grades PreK-freshmen year in college.
Method: This is a mixed method study. Four focus groups were conducted in Spanish over 6 months in different community based organizations in 2019. Mothers completed surveys about immigration enforcement threat and their health and then engaged in a discussion about their experiences as mothers enduring the immigration climate. Immigration enforcement threat was measured using the Perceived Immigration Policy Effects Scale (PIPES; Ayón, 2017); Indicators of maternal psychological distress were measured using the PHQ-2 depression scale and the PROMIS-4 sleep disturbance scale. Constructivist grounded theory methods informed the qualitative analysis. A constant comparative approach was used while completing coding. Multiple steps were taken to support the trustworthiness of the study (i.e., multiple coders, peer debriefing model, and multiple quotes per theme). Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and correlational analyses.
Results: Mothers’ preferences around discussion of the immigration climate at school is complex and depends on the age of the child. Bullying is a salient concern for mothers. A third (31%) of the mothers scored at least a 3 (at-risk) on the PHQ-2 screener for depressive disorders. Maternal depression risk is significantly correlated with immigration-related discrimination (r= .594). Latina immigrant mothers and their children are experiencing significant stress due to the immigration climate and hurtful interactions in schools. A trauma-informed approach in schools and partnerships between schools, health clinics and immigration lawyers are recommended to address the distress in immigrant communities.

Authors

• R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez, New York University School of Medicine
  Presenting Author

• Anya Urcuyo, New York University School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elaine Salamanca, New York University School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Heliana Linares Torres, New York University School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author