Family resilience, education and emotional well-being among women experiencing forced displacement in Tijuana, Mexico

• In Event: Families, Care, and Resilience in Education Amid Crisis

Proposal

This study examines the impact of forced displacement on the family dynamics and emotional well-being of women who have fled violence in Mexico and Central America and arrived in Tijuana, Mexico. The research responds to the urgent need to understand how women, often migrating with children and extended family, experience changes in their family trajectories and emotional health under conditions of violence, loss, and uncertainty.

The study is situated in the broader context of Mexico’s escalating violence, which has forced hundreds of thousands of individuals to leave their communities in recent years (Montalvo, 2021; Gandini et al., 2022). Tijuana, the most populated municipality in Mexico and one of the busiest border cities in the world, has become a convergence point for displaced people from multiple countries, many of whom are women traveling with children (Miranda, 2022). Shelters such as Pro Amore Dei and the Border Line Crisis Center provide temporary protection, yet they are often overwhelmed by the high demand for services (Morrissey, 2023). Within these spaces, women negotiate trauma, family fragmentation, and uncertainty while also exhibiting remarkable resilience and faith.

The study adopted a qualitative phenomenological approach (Fuster, 2019), designed to capture the lived experiences of displaced women. Eight women residing in shelters in Tijuana participated through open and semi-structured interviews. This methodology allowed the researchers to explore how women interpret and give meaning to their displacement experiences, rather than focusing solely on structural causes. By centering women’s narratives, the research foregrounds the emotional and relational dimensions of displacement.

Findings highlight that displacement disrupts family structures in multiple ways. Women reported separation from spouses and children during migration, changes in parental roles, and the loss of long-term family projects such as education and home ownership. Testimonies reveal that fear of violence, extortion, and kidnapping were primary drivers of displacement: “My son and husband were threatened by organized crime to sell drugs. We had to flee or be killed” (Yolanda, Michoacán, interview excerpt). Gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence and coercion by criminal groups, also emerged as recurrent causes of flight, echoing findings from other Latin American contexts (Lozano, 2018; Salazar, 2014).

The emotional consequences of displacement were profound. Women described experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, and hopelessness. These emotions often affected parenting practices and conjugal relationships, as women struggled to provide stability for their children while enduring their own trauma. One participant from El Salvador recalled: “My partner beat me, and I thought it was normal, because I saw it with my mother. But now I realize it is violence” (Jacqueline, interview excerpt).

At the same time, the research identified sources of resilience and coping. Faith and spirituality emerged as central in providing meaning and strength in the midst of uncertainty: “We arrived here only with life itself. Thanks to God, we are alive with our children” (Katherine, Guatemala, interview excerpt). Access to psychosocial support within shelters was also perceived as transformative, offering spaces for women and their children to process trauma, reduce aggression, and regain emotional balance. Sorority and peer support among women in shelters created temporary but valuable networks of solidarity, reinforcing their capacity to resist despair.

Another key finding was the importance of education and training in women’s and families’ efforts to rebuild their lives. Many participants expressed deep concern for the interrupted schooling of their children, noting that instability and displacement jeopardize long-term educational trajectories. Mothers also highlighted their own aspirations for continuing education or vocational training as a means to restore dignity, provide stability, and create opportunities for their families. The study suggests that access to inclusive education—both formal schooling for children and adult education or skills development for women—is fundamental not only for personal empowerment but also for strengthening resilience and enabling displaced families to reconstruct their life projects with greater autonomy.

These findings confirm that forced displacement is not only a geopolitical or economic phenomenon but also a deeply personal and familial disruption. Women’s testimonies demonstrate how displacement reshapes family trajectories, erodes stability, and generates new vulnerabilities, particularly for children and adolescents. Yet the same testimonies also illustrate women’s agency and resilience, as they reconstruct meaning, support one another, and articulate hopes for a more stable future.

The study contributes to comparative and international education by situating forced displacement within the framework of family trajectories and human development. It underscores the importance of integrating psychosocial support and family-centered approaches into humanitarian responses. Programs and policies must go beyond addressing basic survival needs to include interventions that strengthen emotional well-being, educational opportunities, parental capacities, and social support networks. Such measures can foster resilience and enable displaced families to rebuild their lives with dignity.

In conclusion, this research demonstrates that understanding the intersection of forced displacement, family dynamics, and emotional well-being is critical for designing inclusive policies and practices. It calls for governments, civil society, and international organizations to recognize displaced women not merely as victims of violence but as resilient actors who, when supported with education, mental health care, and social resources, can transform their suffering into pathways of personal and communal growth.

Author

• Andrés Porras Gutiérrez, Harvard Graduate School of Education