Latinx Traumatic Experiences : Children And Women Immigrants

Juana Mora in “Acculturation Is Bad for Our Health: Eat More Nopalitos” argues that the United States offers many job and educational opportunities for Latinos, but acculturation in America negatively impacts their health. Mora offers research and statistics, most of which I find compelling, to explain that these illnesses are primarily due to the immigrants’ new “daily habits and environment changes” (Mora 660). After arriving in America, immigrants often live in crime-ridden, low income neighborhoods, rely on fast food, abuse alcohol and tobacco products, and have fewer safe areas for exercise. Additionally, the stress caused “by learning a new language and culture” and “living in new and sometimes dangerous environments” causes illnesses such as post-traumatic

The process of acculturation can exacerbate existing cultural stressors and lead to increased instances of IPV among Latina immigrants. According to Kasturirangan, acculturation, “refers to the adjustment process that takes place as an individual adapts to a new culture.” There are two modes of acculturation: integration and assimilation. Garcia describes integration as “a mode of acculturation in which the acculturating individual develops a bicultural orientation and successfully integrates cultural aspects of both groups and feels a certain sense of identification and comfort with both groups.” On the other hand, Garcia defines assimilation as, “a mode of acculturation in which the acculturating individual loses his or her original cultural identity as he or she acquires a new identity in a second culture.” Either of these modes of acculturation can result in acculturation stress, which, according to Caetano, “occurs when the acculturation process causes problems for individuals, that is, problems arising from conflicts between the immigrant

Despite the fact that many schools now offer both social and mental health services for the entire student population, the school does not necessarily focus on the special needs of immigrant students. There are no school-based approaches that are aimed at assisting the adaptation of immigrant children in place anywhere. Transitional support is one basic factor that has been identified, which is designed to help combat mental health and educational problems by providing a sense of welcome and social support. This type of intervention has three main components; the first one is having general procedures to welcome and facilitate adjustment. The second is to provide personalized

The “Undocumented Students” are youth who arrived to the United States as young children. These are young adults fighting hard to achieve their piece of the American Dream. Their experiences are emblematic of the struggles of millions of undocumented children and youth in America who deal daily with isolation from peers, the struggle to pursue an education, fears of detention and deportation and the trauma of separation from family and loved ones. Today there are one million children under 18 and 4.4 million under 30 undocumented young adults living in America and 11. Undocumented immigrants. Being undocumented negatively affects the well being of these young

Other comparisons include the rate of physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, excessive discipline, and drug use. Latino immigrants were three times as likely to be victims of physical abuse than U.S. born Latino children (75.7% vs. 27.8%) while on the other hand, U.S. born Latino/as were significant more likely to be victims of emotional abuse than Latino immigrants (24.2% vs. 0.2%) (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). In terms of domestic violence, U.S. born Latino/as were five times more likely to experience it than Latino immigrants (12.8% vs. 2.3%) (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). U.S. born Latino families were more likely to be present in alcohol (15.8% vs. 1.4%) and drug abuse (8.7% vs. 0.3%), and Latino immigrants were three times more likely to be identified as using excessive discipline (46.5% vs. 14.3%) (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). Although these statistics provides us a better understanding of the differences between the immigrant

From their study, they concluded that there were significant differences in the types of alleged maltreatment that brought children of immigrants to the attention of the child welfare system compared to children of U.S.-born parents (Dettlaff & Earner, 2012). It was also concluded that children in immigrant families are more likely to experience emotional abuse, however, they are nearly eight times less likely to experience physical neglect compared to their U.S.-born parents counterparts (Dettlaff & Earner, 2007, p.

Another group of vulnerable people subject to trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder related to immigration are women. There are many reasons as to why female immigrants from Latin America may develop post-traumatic stress disorder such as sexual abuse. An overwhelming 60% of Central American immigrant women experience sexual violence compared to 22.1% of non-hispanics in the United States. They face unique experiences compared to other Latinx groups, which is why the percentage of Central Americans who face sexual violence is so high. Central American women may experience sexual abuse before and during their migration through Mexico.

Latino Immigrants who have travelled from their home country often experience social isolation when they first arrive to their new home. This can cause added stress and distress in the person’s life. Housing and employment are of higher importance to attain then social support and this can lead to feelings of loneliness and stress. As providers, we should understand that the culmination of stressors associated with constantly having to adapt to unfamiliar environments, work-related stress, and lack of social and emotional support may take a psychological and physical toll on many immigrants, not just

Research indicates that immigrant groups are likely to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) at varying degrees irrespective of whether they are voluntary migrants or refugees. However, refugees are known to suffer higher rates of mental health disorders ranging from PSTD to depression (Rasmussen et al., 2012). It is also known that refugees are likely to have more pre-migration risk for trauma than voluntary immigrants. Even though most refugees flee their home countries to reduce the risk of distress, research indicates that the well-being of such immigrants deteriorates with increasing time spent in the host countries

Past research has focused on parenting and child development in minority and immigrant families as culturally deficient, however Perreria et al. (2006) study shows that among Latino immigrants, the broader context of reception into their new communities shapes the societal factors that influence their adaptation and parenting. Driscoll, Russell, and Crockett (2008) study focuses on the four different types of parenting styles practiced by immigrant parents and their effects on the children.

As compared to documented and U.S born Latinos, undocumented Latinos are identified to have a higher level of anxiety, adjustment disorders, alcohol abuse, and other psychological problems (Perez & Fortuna, 2005; Ramos-Sanchez, 2010). As summarized by Grau, J. M., Kerns, K. A., & Neal-Barnett, A. M. (2002), much of the research available on foreign-born and US-born Latino youth examines how acculturative stress, which stems from challenges related to adapting to life in the US (e.g., learning a new language, adjusting to new social norms and family dynamics, and experiencing discrimination), affect psychological well-being. Additionally, undocumented Latino immigrants may be afraid to disclose any type of information for fear of being deported because of their legal status and in turn increase the risk of emotional distress and hamper their quality of health. (Cavazos-Rehg et al., 2007). Living in an undocumented or mixed legal status family can be very stressful to both the children and the parents.

This article looks at the impact enforcement policies have had on Mexican families more broadly and children specifically. Drawing on interviews with 91 parents and 110 children in 80 households, the author suggests that, similar to the injury pyramid used by public health professionals, a deportation pyramid best depicts the burden of deportation on children (Dreby, 2012, Pg. 829). At the top of the pyramid are instances that have had the most severe consequences on children's daily lives: families in which a deportation has led to permanent family dissolution (Dreby, 2012, Pg. 829). But enforcement policies have had the greatest impact on children at the bottom of the pyramid. Regardless of legal status or their family members' involvement with immigration authorities, children in Mexican immigrant households describe fear about their family stability and confusion over the impact legality has on their lives (Dreby, 2012, Pg. 829). These children are moved from placement to placement, or from various family members, or various shelters. They do not feel safe a lot of the time or have any sense of stability. On top of all of this they do not feel a sense of belonging or even welcomed due to their alien status, this status can hender their chances of overall life

In this case study I will explore certain possible dynamics related to culture and ethnicity that have been reported in relation to the psychology of Mexican Americans as well as other immigrant communities. Cristal is a 16-year-old Mexican American female. Cristal seems to be experiencing some distress in her life, which seems to stem from cultural conflict rather than inherent psychopathology. Cristal is struggling with the question of whether she should stay home and care for her mother and family or if she should go away to college. She

The current study is examining the challenges and resiliencies of Latino immigrant parents. This study will be using a qualitative research design. This qualitative design will be accomplished through the use of face to face and phone interviews. This current study seeks to answer the following questions: What parental challenges do Latino immigrant parents face? What resiliencies do Latino immigrant parents obtain? What resources/services do Latino immigrant parents feel they need? What parenting skills, styles, and/or knowledge have Latino immigrant parents used and were they effective in producing positive child outcomes?

Studies have shown that the population with Mexican origins presents lower rates of admission in hospitals specializing in mental health. These results have raised discussions on whether the lower number of Mexican-Americans admitted to these hospitals is due to a lower occurrence of mental disorders or to a lower number of individuals making use of this type of services. Others find that one of the factors that stop Hispanic immigrants from reporting mental health problems and seeking professional help to solve them is the difficulty to communicate in the English language. Generally, For Mexican immigrants, there are indications that individuals’ risk of mental health could be different than