Migration Stage Stress: Implications for the Mental Health of Mexican and Central American Immigrants

Background: The migration process can be conceptualized as having three stages: pre-, peri-, and post-migration. During each stage, immigrants are exposed to discrete stressors and sources of potential trauma. Though previous research highlights the role of immigration stage stress on mental health, data are lacking specific to newer Mexicans and Central Americans who have fled recent situations of violence and increasingly stringent immigration policies and enforcement in the U.S. Research is also lacking regarding the correlation of cumulative stress during each stage with mental health symptoms.

Method: Employing a cross-sectional survey, data were collected via Qualtrics panels with 305 Mexican and Central American immigrants who arrived in the U.S. during the past ten years. To assess stress during each migration stage, a scale of well-documented stressors was developed for each stage. For example, among other factors, pre-migration included violence and poverty, per-migration assessed for food insecurity and assaults, with post-migration assessing for language and cultural barriers. Applying a migration stage framework, regression analyses were employed to analyze risks associated with accumulative incidents of stress during pre-migration and post-migration stages, discrimination, and two protective factors (social support and resilience). Peri-migration stress was excluded from analysis due to more than 50% missing data. Demographic data included age, gender (dichotomized due to the small sample of non-binary participants), and origin (Mexico or Central America).

Results: Approximately half (50.5%) of the sample was female, 43.9% male, and 4.6% non-binary. The mean age was 31.7 (SD=8.47), and participants arrived in the U.S. an average of 7.29 (SD = 2.29) years ago. Reliability scores were excellent for the pre-migration (alpha=.943) and post-migration (.916) scales. Regression results suggest that pre-migration stress correlated with depression (B=.055, p=.026) and anxiety symptoms (B=.047; p=.017), while post-migration stress correlated with all mental health symptoms: depression (B=.053; p=.042), anxiety (B=.056; p=.007), and trauma (B=.300; p<.001). Discrimination also emerged as a risk factor, with social support served as a protective factor, for each outcome.

Conclusions: Findings suggest pre-migration stress may set the stage for subsequent mental health challenges, while post-migration stress and discrimination may exacerbate these challenges. Yet, social support can act as a buffer against these impacts. Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address the unique stressors encountered by immigrants at each stage of the migration process, as well as more inclusive immigration policies. Future research should explore per-migration stage stress and examine findings among specific countries within Central America.