Conducting Community-Engaged Research amid Heightened Anti-Migrant Rhetoric: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study with Latino Sexual Minority Migrant Men

Background and Purpose: Engaging harder-to-reach populations in research can be challenging, especially when recruiting individuals who face multiple identity-based stigmas (Guillory et al., 2018). Recruitment difficulties are exacerbated during political turmoil, where the rise of right-wing populism has fostered heightened anti-immigrant sentiment and xenophobic attitudes in the United States and globally (Vinocour, 2024). This presentation highlights the lessons learned from the recent launch of a large, mixed-method, federally funded online study focused on Latino sexual minority men (SMM) who have lived in the United States for five years or less. The presentation is guided by the following question: How can the insights gained from designing and implementing a study that investigates the mental and sexual health of Latino SMM migrants during periods of anti-immigration sentiment assist other social work researchers? The presentation examines interrelated phases, including increased migration to the U.S. from Latin American countries among Latino SMM migrants, who face not only xenophobic stigma but also stigmas related to their race, migration status, social class, language, and sexual orientation.

Methods: Using reflexive and critical methodologies (Hernández-Johnson & Bendixen, 2024; Onishenko et al., 2024; Suebert et al., 2022), the study team analyzes their experiences and the processes that shaped the design and implementation of the research. They reflect on their interactions with various constituents (e.g., institutional review boards), the establishment and maintenance of a community advisory board, and recruitment strategies, including the difficulties of attracting large samples of Latino SMM migrant men through online methods in a trauma-informed way, thus promoting their safety during a time when the criminalization of migration has once again become entrenched in the social fabric, rendering this group especially vulnerable.

Results: Designing and implementing mixed-method research with Latino SMM migrants presents numerous challenges and rewards. Firstly, Latino SMM migrants move for various reasons (e.g., fleeing persecution and economic hardship). Often, there is more than one reason; thus, developing study instruments and questionnaires that account for the diversity of experiences is crucial. Second, crafting a study that captures these experiences requires intentionality and thoughtfulness, achievable only through collaboration with community members who offer diverse perspectives. This also necessitates recognizing that community members are not a monolith and bring unique viewpoints that must be considered thoroughly. Researchers must also be prepared to adapt their methodological approaches to ensure participant safety, including guaranteeing that study measures do not cause additional distress for participants. Furthermore, the research team needs to implement changes to enhance privacy protections for participants in early 2025; this comes with an increased risk of the survey being compromised by disingenuous users and bots—thus requiring heightened monitoring to balance participant safety with data integrity.

Conclusions and Implications: Reflecting on and critically assessing the processes and procedures involved in designing and implementing a study for Latino migrant men provides researchers and the communities they engage with recommendations for conducting methodologically rigorous research while ensuring participant safety, especially during periods of heightened nationalism that pose significant psychological and physical risks to migrants.