Risk and Protective Factors Impacting the Mental Health of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children From Central America
Abstract
Hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children (UICs) from the Northern Triangle of Central America were released from Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelters between 2013 and 2023. Previous research findings indicate that UICs are at heightened risk of becoming poly-victims through traumatic event exposure (TEE). Trauma poly-victims are at heightened risk of developing posttraumatic stress, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms. Nonetheless, it is critical to acknowledge that mental health problems are not endemic to the UIC migration experience. Factors across the social ecology, including post-migration stress, social support, and internal resilience, influence UICs’ mental health after migration. This dissertation sought to examine how UICs’ lifetime TEE relates to their mental health, considering the aggravating effect of post-migration stressors and buffering effects of social support and internal resilience. Analyses focused on the lived experiences and mental health of ten Latinx young people predominantly from Guatemala (60%). Their shared stories of migration reflected pathways to the United States by land via the Mexico-U.S. border as well as directly to New York by plane. This split coincided with access to legal protections. Their experiences in immigration detention centers reflected the inhospitable conditions at the border. By contrast, ORR shelters were better equipped to meet their developmental needs, but long stays, family separation, and feelings of uncertainty made ORR stays difficult. Salient migration experiences varied among youth with and without legal protections. All ten cases experienced separation from caregivers through migration. Extended family played a key role in maintaining a stable home environment. Youths described both challenges and facilitators to attending school. Participation in legal and social services varied across cases, and in many instances service providers played an instrumental role in helping youth find safety. There was a high degree of TEE among participants; most reported at least 9 lifetime TEE events. Adversities during migration were reported only by young people who migrated by land to the Mexico-U.S. border. Patterns of association between TEE and mental health during resettlement was considered through nonparametric localized analyses. Score combinations were compared to consider how past-month mental health symptoms varied in relation to lifetime traumatic event exposure, post-migration stress, social support, and internal resilience. Comparisons at the individual level highlighted the relevance of considering idiographic data to understand patterns of score elevations in relation to risk and protective factors in resettlement. Clinical implications and directions for future research to promote UICs’ access to culturally responsive evidence-based practices are discussed.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|American studies|Psychology|Mental health
Recommended Citation
Jimenéz-Salazar, Maria Cristina, "Risk and Protective Factors Impacting the Mental Health of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children From Central America" (2023). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30989533.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30989533
