Immigration-related stress, depression, and positive parenting among undocumented Central American immigrant mothers

IF 1.7 3区社会学 Q2 FAMILY STUDIES

Family Relations Pub Date : 2024-10-20 DOI:10.1111/fare.13106

Rafael E. Hernández Dubon, Bethany L. Letiecq, Tara Chaplin, Colleen K. Vesely, Rachael D. Goodman, Marlene Marquez

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Abstract

Objective

The purpose of the current study was to examine whether immigration-related stress is associated with reduced positive parenting and whether this association is mediated by depressive symptoms in undocumented Central American immigrant mothers.

Background

In the context of “illegality,” parents can face myriad stressors related to their immigration status, which may lead to heightened emotions, including depressed mood. These experiences may affect family life, including the ways in which immigrant mothers parent their children.

Method

This study examined survey data generated in 2016–2017 by researchers using a community-based participatory action research approach in partnership with Central American immigrant mothers residing in the Washington, DC, region. The sample for this study included 117 undocumented Central American immigrant mothers of children aged 3 to 11 years.

Results

Controlling for age of child, mother's education, and relationship status, analyses revealed that immigration-related stress was associated with heightened levels of depressive symptoms for mothers. However, mothers' symptoms of depression were not associated with positive parenting. Additionally, no association between immigration-related stress and positive parenting was found.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that mothers, although affected by immigration-related stress in terms of their own mood symptoms, may deploy mechanisms such as parental self-sacrifice to protect their children from anti-immigrant harms.

Implications

Findings hold implications for future research, including research approaches, and practice.

Abstract Image

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本研究旨在探讨与移民相关的压力是否与中美洲无证移民母亲积极养育子女的能力下降有关，以及这种关联是否受抑郁症状的影响。背景在 "非法移民 "的背景下，父母可能会面临与移民身份有关的各种压力，这可能会导致情绪高涨，包括抑郁情绪。这些经历可能会影响家庭生活，包括移民母亲教育子女的方式。研究方法本研究对研究人员在 2016-2017 年与居住在华盛顿特区的中美洲移民母亲合作，采用基于社区的参与式行动研究方法所产生的调查数据进行了研究。本研究的样本包括 117 位无证中美洲移民母亲，她们的孩子年龄在 3 至 11 岁之间。结果分析表明，在控制孩子年龄、母亲教育程度和关系状况的情况下，与移民有关的压力与母亲抑郁症状的加重有关。然而，母亲的抑郁症状与积极养育子女无关。此外，移民相关压力与积极养育之间也没有关联。结论研究结果表明，尽管母亲在情绪症状方面受到移民相关压力的影响，但她们可能会采用父母自我牺牲等机制来保护子女免受反移民伤害。启示研究结果对今后的研究（包括研究方法和实践）具有启示意义。

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来源期刊

Family Relations Multiple-

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

13.60%

发文量

164

期刊介绍： A premier, applied journal of family studies, Family Relations is mandatory reading for family scholars and all professionals who work with families, including: family practitioners, educators, marriage and family therapists, researchers, and social policy specialists. The journal"s content emphasizes family research with implications for intervention, education, and public policy, always publishing original, innovative and interdisciplinary works with specific recommendations for practice.