Do ties protect? Examining economic insecurity and mental health in mixed-status families among undocumented undergraduates

Objective

This research investigated whether economic insecurity is associated with undocumented undergraduate students' mental health and if having lawfully present family members mitigates the relationship between economic insecurity and mental health.

Background

Research shows that U.S.-citizen family members deploy their status privilege, structural advantages enabled by their lawful immigration status, to help undocumented immigrant family members. However, no study to date has established whether such cross-status support is sufficient to moderate consequences of legal vulnerability.

Method

Data are from a 2020 online survey of undocumented undergraduates in California (N = 777). Regression analyses test the relationship between economic insecurity (individual/familial) and mental health (anxiety and depression symptomology). The inclusion of interaction terms tests moderation of four lawfully present family ties: parents, siblings, extended family living in the household, and extended family living outside the household.

Results

Undocumented students' own economic insecurity is associated with increased anxiety and depression symptomatology. Having lawfully present extended family members in the household can buffer this relationship, but it also strengthens the relationship between familial economic insecurity and anxiety.

Conclusion

Lawfully present family members may use their status privilege to offer support in certain contexts but are insufficient to address severe structural inequalities linked to one's immigration status.

Implications

Mental health professionals should be prepared to address a wide array of legal vulnerabilities including economic insecurity. Economic insecurity is a moveable and policy-relevant lever that can be addressed by allocating more student resources, such as support buying books, obtaining affordable housing, and access to food.