The Mental Health and Well-Being of Youth from Latino Migrant Farmworker Families Zoe E. Taylor, Ph.D. a Yumary Ruiz, Ph.D. b a Purdue University, Human Development & Family Studies b Purdue University, Health and Kinesiology
Children in Migrant Farmworker Families “Children of the road” ( Branz-Spall et al, 2003) Severe obstacles Mobility Acculturation challenges Extreme poverty/substandard living conditions Geographic isolation and marginalization Interrupted schooling Mental health problems Educational disadvantages Workers themselves
PURPOSE Latino Migrant Farmworker (LMFW) children are a unique, subpopulation of Latino families ◦ Growing population in Midwest ◦ Especially vulnerable to mental and physical health disparities ◦ The present study explores the relations between specific contextual environmental risks and the mental health of LMFW children
Participants LMFW children ages 6-18 ( N = 80) ◦ Participating in a Summer Migrant Education Program (SMEP) in Northern Indiana ◦ SMEP program provides resources for LMFW children who migrate to the area from Texas and Florida with their families for agricultural work ◦ Sample: 54.5% male , 73% two-parent households, 35% were ages 6-9 and 65% ages 10-18 ( M = 11.71) 63.6% born in U.S, 69.7% preferred language was English
Method Mixed-methods research ◦ Age-appropriate surveys on IPads ◦ Qualitative Interviews ( N = 24) ◦ Teacher Reports ◦ Behavioral regulation tasks (Flanker , Dimensional Change Card Sort -NIH toolbox) ◦ Biomarkers Saliva samples (cortisol and salivary alpha amylase) BMI, blood pressure
Measures: Stressors Loneliness (NIH toolbox, 7-items) ◦ “I feel that I have nobody to talk to” ◦ 4-pt scale (8+), 3-pt scale (6 & 7) ◦ Z-score, alpha = .91 Social Problems (Teacher Report Form (TRF), 11 items) ◦ “ doesn’t get along with other students” ◦ 3-pt scale (0 = not true, 1 = somewhat true, 2 = very true) ◦ Ranged between 0 and 11 ( M = .98, SD = 1.82)
Measures: Stressors Multicultural Events Scale (3-scales) 8+ answered, 0 = didn’t happen, 1 = did happen Economic Hassles (10-items) ◦ “during the past three months your parent lost a job” ◦ Range: 0 to 8 ( M = 1.31, SD = 1.90), (α = .76 ) Language Hassles (5-items) ◦ “You had a hard time doing things because you do not speak Spanish well” ◦ Range: 0 to 4 ( M = .51, SD = .95), (α = .62) Discrimination (6-items) ◦ “You were excluded from a group because of your culture or race” ◦ Range: 0 to 6 ( M = .77, SD = 1.49), (α = .84)
Outcome Measures Anxiety ◦ Self-report: Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, 6-items 4-pt scale (8+), 3-pt abbreviated scale (6&7) “When I have a problem, my heart beats really fast” Z-score, alpha = .78 ◦ Teacher report: Teacher Report Form (TRF), 13-items 3-pt scale (0 = not true, 1 = somewhat true, 2 = very true) “ Nervous, high strung, or tense “ Range: 0 to 19 (M = 1.49, SD = 2.72) (α = .84)
Outcome Measures Depressive problems ◦ Self-report: CESD-C, 20-items “I felt sad” summed scale (0 = not at all, 1 = a little, 2 = some, 3 = a lot) Range: 1 and 49 ( M = 18.48, SD = 11.65) (α = .90) ◦ Teacher report: Teacher Report Form (TRF), 8-items “There is very little he/she enjoys,” summed scale (0 = not true, 1 = somewhat true, 2 = very true) Range: 0 and 19 ( M = 1.49, SD = 2.72) (α = .83)
Quantitative Results
Quantitative Results
Quantitative Results
Quantitative Results
Quantitative Results: Anxiety
Quantitative Results: Anxiety
Quantitative Results: Depressive Problems
Quantitative Results: Depressive Problems
Preliminary Qualitative Results Stressors and Internalizing Problems ◦ pressures related to home-life, mistreatment by peers or teachers, and conflicting time-demands ◦ I get anxious about- like when I think about my future and it gets me kinda worried (#55). ◦ “[I feel sad] because I miss my mom, but it’s work, so…” (#82 ). ◦ “Sometimes [my dad] leaves Sunday and comes home Friday or Saturday and leaves Sunday, or sometimes he leaves for a month and comes back for like a week, and then leaves again” (#57). ◦ “Sometimes my mom can get really mad and stuff and that’s when my mom and dad fight and then she gets mad at me for no reason and then she says that I’m dumb and stuff” (#2).
Preliminary Qualitative Results Loneliness/social problems and Internalizing Problems ◦ “[ I felt] depressed because a lot of kids started calling me a lot of names and laughing. So, I thought ‘like there’s no reason why [I should] keep putting up with them’, so I just [dropped out of school]” (#75). ◦ “I was bullied about my weight…being called names and not being able to be that active [made me sad]” (#26) . ◦ “he’s in all my classes and he bothers me, he calls me names and the teacher doesn’t pay attention. Well [then] I get mad and I start to say mean stuff too, but I scream and [because I scream] I’m the one that gets in trouble” (#53).
Implications Findings contribute to a small body of research that reports that LMFW youth are at high-risk for mental health problems ◦ A large number of youth described feelings of despair, sadness, and anger when discussing their mental health. Such vulnerabilities likely have long-term effects on LMFW children’s future health, well -being, and success Economic stress seems to be most salient for mental health ◦ Both reporters, but high discrepancies High levels strongly suggest mental health screenings needed for this population
Future Directions Researchers need to identify and target resilience factors that buffer LMFW children from poor mental health ◦ Family connections and support Examine other salient stressors ◦ E.g. Documentation status, child workers, home responsibilities Address specific effects of mobility ◦ need for longitudinal research as families move and transition between locations (or become stable) Examine long-term trajectories of mental health
Questions ? Contact: Zoe Taylor Assistant Professor, HDFS, Purdue University zetaylor@purdue.edu Thanks to our funders, research assistants, and participants. This activity was funded by the Spencer Foundation and Purdue University as part of AgSEED Crossroads funding to support Indiana’s Agriculture and Rural Development .
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