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Zoe E. Taylor, Ph.D. a Yumary Ruiz, Ph.D. b
a Purdue University, Human Development & Family Studies b Purdue University, Health and Kinesiology
The Mental Health and Well-Being of Youth from Latino Migrant - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The Mental Health and Well-Being of Youth from Latino Migrant - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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
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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
PURPOSE
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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
Participants
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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
Method
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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
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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)
Measures: Stressors
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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
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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)
Outcome Measures
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Quantitative Results
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Quantitative Results
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Quantitative Results
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Quantitative Results
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Quantitative Results: Anxiety
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Quantitative Results: Anxiety
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Quantitative Results: Depressive Problems
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Quantitative Results: Depressive Problems
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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
- r 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
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Loneliness/social problems and Internalizing Problems
- “[I felt] depressed because a lot of kids started calling me a lot
- f names and laughing. So, I thought ‘like there’s no reason
why [I should] keep putting up with them’, so I just [dropped
- ut 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).
Preliminary Qualitative Results
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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
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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
Future Directions
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