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Primary Submission Category: Mental health/function
Making Life Under Constraint: Psychosocial Strengths and Mental Health Among Latina Immigrant Women
Authors: Juan Gudino, Jeanie Santaularia Gomez, Barbara Baquero, Gabriela Nagy,
Presenting Author: Juan Gudino*
Background: Latina immigrant women experience multiple forms of immigration-related stress, however, psychosocial strengths may shape how stress is experienced and protect against poor mental health. Few studies have examined psychosocial strengths alongside stressors in relation to mental health among Latina immigrants in community-based samples. This study aimed to assess associations between psychosocial strengths, immigration-related stressors, and depression and anxiety in Latina immigrant women.
Methods: We analyzed data from a community-based sample of Latina immigrant women (N=226) in Seattle, WA, participating in a mental health intervention trial conducted between 2019 and 2021. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured using continuous Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scores, and psychosocial strengths and stressors were assessed using validated survey scales. Crude and adjusted ordinary least squares regression models estimated associations between psychosocial strengths and stressors and mental health outcomes.
Results: Perceived stress was associated with higher depressive (β = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.33–0.77) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.26–0.69). Social isolation was also associated with higher depressive (β = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.18–0.44) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.07–0.32), while immigration-related stress was associated with higher anxiety symptoms (β = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.15–0.34). Social support was associated with lower depressive symptoms (β = −1.60, 95% CI: 2.40 to −0.89).
Discussion: Findings highlight the importance of social support as a psychosocial resource for maintaining mental health among Latina immigrant women exposed to multiple stressors. Future research should examine how immigration policy environments shape chronic stress exposure over time, particularly through longitudinal designs that capture changes in stressors and psychosocial strengths across the life course.