Discrimination of Mexican Youth Linked to Mental Health, Sleep Problems

Nearly 9 in 10 Mexican-origin youth living in Northern Indiana reported experiencing discrimination, according to astudypublished in theJournal of the American Academy of Child& Adolescent Psychiatry. These findings reflect the first wave of a three-wave longitudinal study,Seguimos Avanzando, which is examining the effects of discrimination as well as family support on the mental health of Mexican-origin youth in regions experiencing new migration.“In new migration areas, Latinx individuals are often portrayed as having criminal tendencies, perpetuating negative stereotypes and increasing marginalization,” wrote Margarita Alegria, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and colleagues. “Previous research has not studied risk and protec tive factors among Latinx individuals living in a predominantly White population state, and few studies used longitudinal designs barring rare exceptions.”For wave 1, Alegria and colleagues surveyed an ethnically homogeneous sample of 344 Mexican-origin adolescents (aged 12 to 15) and their primary caregivers. Measures on the youth-reported surveys included past two-week depressive symptoms (Child Depression Inventory-2 Short Form), past three-month anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders), past-month sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index global scores), and lifetime perceived racial discrimination (Perceptions of Racism in Children and Youth).After co...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: depression discrimination family support immigration Indiana Mexican American poor sleep Seguimos Avanzando Source Type: research