Political Rhetoric on Immigration Found to Affect Mental Health

Politicians and pundits may want to consider the emotional impact their words have not only on the groups they ’re targeting, but also on the nation as a whole. Astudy on immigration rhetoric inSocial Science& Medicine finds that negative rhetoric can cause feelings of hurt, anger, and distress in its targets, but positive rhetoric fosters perceptions of greater health, well-being and feelings of belonging.Leo R. Chavez, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of California, Irvine, examined the impact of political rhetoric on 280 Mexican-origin young adults (average age approximately 21 years). Study participants were born in Mexico or had at least one ancestor who was born in Mexico. The researchers collected data between August 2016 and June 2017.Participants were randomly divided into three groups. One group viewed positive rhetoric, such as a snippet of former President Barack H. Obama ’s 2011 State of the Union address in which he described immigrant students as talented, responsible young people who could enrich the nation. One group viewed negative rhetoric, such as President Donald J. Trump’s campaign-trail characterization of Mexicans who come to the U.S. as drug carriers , criminals, and rapists. The control group viewed neutral rhetoric about the color of university buildings. The researchers then asked participants open-ended questions about their feelings and reactions to what they had viewed; participants further indicated their feelings on several ra...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Barack Obama Donald Trump immigration mental health Mexico politics racism Source Type: research