Examining the Effects of Mexican Serial Migration and Family Separations on Acculturative Stress, Depression, and Family Functioning

Abstract

This study examined the role of parent-child separations during serial migration to the United States in predicting individual- and family-level outcomes in Mexican immigrant families. We assessed parents’ subjective appraisals of their family’s separation and reunion experiences to explore associations with self-reported acculturative stress, depression and family functioning. Data were collected from an urban, low-income community sample of Mexican immigrant parents ( N = 53). Seventy percent ( N = 37) of the parents experienced a separation from at least one child during immigration. Separated status parents reported significantly higher levels of acculturative stress, but no significant differences were found between separated and nonseparated status parents on depression or family functioning. Findings also revealed that negative appraisals of the family’s reunion experience were associated with higher levels of acculturative stress, depression, and unhealthy family functioning. We discuss the implications for future research to address the mental health of Mexican immigrant families in the United States.