Impact of Potential Changes in US Immigration Policies on Distress and Mental Health of Latinx College Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT US President Donald Trump promised and delivered radical changes to US immigration policies. This study examined the extent to which a sample of college students were affected by such changes and subsequent associations with psychological health. The study was a survey of 401 college students from a large Hispanic Serving Institution. A total of 71% of participants reported being at least “a little bit” affected by potential changes in US immigration policies, and 43% were affected “quite a bit” or “very much.” Latinx people were significantly more affected than other ethnicities. Importantly, increases in being affected were significantly related to increases in depression, general distress, distress specific to immigration issues, financial stress, and insomnia. These findings suggest that the impact of potential and/or actual changes in US immigration policies may lead to a number of mental health consequences for college students, particularly Latinx students. These findings are also consistent with the tenets of critical race theory regarding the harmful effects of societal structures, processes, and systems on members of marginalized ethnic/racial groups.