Abstract
Background: Latino day laborers (LDLs) experience chronic stressors, that adversely affects their subjective well-being (SWB). The purpose of the study was to determine whether LDLs’ sociodemographic characteristics, religiosity, social networks, and cigarette use were significantly associated with SWB.Methods: AApproximately 150 LDLs from 4 informal day laborer sites in Dallas and Arlington, Texas, participated in the cross-sectional survey. Informed consent was obtained from all participants and data on SWB were collected face-to-face from April 2013 through July 2013.Results: Most respondents were of Mexican ancestry, (n = 112; 75%), were foreign-born (n = 140; 93%), and undocumented (n = 108; 72%). LDLs reported a mean satisfaction with life score of 19.07 (SD=8.52). Thirty percent of LDLs reported not smoking any cigarettes in the past 30 days. However, 20% reported smoking 20–39 cigarettes, while another 20% reported smoking 40 or more cigarettes in the past 30 days. Hierarchical multiple regression results indicated that marital status (β = 0.13, P ≤ 0.05), connectedness to friends (β = 0.21, P ≤ 0.001), the influence of religion on life (β = 0.57, P ≤ 0.01), frequency of attendance to religious institution (β = 0.11, P ≤ 0.005), and cigarette use (β = -0.15, P ≤ 0.05) were significantly associated with the SWB appraisals of LDLs.Conclusion: These findings show that LDLs are resilient and rely on noneconomic factors to enhance their perceived quality of life. The results underscore the need to identify pathways to improve SWB among LDLs. Doing so may address the broader mental health and occupational health disparities gaps that affect LDLs.
Highlights
The only national study on day laborers estimated that there are at least 117,647 day laborers in the United States, of whom over 90% are Latino immigrants.[1]
Legal status was inversely associated with subjective well-being (SWB) (r = -0.18, P ≤ 0.05)
Social engagement with friends was positively associated with higher levels of SWB (r = .55, P ≤ 0.001)
Summary
The only national study on day laborers estimated that there are at least 117,647 day laborers in the United States, of whom over 90% are Latino immigrants.[1]. Latino day laborers (LDLs) experience chronic stressors, that adversely affects their subjective well-being (SWB). Thirty percent of LDLs reported not smoking any cigarettes in the past 30 days. Hierarchical multiple regression results indicated that marital status (β = 0.13, P ≤ 0.05), connectedness to friends (β = 0.21, P ≤ 0.001), the influence of religion on life (β = 0.57, P ≤ 0.01), frequency of attendance to religious institution (β = 0.11, P ≤ 0.005), and cigarette use (β = -0.15, P ≤ 0.05) were significantly associated with the SWB appraisals of LDLs. Conclusion: These findings show that LDLs are resilient and rely on noneconomic factors to enhance their perceived quality of life.
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