Threat and deprivation as distinct predictors of posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms in first and second generation Latinx youth

Abstract

Recent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) scholarship emphasizes that differing ACEs affect the onset and course of psychopathology, and that sociopolitical context contributes to ACEs experienced by marginalized youth. Guided by the Immigration-Related Adverse Childhood Experiences Model, we explored the associations between different ACEs—immigration enforcement fear and perceived economic hardship—on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among first and second-generation Latinx youth in immigrant families. Participants (n = 306) included students from 11 high schools in two states (58% female; 25% aged 17 or older). Fifty-three percent were first generation students and 80% were born in, or had a parent from, Mexico or Central America. We found that immigration enforcement fear predicted greater PTSD symptoms after accounting for other key covariates. Perceived economic hardship was associated with depression across all subscales. Findings highlight the need for a multidimensional approach to assess and understand how ACEs, including immigration enforcement fear, influence mental health for youth in Latinx immigrant families.