Immigrants In Chile Research Articles

Does educational attainment matter for attitudes toward immigrants in Chile? Assessing the causality and generalizability of higher education's so-called "liberalizing effect" on economic and cultural threat.

Despite a large literature consistently showing a relationship between higher levels of education and lower levels of ethnic prejudice, some points of contention remain. First, it remains unclear whether education has a causal effect on attitudes, mainly due to a lack of longitudinal studies. Second, due to the majority of studies on prejudice being conducted in Europe and North America, we do not know to what extent the inverse relationship between education and prejudice is generalizable beyond the "global North." To answer these questions, I study attitudes toward immigrants in Chile in the years 2016-2022, using six waves of the Chilean Longitudinal Social Survey. Chile provides new variations in economic and cultural factors, with its stable albeit highly unequal economy, and increased immigration from culturally similar countries which shed light on possible scope conditions of the so-called liberalizing effect of education. I analyze whether attaining more education has an effect on reducing levels of perceived economic and cultural threat. The findings show that increases in education are associated with both lower levels of perceived economic and cultural threat, with education having a stronger effect on the latter.

Gradations of Migrant Legality: The Impact of States’ Legal Structures and Bureaucracies on Immigrant Legalization and Livelihoods

Immigrant legalization scholarship assumes that immigrants with “non-tenuous” legal statuses—with ostensible pathways to citizenship—smoothly transition into enduring legality. However, under-studied features of the legal structure and bureaucracy likely disrupt their legalization. Thus, the present article introduces the concept of “gradations of migrant legality” to examine how multilayered, embedded interactions between the state's immigration regime, the structure of legalization opportunities, and the permeability of application procedural standards impact immigrants’ legalization transitions. The study draws on in-depth interviews to compare Venezuelan migrants’ “non-tenuous” legalization process in Argentina and Chile. Whereas Argentina has an inclusionary immigration regime, legalization opportunity structure, and procedural standards, Chile has an exclusionary one. Despite these contrasting trends, both countries have had some inclusionary and exclusionary executive administrative measures. Findings show smooth transitions were possible in both countries when procedural standards were predictable and state bureaucrats eased obstructive requirements. However, disruptive transitions occurred when digitalization changed procedural standards, visa categories required self-sufficiency, and administrative actions imposed cumbersome requirements. Disruptive transitions were more prevalent and harmful to immigrants in Chile because most visa categories (under the law and administrative actions) required formal employment. In contrast, disruptive transitions were less prevalent and harmful to Venezuelan migrants in Argentina because they could access the Mercosur Residency Agreement, which protected their livelihood by not requiring proof of economic solvency. Broadly, the “gradations of migrant legality” framework shows that different organizational levels interact and have compounding, unequal effects on immigrants, including those with visa categories that provide seemingly straightforward pathways to citizenship.

Discriminação percebida no local de trabalho por imigrantes sul-americanos no Chile: um estudo quantitativo em uma grande amostra

Abstract South American immigrants in Chile constantly suffer workplace discrimination, which is usually related to different variables that are inherent to their immigration process. The objective of this article was to evaluate perceived workplace discrimination by South American immigrants in Chile. A cross-sectional design with a descriptive scope was used, where the final sample was made up of 612 South American immigrants of legal age who have been living in the country for more than a year. The results indicate that immigrants who perceive more discrimination in the workplace are those who mainly interact with foreigners from a third nationality. Finally, the discussion is presented, contrasting the results with the theoretical framework, weaknesses and strengths of the study are analyzed, and future lines of research are suggested.

Racialized Boundaries Against Haitian Immigrants in Chile: Two Case Studies

Racism is a type of systematic power abuse by a dominant group against diverse minorities through discursive and material practices (Van Dijk, 2021). This article draws attention to the generation of racializing discourses, particularly towards the Haitian immigrant population in Chile, in (a) mass media, which mainly focuses on radio, television, and newspapers such as Radio Bíobío, Chilevision, and La Tercera newspaper, and (b) government policy, as articulated in the 2018 executive order “Plan Humanitarian Orderly Return” (PHOR). After delineating the historical background of recent Haitian migration to Chile, authors deploy Critical Discourses Analysis (CDA) of two powerful cases of popularly mediated racializing discourses reflected in media coverage of (a) the case of a Haitian woman, Joane Florvil, who died soon after taken into police custody on a wrongful charge of abandoning her infant in 2017 and (b) the racially inflected 2018 executive order PHOR which overwhelmingly targeted Haitians for “voluntary deportation”. Authors consider headlines, article coverage of institutional agents and minority subjects, and state-generated documents. Informed by postcolonial thought, the study discusses current expressions of racialized boundaries in the Chilean media focusing particularly on the disciplining and regulation of migrants based on the idea of order

Acculturative Stress, Perceived Social Support, and Mental Health: The Mediating Effect of Negative Emotions Associated with Discrimination.

The role of perceived social support in the acculturation process of immigrants remains unclear. In this study, we jointly evaluated the associations between acculturative stress and negative emotions associated with discrimination as antecedents of anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms in 283 immigrants living in Chile. Three competing models were tested via structural equation modelling to assess (1) the association among these variables and mental health symptoms and (2) to clarify the role of perceived social support. The third model was theoretically more adequate, showed a better fit, and explained 42.7% of the variance of mental health symptoms. In this model, perceived social support was associated with acculturative stress by reducing mental health symptomatology. Moreover, a direct relationship and an indirect relationship were found between acculturative stress (through negative emotions associated with discrimination) and mental health symptomatology. These results contribute to the understanding of the acculturation process experienced by immigrants in Chile and provide empirical evidence to be used to improve migration policies.

The Validity and Reliability of the PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 on Screening for Major Depression in Spanish Speaking Immigrants in Chile: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of two versions of the Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-9 and PHQ-2) on screening for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) among Spanish-speaking Latin American adult immigrants in Santiago, and to explore factors associated with a higher risk of occurrence of MDD among them. A representative sample of 897 Spanish-speaking immigrants completed the PHQ-9. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was employed to evaluate MDD. Internal consistency and structural validity were evaluated using Cronbach's α coefficient and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Convergent validity with the 7-item General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) was assessed using Spearman's correlations. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were calculated for different cut-off points. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the risk of MDD. Cronbach's α coefficient of the PHQ-9 was 0.90; item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.61 to 0.76 and correlation with the GAD-7 was moderate (r = 0.625; p < 0.001). CFA on three alternative models suggests a plausible fit in the overall sample and among two of the subsamples: Peruvians and Venezuelans. Taking the results of CIDI as the gold standard for MDD, the area under the ROC curve was 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83~1.0). When the cut-off score was equal to 5, values of sensitivity, specificity, and Youden's index were 0.85, 0.90, and 0.75, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the influence of having three or more children (OR = 3.91, 95% CI: 1.20~12.81; p < 0.05), residency in Chile of up to three years (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.07~3.00; p < 0.05), active debt (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.60~4.70; p < 0.001), a one (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.03~3.94; p < 0.05) and two or more events of adversity during childhood (OR = 5.25, 95% CI: 1.93~14.3; p < 0.01) on the occurrence of MDD was statistically significant. Reliability (α = 0.62), convergent (r = 0.534; p < 0.01) and criterion (AUC = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.67~1.00) validity coefficients of the PHQ-2 were weaker than for the PHQ-9. The PHQ-2 and the PHQ-9 are reliable and valid instruments for use as screeners for MDD among Spanish-speaking populations of Latin America.

When Inmigration is a New Issue: Evidence from Chile 2003 and 2017

In countries where parties have not adopted strong policy positions on immigration–and where the immigrant population is not large–popular perceptions of immigrants might not reflect the ideological divides reported in the literature for countries where immigration is a politically salient issue. We assess the association of ideological identification with the perceptions of immigrants in Chile using two comparable national polls, one from 2003, before the recent immigration wave, and one from 2017, in the middle of an immigration wave, but before parties formally adopted policy positions on immigration. With OLS estimations, we find that, as expected, leftists had more positive views than the rest, but contrary to expectations, those on the right also had more positive views, especially in 2017. Views were more prominent in 2017 than in 2003, with those in the extreme left and extreme right displaying positive views.

Construcciones identitarias de inmigrantes haitianos en Santiago de Chile desde una perspectiva interseccional

This work focuses on the identity constructions of Haitian immigrants in Chile. A qualitative study was conducted based on in-depth semi-structured interviews, which included analyzing thematic and intersectional contents in order to understand the identity constructions of the participants in their migration trajectories from Haiti to Chile. Results associated with the work and social experiences of the participants are presented, along with the ethnic-racial and sex-gender orders, bringing together differentiating axes such as religion, nationality, social class, and immigrant status. We found that the articulation of dimensions of oppression in Chile configures a Haitian-migrant-worker identity positioned as a radical otherness; incipient changes in sex-gender identities are also reported, emerging from subaltern social positions and as adaptation strategies in an adverse context.

Healthcare and social needs of international migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America: analysis of the Chilean case.

International migrants are a particularly vulnerable group in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Immigrants in Chile tend to experience multidimensional poverty and layers of social vulnerability. Our analysis aims to describe the perceived social and health-related needs of international migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile in terms of migration as a social determinant of health and layered social vulnerability. We carried out a qualitative analysis of responses to an open-ended question focused on the social and health-related needs linked to the pandemic included in an online questionnaire disseminated during April 2020 aimed at international migrants residing in Chile. The information gathered was thematically analysed. We included 1690 participants. They expressed needs related to health and others linked to the overall socio-economic and political response, employment, material conditions and psychosocial aspects. They also reported needs related to ‘being a migrant’. Additionally, some participants described situations of vulnerability. We analysed their needs and situations of vulnerability identified around the following emerging frames: (a) work and living conditions, (b) regularisation traps and perceived lack of support and (c) and physical and mental health needs. International migrants in Chile report experiencing interrelated layers of social vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic, where ‘being a migrant’ exacerbates physical and mental health risks. The issues revealed are immediate and direct public health challenges, as well as different aspects of social vulnerability linked to migratory status, employment and barriers to accessing healthcare that should be addressed through comprehensive policies and measures.

Perceived discrimination and mental health of South American immigrants in Chile: the mediator role of the self-esteem in four nationalities

ABSTRACT Most international immigrants have mental health problems because of perceived discrimination. This research aims to analyze the possible mediating role of self-esteem in the impact of perceived discrimination on the mental health problems of the four most extensive South American immigrant nationalities in Chile. It involved 772 immigrants who have been living in this country for longer than a year. The results indicate that self-esteem would play a mediating role in two nationalities. We conclude by considering the importance and implications of self-esteem as a variable for intervention from social work in the immigration field.

“It’s Better That She Sees Me:” Digital Visual Literacy Narratives of Women Immigrants in Chile and Implications for Adult Literacy

“It’s Better That She Sees Me:” Digital Visual Literacy Narratives of Women Immigrants in Chile and Implications for Adult Literacy

Psychometric properties and factorial invariance of the satisfaction with life scale in Latino immigrants in Chile, Spain, and United States

Background: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) is the most widely used instrument to assess subjective well-being in different populations. Aim: The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate the psychometric properties and the factorial invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in Latinos immigrants living in Chile, Spain, and United States. Method: A total of 663 participants over the age of 18 and who have lived in the host country for more than a year participated. Results: The results provide evidence of good internal consistency through Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Also, there is evidence for the unifactorial structure of the instrument through confirmatory factor analysis and for its invariance at the configural, metric, and scalar. Conclusions: It is concluded that SWLS is an invariant, and reliable measure to study life satisfaction in Latino immigrants in western countries.

Representations of (Im)migrants in Chilean Local Press Headlines: a Case Study of El Austral Temuco

Nowadays immigration has been deemed an important societal issue in Chile. One of the ways to legitimize ideology in a society is through the media (van Dijk, 2012); therefore, media representation of immigrants may lead to the formation of social stereotypes and ultimately to their different treatment in a host country. This paper aims to analyze the ways in which the media portrays immigrants in Chile. To accomplish this goal, we examine a corpus of newspaper headlines published in El Austral Temuco during 2015–2018, applying a methodology which combines CDA and media framing analysis. The results of the analysis show a strong context difference in the terms use by the media, mainly, between a foreigner, an immigrant, and the national: the first one is represented as a professional, and the last two are portrayed as passive social actors. Thus, the conclusion is that the immigrants in the South of Chile are presented by the media to foreground the Government actions, and little emphasis is done to their contribution to the Chilean society.

A cry for Palestine: vocal practice and imaginaries of Palestinian-ness among Chilean football supporters of Club Deportivo Palestino

ABSTRACT Palestino is a football team founded by Palestinian immigrants in Chile in 1916. This article examines how a group of Palestino supporters with no Palestinian heritage understand their sonic practices of football fandom. I argue that they conceptualise their vocalisations as indexing an imaginary wherein the Palestinian experience in the Middle East is marked by struggle and resilience. Disjunctive pro-Palestine images have led them to imagine the feeling of resistance that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must stir up among Palestinians abroad – an experience they seek to ground in their vocalisations in order to sonically dominate rivals, cheer for Palestino, and express solidarity with and raise awareness about Palestine. In addition to foregrounding the potentials and constraints of sounds that are not overtly political, the article demonstrates the affordances of vocal expressions to bundle transnational elements with local practices and inhabit the resulting imaginative space via performance.

What do immigrants make of immigration policies? Insights from interviews with Venezuelans in Chile

AbstractIn this article, we build on qualitative data from 37 in‐depth interviews with Venezuelan immigrants in Chile, collected in 2017 and 2018, to explore how they make sense of sudden immigration policy changes made by the Sebastián Piñera government in mid‐2018. Linked to these perceptions, we explore our interviewees’ attitudes towards other immigrant groups. We contend that, while immigrant participation in policymaking often is a normatively desired form of inclusion, immigrant perceptions of other immigrants and of immigration policy are not uniform. We find that immigrants can have very negative perceptions of other immigrants, favouring restrictive policies. Immigrants influence the contexts of reception for newcomers, and—in the case of Chile—they have voting and political rights that places them in a position of casting some influence over immigration policies. Studying the Venezuelan case is particularly illuminating, as this immigration was considered a desirable or acceptable immigration.

Immigrants in Chile: voices of the actors

The life stories of immigrants in Chile speak of the very diverse factors related to the motivations of emigration, the adaptation process at destination, job placement, the ways to face prejudice and how they project their future. From a comprehensive perspective, this qualitative study rescues the life stories of immigrants in Chile. The longing to get out of the poor condition of life in the place of origin is the common denominator. In the migration experience the importance of forming support networks stands out, made up mainly of family or friends, and that facilitate not only the transfer from the territory of origin but also the adaptation in Chile. Despite the difficulties, typical of all international migratory movement, immigrants in our nation have a positive perception of their adaptation and integration; consider that local society has been understanding the important contribution they make in cultural diversity and progress.

Infectious and non-infectious diseases burden among Haitian immigrants in Chile: a cross-sectional study

Chile has become a popular destination for migrants from South America and the Caribbean (low- and middle-income countries migration). Close to 200.000 Haitian migrants have arrived in Chile. Infectious and non-infectious disease burden among the Haitian adult population living in Chile is unknown. This study aimed to acquire the basic health information (selected transmissible and non-transmissible conditions) of the Haitian adult population living in Chile. A cross-sectional survey was performed, inviting Haitian-born residents in Chile older than 18 years old. Common conditions and risk factors for disease were assessed, as well as selected transmissible conditions (HIV, HBV, and HCV). 498 participants (60.4% female) from 10 communities in two regions of Chile were surveyed. Most subjects had never smoked (91.5%), and 80% drank less than one alcohol unit per month. The mean BMI was 25.6, with 45% of participants having a normal BMI (20–25). Hypertension was present in 31.5% (33% in the 25–44 age group). Prevalence of HIV was 2.4% (95 CI 1.3–4.2%), hepatitis B (HBsAg positive) was 3.4% (95 CI 2.1–5.5%), and hepatitis C was 0% (95 CI 0.0–0.9%). Quality of life showed a significant prevalence of depression and anxiety markers, particularly in those arriving in Chile less than 1 year ago. Low prevalence of obesity, diabetes, smoking, and drinking and estimated cardiovascular risk were found. Nonetheless, hypertension at a younger age, disproportionately higher prevalence of HIV and HBV infection and frequent markers of anxiety and depression were also found. Public policies for detecting and treating hypertension, HIV, and HBV screening, offering HBV vaccination, and organizing mental health programs for Haitian immigrants, are urgently needed.

Effect of Positive Social Interaction on the Psychological Well-being in South American Immigrants in Chile

The immigration of South American people migrating to countries of the same region is a little explored phenomenon, mainly in terms of processes that affect their integration and well-being in the countries that host it. The objective of this research was to analyze the effect of positive social interaction on the psychological well-being of immigrants. Participants in this study were 684 Colombians and Peruvians, over 18 years old, living in Chile. They had to complete scales that evaluate their psychological well-being (Ryff) and others that evaluate their interaction with the environment (social role and social well-being). It is found that the positive social interaction had a significant and positive association with all dimensions of psychological well-being, except for autonomy. In this sense, the processes through which the individual interacts with society are related to their well-being. As being a positive interaction, the overall functioning of the immigrant (psychological well-being) will be superior.

Contents, communicational needs and learner expectations: a study of SSL in Haitian immigrants

Abstract This research aims to prove the effectiveness of Spanish as a Second Language lessons for Haitians designed by volunteers in Santiago de Chile. The methodology used through the study was based on the application of two questionnaires to Haitian students in order to compare results, and finally obtain an average that reflects the achievement of the communicative functions expected. Results indicate that neither the lessons planned, material giver nor the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages fulfilled such expectations. Findings are discussed in relation to previous studies on methodologies for Spanish as a Second Language for Haitian immigrants in Chile (Toledo, 2016)

Prostate cancer in african american immigrants in Chile

In 2017, migrants were 4.35% of the Chilean population, mainly from Peru and Colombia. From 2015, the amount of migrants from Central America, particularly from Haiti increased notably. This process changed the phenotype of the male population, increasing the proportion of black men, mainly between 20 and 50 years. Afro-descendant men have a higher risk for prostate cancer, and the tumor can appear as early as 40 years of age among them. This increase will have future repercussions on the public health system, since part of these men have low income and poor living conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss early detection strategies focused on this population, including education for both patients and health professionals. This review includes data on the reality of migration in Chile and its impact on the health system. The higher incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in the migrant population is reviewed and risk-adjusted screening strategies are proposed.