Psychological and Family Well-Being of Unaccompanied Mexican Child Migrants Sent Back From the U.S. Border Region of Sonora-Arizona

This study explores the psychological and family well-being of Mexican undocumented and unaccompanied children sent back through the U.S. border region of Sonora-Arizona. Procedures included exploring children’s own accounts using semi-structured interviews with 13 minors (9-17 years old) conducted...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hispanic journal of behavioral sciences 2014-05, Vol.36 (2), p.111-123
Main Authors: Sotomayor-Peterson, Marcela, Montiel-Carbajal, Martha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Borders
Children
Children & youth
Correlation analysis
Mexico
Migrants
Psychological Distress
Psychological tests
Public Health
Resilience
Shelters
Well Being
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Summary:This study explores the psychological and family well-being of Mexican undocumented and unaccompanied children sent back through the U.S. border region of Sonora-Arizona. Procedures included exploring children’s own accounts using semi-structured interviews with 13 minors (9-17 years old) conducted at border shelters within Mexico. Based on previous qualitative findings, psychological measurement scales were administered to 53 participant children and adolescents during the second phase. There were statistically significant correlations between number of crossing attempts and resilience, as well as between number of days in the shelter and depression. The findings suggest that children possess psychological resources to face distress and negative affect caused by family separation, unaccompanied travel, and crossing experiences. These findings contribute to informing future public health policy and programs directed at the increasing population of unaccompanied minor migrants.
ISSN:0739-9863
1552-6364
DOI:10.1177/0739986314523560