Psychological/Social Sciences

Nohelia Contreras, nohelia.contreras@my.utsa.edu
University of Texas San Antonio, with Dr. Monica Lawson

The mental health impact of deportation and detention on the children of Latino immigrants
The deportation and detention of Latino immigrants here in the USA has generated psychological and emotional harm totheir children. The children, who are either US citizens or have lived here all their lives, face the psychological stress of possible family separation. Current research collectively demonstrates the consequences of immigration enforcements, such as increased levels of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affecting the children. The children's mental health is impacted further with the unexpected removal of their primary caregiver, financial hardships, and the inadequate access to institutional support. Having to live with the anticipation of a potential separation contributes to the stress thechildren face since it affects their cognitive development, academic performance, and their well-being overall. This studywill aim to address how immigration enforcements involving family disruptions contribute to psychological harm and howchildren cope with these feelings. Moreover, the study will highlight the need for a reconstruction and revaluation of immigration enforcements and the implementation of mental health services for the children of Latino immigrants.
 

Charlyne Reyes, Creyes23fl@ollusa.edu
Our Lady of the Lake University, with Dr. Christopher Carmona

Latino Mental Health in College and Universities
Latino students, despite representing one of the fastest-growing demographics in the United States, continue to facesystemic, cultural, and psychological barriers in their pursuit of higher education. This research aims to explore the multifaceted struggles Latino students encounter, particularly focusing on cultural expectations such as familismo and mental health. Using a mixed-methods approach-beginning with a survey distributed to Latino college students across Texas followed by in-depth interviews-this study seeks to identify the most significant challenges these students face and what institutional changes they believe could support their academic success. Participants will be selected from various Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to ensure diverse geographic representation. The study highlights the weight of cultural gender roles and the stigma around mental health within Latino communities. Ultimately, this research intends tooffer universities practical, student-informed strategies to foster retention and degree completion among Latino populations while empowering students to advocate for their needs.
 

Nevaeh Martinez, Vaeh_martinez1@baylor.edu
Baylor University, with Dr. Jenny Padilla (at University of Notre Dame)

Family Discrimination and Ethnic-Racial Identity Development in Mexican-Origin Adolescent Siblings
Discrimination remains a pervasive experience for ethnic-racial minority groups in the U.S., including Latinx youth who are especially vulnerable during adolescence—a critical period for developing their ethnic-racial identity (ERI) (Umaña-Taylor et al., 2014). Guided by the family systems framework (Minuchin, 1985), when multiple family members face discrimination, these shared experiences may simultaneously shape siblings' ERI development. Given gender differences in adolescent ERI (Padilla et al., 2021), it’s important to study these associations in the context of discrimination. This study examines whether discrimination reported by Mexican-origin family members predicts siblings' ERI development, and whether these associations vary by siblings’ gender. Participant interviews were conducted with Mexican-origin mothers, fathers, and two siblings (older siblings M_age = 15.7; younger siblings M_age = 13.2) from 115 families in the Midwestern U.S. Results revealed that among younger siblings, higher self-reported perceived discrimination was associated with lower levels of ERI affirmation. No significant main effects were discovered for older siblings. The only significant interaction between perceived discrimination and sibling gender on ERI was found for older siblings. Specifically, higher levels of self-reported perceived discrimination were associated with lower affirmation among male older siblings only. When accounting for gender, the decline in ERI affirmation among male older siblings may reflect traditional Latinx family dynamics, where sons often lack emotional closeness with mothers—who typically provide identity support in the face of discrimination (Padilla et al., 2022). Given the literature gap regarding these patterns in Midwestern Latinx families, findings are important to supporting Latinx youth development.