Las Causas Negativas de la Salud Mental Encontradas en Personas Documentadas e Indocumentadas en los Estados Unidos

Abstract

Over the years there has been a correlation among immigrant families and their mental health effects. This is due to a series of traumatic events across the United States. Although adults are often the most targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, children are the most affected. For example, many of the mass-deportation events that occur most of the times the father is the one that is getting deported, leaving the family without a head of household. In recent years, data has shown that these events add more stress on children than it does mothers. This is due to children being able to recognize the distress that is occurring within the family. Another example of children experiencing distress is crossing the United States Border with a caregiver and being detained and separated from them during the process. In 2018 more than 10,000 unaccompanied children were left alone in detention centers or foster homes due to their parent’s immigration status. Taking that into account, more than half of these children end up suffering from a psychological distress due to traumatic events in their life that lead to poor mental health as they get older. This essay will address the specific health effects that are developed among the Hispanic community in the United States. Research provided will target children that have been affected by traumatic events and how it still affects them today. I seek to provide demographics and statistical information in order to present how this has had a negative impact on children.