Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Immigration Enforcement and Hispanic Youth Substance Use: Is Depression a Mediator?

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hispanic adolescents report earlier onset and higher substance use rates than their non-Hispanic White and Black peers. This study examines the associations between the immigration-related arrest of a family member and substance use among Hispanic early adolescents and explores the mediating role of depressive symptoms as the mechanism explaining the association. We apply a mediated multiple linear regression analysis on 661 Hispanic youth attending 7th grade in an urban school district in a south-central, new arrival state. We found that Hispanic early adolescents who experienced the immigration-related arrest of a family member reported significantly higher substance use than Hispanic youth who did not experience the arrest of a family member due to immigration enforcement. Moreover, we found this relationship to be fully mediated by depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that even though the majority of Hispanic youth in the U.S. are citizens, experiencing the immigration-related arrest of a family member is not uncommon and has critical implications for poor mental health and maladaptive coping behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBSS). National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division for Adolescent and School Health; 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBSS): High School YRBS. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; 2019. https://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/QuestionsOrLocations.aspx?CategoryId=C03. Accessed 24 March 2022.

  3. Oesterle S, Hill KG, Hawkins JD, Guo J, Catalano RF, Abbott RD. Adolescent heavy episodic drinking trajectories and health in young adulthood. J Stud Alcohol. 2004;65:204–12.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Prado G, Szapocznik J, Maldonado-Molina M, Schwartz SJ, Pantin H. Drug use/abuse prevalence, etiology, prevention, and treatment in Hispanic adolescents: A cultural perspective. J Drug Issues. 2008;38(1):5–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Coll CG, Crnic K, Lamberty G, Wasik BH, Jenkins R, Garcia HV, McAdoo HP. An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Dev. 1996 Oct;67(5):1891–914. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/1131600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Fry R, Passel JS. Latino Children: A majority are US-born offspring of immigrants. 2009 Retrieved from the Pew Research Center website: http://www.pewhispanic.org/2009/05/28/latino-children-a-majority-are-us-born-offspring-of-immigrants/.

  7. Perreira KM, Marchante AN, Schwartz SJ, Isasi CR, Carnethon MR, Corliss HL, Kaplan RC, et al. Stress and resilience: Key correlates of mental health and substance use in the Hispanic Community Health Study of Latino Youth. J Immigr Minor Health. 2019;21(1):4–13.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Cervantes RC, Fisher DG, Córdova D, Napper LE. The Hispanic Stress Inventory-Adolescent Version: A culturally informed psychosocial assessment. Psychol Assess. 2012;24:187–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Cervantes RC, Cardoso JB, Goldbach JT. Examining differences in culturally based stress among clinical and nonclinical Hispanic adolescents. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2015;3:458–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Schwartz SJ, Unger JB, Des Rosiers SE, Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Zamboanga B, Huang S, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Villamar J, Soto DW, Pattarroyo M, Szapocznik J. Domains of acculturation and their effects on substance use and sexual behavior in recent Hispanic immigrant adolescents. Prev Sci. 2014;15:385–96.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Unger JB, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Ritt-Olson A, Soto D. Acculturation, enculturation, and symptoms of depression in Hispanic youth: The roles of gender, Hispanic cultural values, and family functioning. J youth adolescence. 2012 Oct;41(10):1350–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Grant BF, Dawson DA. Age of onset of drug use and its association with DSM-IV drug abuse and dependence: results from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey. Journal of substance abuse. 1998 Jan 1;10(2):163 – 73.

  13. Capps R, Cardoso JB, Brabeck K: Immigration enforcement and the mental health of Latino high school students. Migration Policy Institute; 2020. https://www.immigrationresearch.org/system/files/immigration-enforcement-mental-health-latino-students_final.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  14. Giano Z, Anderson M, Shreffler KM, Cox RB, Merten MJ, Gallus KL. Immigration-related arrest, parental documentation status, and depressive symptoms among early adolescent Latinos. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2020;26(3):318–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Roche KM, White RMB, Lambert SF, Schulenberg J, Calzada EJ, Kuperminc GP, Little TD. Association of family member detention or deportation with Latino or Latina adolescents’ later risks of suicidal ideation, alcohol use, and externalizing problems. JAMA Peds. 2020;174(5):478–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). FY 2013 ICE Immigration Removals. https://www.ice.gov/doclib/about/offices/ero/pdf/2013-ice-immigration-removals.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  17. Passel JS, Cohn D: Unauthorized immigrant total dips to lowest level in a decade. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center; 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2018/11/27/u-s-unauthorized-immigrant-total-dips-to-lowest-level-in-a-decade/. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  18. Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Immigration Court Quick Facts. Syracuse, NY: TRAC Immigration. https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/quickfacts/?category=eoir. Accessed 23 March 2022.

  19. Capps R, Koball H, Campetella A, Perreira K, Hooker S, Pedroza JM: Implications of immigration enforcement activities for the well-being of children in immigrant families: A review of the literature. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2015. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/implications-immigration-enforcement-activities-well-being-children-immigrant-families-review-literature. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  20. Zayas L. Forgotten Citizens: Deportation, Children, and the Making of American Exiles and Orphans. New York: Oxford University Press; 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Zayas L, Heffron LC. Disrupting young lives: How detention and deportation affect US-born children of immigrants. American Psychological Association: CYF News; 2016. http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2016/11/detention-deportation.aspx. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  22. Warren R, Kerwin D. Mass deportations would impoverish US families and create immense social costs. J Migr Hum Secur. 2017;5(1):1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Capps R, Castañeda RM, Chaudry A, Santos R: Paying the price: The impact of immigration raids on America’s children. Urban Institute for National Council of La Raza. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2007. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/paying-price-impact-immigration-raids-americas-children. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  24. Ayon C. Economic, Social, and Health Effects of Discrimination on Latino Immigrant Families. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute; 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Cervantes RC, Córdova D. Life experiences of Hispanic adolescents: Developmental and language considerations in acculturation stress. J Community Psychol. 2011;39(3):336–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Romero AJ, Martinez D, Carvajal SC. Bicultural stress and adolescent risk behaviors in a community sample of Latinos and Non-Latino European Americans. Ethn Health. 2007;12(5):443–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Potochnick SR, Perreira KM. Depression and anxiety among first generation immigrant Latino youth. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2010;198(7):470–7.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Dreby J. Divided by Borders: Mexican Migrants and Their Children. Berkeley: University of California Press; 2010.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  29. Dreby J. The burden of deportation on children in Mexican immigrant families. J Marr Family. 2012;74(4):829–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Brabeck K, Xu Q. The impact of detention and deportation on Latino immigrant children and families: A quantitative exploration. Hisp J Behav Sci. 2010;32(3):341–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Cano M, Schwartz SJ, Castillo LG, Romero AJ, Huang S, Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Unger JB, Zamboanga BL, Des Rosiers SE, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Lizzi KM, Soto DW, Oshri A, Villamar JA, Pattarroyo M, Szapocznik J. Depressive symptoms and externalizing behaviors among Hispanic immigrant adolescents: Examining longitudinal effects of cultural stress. J Adolesc. 2015;42:31–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Meca A, Unger JB, Romero A, Szapocznik J, Piña‐Watson B, Cano MA, Zamboanga B, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Des Rosiers SE, Soto DW, Villamar JA, Lizzi KM, Pattarroyo M, Schwartz SJ. Longitudinal effects of Latino parent cultural stress, depressive symptoms, and family functioning on youth emotional well‐being and health risk behaviors. Fam Process. 2017;56(4):981–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Meca A, Unger JB, Szapocznik J, Cano MA, Des Rosiers SE, Schwartz SJ. Cultural stress, emotional well-being, and health risk behaviors among recent immigrant Latinx families: The moderating role of perceived neighborhood characteristics. J Youth Adolesc. 2019;48:114–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Schwartz SJ, Unger JB, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Zamboanga BL, Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Des Rosiers SE, Romero AJ, Cano MA, Gonzales-Backen MA, Cordova D, Pina-Watson BM, Huang S, Villamar JA, Soto DW, Pattarroyo M, Szapocznik J. Trajectories of cultural stressors and effects on mental health and substance use among Hispanic immigrant adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2015;56:43–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Roberts Y, Snyder F, Kaufman J, Finley M, Griffin A, Anderson J, Marshall T, Radway S, Stack V, Crusto D. Children exposed to the arrest of a family member: Associations with mental health. J Child Family Stud. 2014;23:214 – 224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Bolton JM, Robinson J, Jitender S. Self-medication of mood disorders with alcohol and drugs in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. J Affect Disord. 2009;115(3):367–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Davis L, Uezato A, Newell JM, Frazier E. Major depression and comorbid substance use disorders. Curr Opin Psychiat. 2008;21(1):14–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings. HHS Publication no. 12-4725; 2012. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHmhfr2011/NSDUHmhfr2011.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  39. King S, Iacono WG, McGue M. Childhood externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in the prediction of early substance use. Soc Study Addict. 2004;99(12):1487–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Marmorstein NR. Longitudinal associations between alcohol problems and depressive symptoms: Early adolescence through early adulthood. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008;33(1):45–59.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Behnke AO, Gonzalez LM, Cox RB. Latino students in new arrival states: Factors and services to prevent youth from dropping out. Hisp J Behav Scie. 2010;32(3):385–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Zapata Roblyer MI, Carlos FL, Merten MJ, Gallus K, Grzywacz JG. Psychosocial factors associated with depressive symptoms among Latina immigrants living in a new arrival community. J Lat Psychol. 2017;5(2):103.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Allen ML, Elliott MN, Fuligni AJ, Morales LS, Hambarsoomian K, Schuster MA. The relationship between Spanish language use and substance use behaviors among Latino youth: A social network approach. J Adolesc Health. 2008;43(4):372–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  44. Gil A, Wagner EF, Vega WA. Acculturation, familialism, and alcohol use among Latino adolescent males. J Commun Psychol. 2000;28:443–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Zapata Roblyer M, Grzywacz J, Cervantes R, Merten M. Stress and alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use among Latino adolescents in families with undocumented immigrants. J Child Family Stud. 2016;25(2):475–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Andresen EM, Malmgren JA, Carter WB, Patrick DL. Screening for depression in well older adults: Evaluation of a short form of the CES-D. Am J Prev Med. 1994;10(2):77–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Bradley KL, Bagnell AL, Brannen CL. Factorial validity of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression 10 in adolescents. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2010;31:408–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Cheung YB, Liu KY, Yip PS. Performance of the CES-D and its short forms in screening suicidality and hopelessness in the community. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2007;37:79–88.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Hayes AF, Preacher KJ. Quantifying and testing indirect effects in simple mediation models when the constituent paths are nonlinear. Multivariate Behav Res 2010; 6;45(4):627 – 60.

  50. Hayes AF. Mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis. In: Hayes AF, editor. Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach. New York: Guilford Publications; 2013. pp. 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Allison PD. Missing Data. Thousand Oaks: Sage; 2002.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  52. Compas BE, Connor-Smith JK, Saltzman H, Thomsen AH, Wadsworth ME. Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence: Problems, progress, and potential in theory and research. Psychol Bull. 2001;127(1):87–127.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Gulbas LE, Zayas LH, Yoon H, Szlyk HS, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Rey GN. Deportation experiences and depression among U.S. citizen-children with undocumented Mexican parents. Child Care Health Dev. 2016;42(2):220–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Kendall PC, Safford S, Flannery-Schroeder E, Webb A. Child anxiety treatment: Outcomes in adolescence and impact on substance use and depression at 7.4-year follow-up. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72(2):276–87.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Turner AP, Larimer ME, Sarason IG, Turpin EW. Identifying a negative mood subtype in incarcerated adolscents: Relationship to substance use. Addict Behav. 2005;30(7):1442–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Vostroknutov NV. New approaches to the diagnosis of mental state in children experiencing extreme stress events. Neurosci Behav Physiol. 2011;41:171–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Khantzian E. The self-medication hypothesis of addictive disorders: Focus on heroin and cocaine dependence. Am J Psychiat. 1985;142:1259–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Friedman-Wheeler DG, Ahrens AH, Haaga DAF, McIntosh E, Thorndike FP. Depressive symptoms, depression proneness, and outcome expectancies for cigarette smoking. Cognit Ther Res. 2007;31:547–57.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  59. U.S. Census Bureau: 2017 National Population Projections Tables: Main Series. 2017. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2017/demo/popproj/2017-summary-tables.html. Accessed 26 July 2021.

  60. Chassin L, Pitts SC, DeLucia C, Todd M. A longitudinal study of children of alcoholics: Predicting young adult substance use disorders, anxiety, and depression. J Abnorm Psychol. 1999;108(1):106–19.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by the College of Human Sciences at Oklahoma State University and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (P20GM109097; Jennifer Hays-Grudo, PI). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Machele Anderson

  2. School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Zachary Giano

  3. Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1100 N. Stonewall Ave, 73117, Oklahoma, OK, USA

    Karina M. Shreffler

  4. Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA

    Ronald B. Cox

  5. Department of Rural Health, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

    Julie M. Croff

Authors
  1. Machele Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zachary Giano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Karina M. Shreffler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ronald B. Cox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Julie M. Croff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karina M. Shreffler.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Anderson, M., Giano, Z., Shreffler, K.M. et al. Immigration Enforcement and Hispanic Youth Substance Use: Is Depression a Mediator?. J Immigrant Minority Health 25, 306–314 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-022-01396-8

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-022-01396-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation