Immigration policies and mental health morbidity among Latinos: A state-level analysis

Social workers understand the importance of analyzing their client in the context of their environment. Macro structures (e.g. policy) have a direct impact on the mental health disparities and vulnerabilities of Latino populations. According to research by Hatzenbuehler et al. (2017), Latinos living in environments with exclusionary immigration policies and climates have significantly higher rates of poor mental health days than Latinos in less exclusionary environments. The authors compared the legal climate of each state and its policies impacting Latino immigrants with the state's mental health outcomes by demographics. The results from Hatzenbuehler et al. have direct implications for immigration policy and policy change. Furthermore, mental health providers must be cognizant of the impact of their client's environmental contexts, especially immigration policy and political climate, when working with Latino populations. (Immigrant Integration Lab, Boston College)

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