Citation

Andrews III AR, Haws JK, Acosta LM, Acosta Canchila MN, Carlo G, Grant KM, Ramos AK. J. Latinx Psychol. 2020; 8(3): 179-201.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/lat0000141

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Migrant farmwork is often characterized by harsh working conditions that carry significant physical and mental health consequences. Using a learned helplessness framework, the current study examined the extent to which discrimination, immigration legal status difficulties, and adverse childhood experiences moderated the effects of harsh working conditions on depression and anxiety. The study also examined the extent to which harsh working conditions mediated the effects of discrimination, immigration legal status difficulties, and adverse childhood experiences on depression and anxiety. Participants were 241 migrant farmworkers recruited in the Midwest. Participants completed interviews consisting of the Migrant Farmworker Stress Index (MFWSI), Adverse Childhood Events Scale (ACEs), Everyday Discrimination Scale, the Centers for Epidemiology Scale for Depression (CES-D), and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Tests of indirect effects suggested, working conditions mediated the effects of ACEs, immigration legal status fears, and discrimination on CES-D and GAD-7 scores (p values p values p values >.05). Likely through different mechanisms, adverse childhood experiences, discrimination and immigration legal status are associated with higher risk of harsh working conditions and subsequently these conditions account for much of the relations between these 3 stressors with depression and anxiety. Additionally, discrimination and adverse childhood experiences appear to then enhance the effects of working conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en

Keywords

Anxiety; Childhood Adversity; Discrimination; Fear; Foreign Language Translation; Human Migration; Hypothesis Testing; Immigration; Latinos/Latinas; Learned Helplessness; Legal Processes; Major Depression; Migrant Farm Workers; Test Construction; Working Conditions