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Exploring the Association Between Detention Conditions, Detention-Related Abuse, and Mental Health Among Deported Mexican Migrants

2023; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 34; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/hpu.2023.a903060

1548-6869

Leah Bakely, Catalina Correa-Salazar, Gudelia Rangel, Jesús Eduardo González-Fagoaga, Ahmed Ali Asadi González, Emilio A. Parrado, Fernando Riosmena, Ana P. Martínez-Donate,

Racial and Ethnic Identity Research

Migration, detention, and deportation are often rife with violence. This study sought to examine associations between pre-migration experiences, detention conditions, and mental health among Mexicans deported from the U.S. to Mexico between 2020 and 2021. Data from the Migrante Project (N=306, weighted N=14,841) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and unadjusted and adjusted multivariate regression models. The prevalence of a lifetime mental health diagnosis was 18.5%. Exposure to adverse conditions in detention (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=17.56, p<.001) and having been detained in both immigration and non-immigration facilities (AOR=9.70, p=.042) were significantly associated with increased odds of experiencing abuse during migrants' most recent detention. Experiencing abuse during migrants' most recent detention was, in turn, associated with increased odds of a lifetime mental health diagnosis (AOR=4.72, p<.005). Targeted, trauma-informed mental health services are needed for deported Mexican migrants.