ERIC Number: EJ1309178
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-8431
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Evaluating the Effect of Legal Vulnerabilities and Social Support on the Mental Health of Undocumented College Students
Velarde Pierce, Sharon; Haro, Alein Y.; Ayón, Cecilia; Enriquez, Laura E.
Journal of Latinos and Education, v20 n3 p246-259 2021
Undocumented students face considerable stressors due to their precarious legal status, economic disadvantages, and social exclusion. Building on a growing body of the literature that has examined the mental health and psychological wellbeing of undocumented students, we disentangle the effects of multiple dimensions of legal vulnerability. Specifically, we examine whether multiple dimensions of legal vulnerability are associated with increased emotional distress and whether social support moderates this relationship. Using a survey of 1,277 undocumented students in California, we conducted hierarchical regression analyses to determine the unique and combined effects of legal vulnerability and social support on anxiety and depression. We find that legal vulnerabilities, including discrimination, social exclusion, the threat of deportation, and economic insecurity, and social support have direct effects on depression and anxiety symptomatology. The moderating effects of social support are only partially supported. Our results demonstrate the move beyond the study of immigration status to examine the effects of legal vulnerabilities on mental health.
Descriptors: Undocumented Immigrants, Mental Health, At Risk Students, Social Support Groups, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Social Discrimination, Social Isolation, Legal Problems, Economic Factors, Racial Discrimination, Ethnicity, Poverty, Undergraduate Students, Gender Differences, Hispanic American Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
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Author Affiliations: N/A