Facing a dual threat: Pandemic stress and immigration policy vulnerability on mental health among Latinx immigrant parents

Background: Exclusionary immigration policies rooted in structural racism threaten the wellbeing of Latinx families, increasing stress, anxiety, depression, and distress among immigrant parents. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating and disproportionate impacts on communities of color with unique impacts on Latinx immigrant parents in mixed-status families. Aims: From a syndemic theory lens, we explored the convergence of structural racism and the COVID-19 pandemic to explore if the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic may compound harmful immigration-related policies. Methods: Our community-based participatory research cross-sectional study administered 145 surveys among Latinx immigrant parents in mixed-status families in Georgia. We examined the relationship of pandemic stress and perceived statewide immigration policy vulnerability to depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses to test these relationships and their interaction. Results: We found that that greater perceived policy immigration vulnerability and reported pandemic stress were associated with higher symptoms of depression. Increased PTSD symptoms were also associated with immigration policy vulnerability, but not pandemic stress. Tests to assess if pandemic stress strengthened the relationship between policy vulnerability on depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms revealed no statistically significant interactions. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and longstanding anti-immigrant policies in Georgia were salient for and related to the mental health of these Latinx immigrant parents.