UCLA

Objectives. To examine barriers to health care for Latino youths during reentry after incarceration.Methods. For this in-depth qualitative study, we conducted 69 semistructured interviews with 22 Latino youths and their parents at 1, 3, and 6 months after incarceration. We performed thematic analysis of interview transcripts, from which a preliminary conceptual model emerged describing barriers to care for Latino youths. We then conducted trajectory analyses of dyadic youth-caregiver pairs to test the conceptual model. We collected longitudinal interviews in Los Angeles County, California, from November 2016 to March 2018.Results. Beyond recognized stressors experienced by youths during reentry, most of which families related to poverty and neighborhood environment, Latino youths also experienced cultural barriers to care (i.e., self-reliance and pride, religiosity and reproductive care as taboo, preference for home remedies, language) as well as barriers to care because of undocumented status (i.e., fear of deportation, job insecurity).Conclusions. Reentry is challenging, and Latino youths face additional barriers to care during reentry related to culture and legal status, but have cultural strengths. Increased access to culturally sensitive, safety-net health care, regardless of immigration status, may reduce health inequalities for Latino youths undergoing reentry.