UC Irvine

Exponential increases in deportation and negative public discourse have resulted in heightened fears of profiling and deportation among Latinx immigrant families in the US. Deportation fears could compound the inequalities Latinx families face, contributing to worsening mental health. To better understand the mental health consequences of the climate of deportation concerns among low income Latinx mothers in the U.S., we conducted a linguistic analysis of interviews of Latinx mothers’ parenting experiences, examining their use of words related to deportation fears (e.g., separado). We examined the interaction of cumulative sociodemographic risk with maternal deportation fears in predicting maternal and youth mental health. Recent immigrant Latinx mothers (N=150) and youth (Mage =12.83, SDage =1.72) completed the Parent Development Interview-Revised (Slade et al., 2004), analyzed using a deportation fears custom dictionary (LIWC; Pennebaker et al., 2003). Mothers completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 2001); youth completed the Youth Self Report (Achenbach, 1991). Cumulative sociodemographic risk was assessed using a composite score of six risk variables. Regressions revealed significant sociodemographic risk x deportation fear interactions for maternal depression (p =.01), maternal anxiety (p =.04), youth depression (p <.01), and youth aggression (p =.04), but not for youth anxiety. As sociodemographic risk increased, associations between deportation fears and psychopathology decreased. The adverse impact of maternal deportation fears on mental health is visible only when demographic stress is lower. Deportation fears may increase mental health risk, potentially reducing treatment-seeking among families previously at lower risk. Findings underscore the importance of policy and sociocultural shifts.