The Mental Health Effects of the Threat of Deportation

Family separation due to deportation can be traumatizing for the millions of children living in families with an undocumented parent.Between 2009 and 2013, 5.3 million children in the U.S. had an undocumented parent. 85 percent of those children, of 4.24 million, were U.S. born.

Living with Fear

The threat of deportation causes fear and anxiety for children of undocumented immigrants. If a parent is deported, their children’s anxiety worsens. Prolonged anxiety creates toxic stress that hinders learning and reasoning.

Short-Term Effects

Withdrawal
Feelings of isolation
Disrupted eating and sleeping patterns
Anger
Depression

Long-Term Effects

PTSD
Poor identity formation
Difficulty forming relationships
Distrust of authority figures
Behavioral and academic difficulties

Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Services

Families with undocumented immigrants encounter barriers to accessing mental health services which can exacerbate mental health problems.

Culture: Mental health services may not be culturally or linguistically appropriate.
Fear: Families fear accessing services will expose a family member’s undocumented status.
Poverty — Struggling families have difficulty affording resources to keep children physically and mentally healthy.
Discrimination — Families with undocumented immigrants are targets of racism and racial profiling.

Sources

National Association of Social Workers:
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/cwscmsreports/LatinoPracticeAdvisory/Immigration%20CW-PP.pdf
Migration Policy Institute:
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/implications-immigration-enforcement-activities-well-being-children-immigrant-families
American Psychological Association:
http://www.apa.org/topics/immigration/undocumented-video.aspx#vii
Harvard University Center on the Developing Child:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/

USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Phone Number: 877-700-4679
Email Address: sswvac@msw.usc.edu

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