Aculturative stress and its impact on the Latino community

• April 26, 2024

Leaving and leaving the place of origin not only generates feelings of loss, separation from loved ones, loneliness and readjustment to a new way of life, but also acculturative stress .

Fidel Hernández, expert in psychological intervention with immigrant population, assures that this process is not easy and generates psychological and emotional distress in people from other countries.

"The mental health of immigrants is a Russian roulette, their emotions are on a rise and fall that is why acculturative stress occurs.

They must have the strength to leave family, adapt to a new environment, re-create feelings of belonging and new links, "he says.

Data from the American Psychological Association reveal that Hispanic immigrants experience high levels of stress, anxiety and family dysfunction due to the large number of deportations and the recent approval and execution of a large number of anti-immigrant laws.

Some of the elements identified as risk factors linked to acculturative stress are associated with the difficulties that immigrants experience due to lack of fluency in the language, immigration status, fear of deportation, discrimination and intergenerational differences in the level of acculturation. between undocumented parents and their children, who are US citizens.

The specialist recommends those who suffer acculturative stress to perform in their free time some activity that 'free' from the daily routine, go for a walk or run is another option but the most important is to generate a support network either with other Hispanics or family with whom you can express feelings.

Video Medicine: Checking Our Assumptions: Family Involvement in the Latino Community (April 2024).