Roots Project: Exploring Pathways to Improve Mental Health and Supportive Family Relations in Hispanic Immigrants

Background/Purpose: Through years of community-based work in Johnson County, Indiana, partners have observed alarming issues related to the mental health of the Hispanic immigrant population they serve.  Traumatic migration experiences are often referred back to as a source of stress and trauma.  This CBPR project was developed out of mutual interest to investigate the underlying root causes of depression, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence in men within this community. 

Methods/Approach: A mixed-methods design was utilized; both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from Hispanic males and qualitative data were collected from Hispanic females.  The recruitment of 65 Hispanic males and 30 Hispanic females was led by the community partner. 

Findings: Over half of the male participants had signs of alcoholism, depression, or domestic violence actions, with nearly 30% experiencing a co-occurrence of all three.  Traumatic stress from the migration experience was significantly associated with these outcomes.  Qualitative data supported these findings.  Among female participants, loneliness and difficult childhood paths appeared as themes to explain depression, domestic violence, and substance abuse. 

Implications:  Findings from this project support what the community partner hypothesized, that migration trauma is associated with depression, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence actions in the Hispanic population of Johnson County, IN.  From these findings, culturally tailored programs will be designed and implemented.