How concern about immigration policies affects mental health

Immigration and immigration policy are being discussed everywhere, and some of the hard-line tactics being employed by the current administration have many immigrants worried. A new study surveyed a small group of U.S.-born Latinx adolescents and found that nearly half of them worried about being reported to immigration officials or being separated from families. Those who expressed concerns about immigration policy also had worse anxiety and sleep scores. Some children also had worse depression scores, although those differences were not statistically significant. The study’s authors didn’t know about the immigration status of the children's parents, but the findings nevertheless suggest that concerns about immigration have a negative effect on mental health.