Mexican migration and the economic recession: Effects on health and well-being

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Project Summary This research expands on an on-going bi-national investigation of the connection between migration and health to examine the health consequences of the recession and identify the coping strategies employed in a migrant receiving community in the U.S. (Durham, NC) and sending communities in Mexico. Immigrants are arguably one of the groups most vulnerable to economic downturns. Moreover, the consequences transcend national borders, as declining economic conditions in the U.S. can also have negative implications for sending communities. By comparing bi-national pre-recession data collected in 2006/7 as part of the parent grant with newly collected data in 2010/11, we will assess the impact of the recession on health indicators such as depression, alcohol consumption, domestic violence, and access to health care, as well as perceived discrimination and acculturative shock, in both the U.S. and Mexico. We will also evaluate the impact of the recession on the social and economic position of Mexicans in both countries, focusing on employment patterns (income, employment instability, subcontracting, and off-the-books employment), financial hardship, remittance behavior (both sending and receiving), living arrangements, resource pooling, and social support. We will then model the effect of personal, family, and socioeconomic characteristics on health outcomes before and after the recession in Durham and Mexico. The analysis will identify factors that help buffer against the negative health consequences of recessions, and the extent to which they vary by gender, across health outcomes, and by country of residence. It will also identify whether it is financial strain, loss of employment, or increase in employment instability that most adversely impacts health. And finally, we will assess the impact of the economic contraction on the dynamics of labor migration between Mexico and the United States. Using bi- national data we will assess the prevalence and timing of return migration, changes in the reported likelihood of return, and probability of migrating by gender. Findings from the study will have numerous public health implications since they can serve as the basis for policies oriented towards reducing the negative impact of financial crises on migrant families on both sides of the border. In addition, the project expands our collaboration with Mexican colleagues, building capacity and supporting bi-national research and dissemination of findings.