Using the social ecological model to identify challenges facing Latino immigrants.
Sally Moyce, Danika Comey, Jacey Anderson and 3 others
PMID 37232390WHAT IT FOUND
Latino immigrants and service providers in rural Montana described fear of deportation, language barriers, high costs, and lack of interpretation as barriers to healthcare.
Immigrants reported less discrimination than providers did.
Key findings
01Fear of deportation was described by both key informants and Latino immigrants as one of the biggest concerns, and stress led some immigrants to report headaches and insomnia.
02Language barriers and lack of interpretive services prevented access to basic social services, including healthcare, and immigrants reported delaying medical and dental care because they could not afford it.
03Discrimination was reported more often by key informants than by Latino immigrants, and most immigrants said they did not experience discrimination and felt welcomed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used convenience and snowball sampling, so the experiences may not represent all Latino immigrants or service providers in southwest Montana. There are relatively few persons who interact with new immigrant communities in southwest Montana, so the key informant group may be small and not fully representative. Recruitment relied on a few Latino community leaders, which may have biased who chose to participate. The research team was not Latino, and qualitative analysis can reflect the team's own assumptions and biases. The study describes themes from interviews; it does not test whether any intervention reduces these barriers.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The paper lists Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read key informants' reports of discrimination as evidence that most Latino immigrants experienced it. Most immigrant respondents said they did not experience discrimination and felt welcomed.