Presenter(s): Samantha Sidline
Faculty Mentor(s): Kristin Yarris & Christabelle Dragoo
Oral Session 1 C
Given the current political climate, studying Latin American migrant experiences and adverse consequences to health is particularly important and relevant. By evaluating health disparities, studying social stigmas, and examining institutions and policies, ethnographic research has been able to show how being a Latin American in a transnational setting negatively affects health outcomes. This project draws on three ethnographic studies about health and transnational migration written by Kristin E. Yarris, Whitney L. Duncan, and Sarah B. Horton. The ethnographic research follows the experiences of Latin Americans in three distinctly different transnational circumstances, including grandmothers serving as caretakers of their grandchildren in their migrant daughter’s absence, families separated by the United States and Mexico border, and undocumented migrants in California. The arguments of this presentation synthesize the findings in these ethnographies by identifying key themes and commonalties among Latin American transnational migrants and applying theories to these themes. The health outcomes of the individuals studied in these ethnographies reveal how mental and physical health symptoms are the manifestation of lived experiences based on social position, such as socioeconomic and legal status. These outcomes are directly related to the concept of syndemics, which describes the interrelationship between mental health struggles and chronic disease. Intersectionality Theory, which describes how systems of oppression contribute to health inequity, is also foundational in the evaluation of health outcomes across Latin American populations. The culmination of these ethnographic studies and the application of other theories demonstrate how Latin American transnational families and undocumented migrants suffer disproportionately from chronic disease and mental health challenges.