title: The border community and immigration stress scale: a preliminary examination of a community responsive measure in two Southwest samples.
abstract: Understanding contemporary socio-cultural stressors may assist educational, clinical and policy-level health promotion efforts. This study presents descriptive findings on a new measure, the border community and immigration stress scale. The data were from two community surveys as part of community based participatory projects conducted in the Southwestern US border region. This scale includes stressful experiences reflected in extant measures, with new items reflecting heightened local migration pressures and health care barriers. Stressors representing each main domain, including novel ones, were reported with frequency and at high intensity in the predominantly Mexican-descent samples. Total stress was also significantly associated with mental and physical health indicators. The study suggests particularly high health burdens tied to the experience of stressors in the US border region. Further, many of the stressors are also likely relevant for other communities within developed nations also experiencing high levels of migration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior Health Promotion, Arizona Prevention Research Center, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Ave., Drachman Hall A254, PO Box 245209, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. scott.carvajal@arizona.edu
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Carvajal
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosales
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rubio-Goldsmith
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabo
authors.forename: Maia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.forename: Debra Jean
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.forename: Floribella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Redondo
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Andrea J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Anna Ochoa
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: O'Leary
authors.forename: Zoila
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Jill Guernsey
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: de Zapien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001130:Arizona; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult