Protecting unauthorized immigrant mothers improves their children's mental health

Science
Volume 357, Issue 6355, 2017, Pages 1041-1044

Protecting unauthorized immigrant mothers improves their children's mental health (Article) (Open Access)

Hainmueller J.* , Lawrence D. , Martén L. , Black B. , Figueroa L. , Hotard M. , Jiménez T.R. , Mendoza F. , Rodriguez M.I. , Swartz J.J. , Laitin D.D.

^a Department of Political Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States, Immigration Policy Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
^b Immigration Policy Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
^c Immigration Policy Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States, Uppsala Center for Labor Studies, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 75120, Sweden
^d Pritzker Law School, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
^e Immigration Policy Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States, Department of Politics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, United States
^f Immigration Policy Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
^g Department of Sociology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
^h Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
ⁱ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States
^j Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States
^k Department of Political Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States, Immigration Policy Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States

Abstract

The United States is embroiled in a debate about whether to protect or deport its estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants, but the fact that these immigrants are also parents to more than 4 million U.S.-born children is often overlooked. We provide causal evidence of the impact of parents' unauthorized immigration status on the health of their U.S. citizen children. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program granted temporary protection from deportation to more than 780,000 unauthorized immigrants. We used Medicaid claims data from Oregon and exploited the quasi-random assignment of DACA eligibility among mothers with birthdates close to the DACA age qualification cutoff. Mothers' DACA eligibility significantly decreased adjustment and anxiety disorder diagnoses among their children. Parents' unauthorized status is thus a substantial barrier to normal child development and perpetuates health inequalities through the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

perception maternal care immigrant anxiety disorder health care policy environmental protection mental health human statistics and numerical data priority journal health status Mental Disorders Undocumented Immigrants mental disease United States social status undocumented immigrant Humans Treatment Outcome male female adjustment disorder ICD-9 Mothers child health Article health care utilization mother acute stress disorder equity medicaid Child Development Oregon Child immigrant population

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85028990974&doi=10.1126%2fscience.aan5893&partnerID=40&md5=f4b4dd7e3719ceab1d4e063abf0b8f13

DOI: 10.1126/science.aan5893

ISSN: 00368075

Cited by: 29

Original Language: English