Felsman and Stafford Receive Duke Bass Connection Award

Kudos to Irene Felsman, assistant professor and principal investigator; Gabriela Nagy, assistant professor in Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; and Allison Stafford, postdoctoral associate and contact PI, who received an award for their Duke University Bass Connection application entitled "The US Immigration Climate and Mental Health Outcomes of Latinx Immigrants." The project was awarded $24,900 for a one year beginning January 2020.

Bass Connections supports interdisciplinary, collaborative research to address pressing societal challenges. The five interdisciplinary themes of Bass Connections support research related to persistent societal challenges such as health inequities, education, environmental sustainability, the intersection of technology and society, and the brain’s role in making us human. 

Background: Anecdotal reports and several empirical studies have suggested that the current immigration climate has negatively impacted the mental health of immigrant communities in the US. Much of the political focus has been on Latinx (i.e., Hispanic or Latino) immigrants specifically, with enforcement of immigration policies at the US-Mexico border and in Central America. In order to inform immigration policy that promotes the well-being of immigrant communities in the US, it is important to document and understand how the current US immigration climate is influencing the mental health of Latinx immigrants in the US and in North Carolina specifically, where there is rapidly growing Latinx population.

Purpose: The aim of the proposed research is to determine the impact of the US immigration climate on the mental health outcomes of Latinx immigrants living in North Carolina from 2017-2020. Our training and professional development goal is to provide training in culturally-relevant research methods to graduate and undergraduate students at Duke University, with the goal of widening the pipeline of Latinx population health researchers.

Methods:We will use a mixed-methods approach, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data, to answer our research question, while providing students with training in innovative research methods to address pressing societal issues regarding immigration.