Keywords
Mental Health
Life Course
Aging
How to Cite
Abstract
The objective of this study was to understand the mental health impacts that living undocumented in the United States have on older persons from the state of Durango, especially among those that have returned to Mexico voluntarily, or who have been deported. The study was developed from a life course perspective, with a qualitative longitudinal retrospective view, forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with people who migrated undocumented, as well as field observations in different municipalities of Durango. Findings indicate that living undocumented and deportation negatively shape the mental health and aging process of older adults in Durango. Migratory trajectories reveal processes in which mental health is affected by the political context whereby biographical and historical time converge. For the migrants in this study, to live undocumented meant experiencing violence and discrimination upon entering, during, and after their stay in the United States, in addition to the lack
of support networks generating emotional distress. Upon returning to Mexico, this lack of support continues to limit their opportunities for inclusion and their development towards aging with dignity.
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Copyright (c) 2025 San Juanita García, Verónica Montes de Oca Zavala , Francisco Javier González Cordero, María Concepción Arroyo Rueda, Perla Vanessa de los Santos Amaya