The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and well-being of Latine youth from rural and agricultural families in the Midwest

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant health and socioeconomic repercussions for Latine immigrant families and their children due to long-standing social, economic, and immigration-related inequities, with rural families particularly vulnerable. In particular, the mental health and well-being of Latine youth may have been detrimentally impacted due to disproportionate family stressors and burdens. In the present study, we examined the effect of parent and youth COVID-19 pandemic stress on youth mental health, and in turn, on youth well-being using quantitative and qualitative data. Participants were Latine youth in rural and agricultural families in the US Midwest (N = 210, Mage = 12.10 years, 52.4% male, 36.2% first-generation immigrants) and a primary caregiver (86.5% mothers, 92.7% first-generation immigrant, mean income = 25-30 K) as well as n = 19 dyadic qualitative interviews. Quantitative analyses revealed that both youth and primary caregiver COVID-19 stressors were associated with youth mental health problems, and indirectly impacted five domains of youth well-being (engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness). Qualitative findings provided insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic increased stress for mothers and children (e.g., job loss and economic hardship, COVID-19 infection, online education challenges). The study demonstrates how the environmental context of the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the individual and family-level functioning of Latine immigrant families during this uniquely challenging time period.