A Mental Health Issue and its Solutions Through Social
Determinants
HPE 1005 - Mental Health Issues
University of Cincinnati
As of 2017, there are 36. 3 million people of Mexican origin in the
United States and of this population, 11.6 million are Mexican
immigrants. Due to the unique circumstances of immigration, often
involving diverse experiences of hardship, immigrants have been
found to be especially vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes.
Depression in particular has been linked to the complex nature and
severity of acculturative stress, or the psychological impact of
adaptation to a new culture, experienced by immigrants. Over the past
two decades, hundreds of thousands of Mexican immigrants have
entered into metropolitan Atlanta, initially due to the construction
boom following the 1996 Olympics. As a new home for Mexican
immigrants, Atlanta has presented a variety of opportunities but also
significant restrictions to foreign-born Mexicans. Poor social
determinants of health such as unstable housing, low wages, social
isolation, inadequate healthcare access and lack of insurance coverage
have contributed to the burdens of acculturation. The difficulties of
migration and adaptation to life in Atlanta for Mexican immigrants
have led to emerging local mental health struggles, with rising rates of
depression, and conflicting global cultural values.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to
experience significant depression than individuals who do not
immigrate. Among migrants, individuals between 18 and 25 were
found to have a five times greater risk of experiencing a depressive
disorder, compared to their same-age Mexican peers who did not
immigrate. Additionally, depressive symptoms increase the risk of
suicidal ideology in Mexican immigrants. These findings are due to
the complexity and severity of acculturative stress factors. In order to
deconstruct depression within Mexican immigrants in metropolitan
Atlanta, the following must be taken into consideration: accessibility
to services and problems that arise within cultural and religious
contexts. Mexican immigrants in metro Atlanta are faced with a
multitude of barriers that have made it difficult to access mental health
services. These can be explained on the macro level by systemic
oppression, the meso level by the lack of culturally-sensitive services
and on the micro level by cultural stigmas. Immigrant Mexican
families experience a gap between their culture and American
ideology. The American value of meritocracy assumes that Mexican
immigrants can easily integrate into dominant, White society.
Inherently presuming an individual’s ability to conform to a foreign
culture, health systems can be highly oppressive and perpetuate the
probability of depression in Mexican immigrants.
While a large number of Mexican immigrants are living in poverty,
accessibility to mental health resources, such as therapy and
medications, is slim. To make matters worse, nearly three quarters of
foreign-born Mexicans in Georgia have been reported to not have
health insurance. Additionally, language barriers, legal status issues,
literacy rates and absence of validated measures to determine mental
health needs in Spanish-speaking populations impact the access of
services. While the above barriers may contribute to underutilization
of mental health services, it is critical to understand the impact
cultural and religious beliefs have on the mental health of Mexican
immigrants. Foreign-born Mexicans follow cultural values that
challenge their acknowledgement of mental health needs once they
arrive to America. The value of “machismo” views mental disorders
as weaknesses that must be hidden from the rest of society. Those who
suffer from mental disorders are stigmatized as “loco”, or crazy.
Symptoms of depression are defined as “nervios” (nervousness) or
“susto” (fright) and are perceived as short-term feelings that disappear
on their own. In both local and global Mexican communities, seeking
mental health treatment is viewed as an escape for the weak.
Mexican populations often turn to their family, community and
religious affiliations for support and stability. “Familismo”, the value
of family cohesion and interdependence, serves as an important
foundation. However, this can act as a stressor and risk factor for
depression among Mexican immigrants. The family may not support
the mental health needs of an individual, creating a greater burden on
the individual seeking treatment. Alternatively, the family unit may be
broken down due to immigration, generating a lack of familial support
and increased isolation.
The role of religion and the Catholic church plays a pivotal role in
shaping perceptions around Mexican immigrant mental health. The
cultural value of “fatalismo” refers to the idea that life circumstances
are preordained and there is little one can do to change life events.
This ideology guides religious Mexican populations to believe that
they cannot control their own destiny and instead must leave it up to
God’s will. Seeking mental health care becomes a faithful
disobedience. Recognizing this cultural belief is imperative as
metropolitan Atlanta contains a large, rapidly growing number of
devote Mexican Catholic immigrants. As the above factors contribute
to the rising rates of depression among Mexican immigrants living in
metro Atlanta, a culturally-appropriate intervention is necessary.
Currently, there are two religious organizations that offer various
immigrant groups counseling services to assist with the impacts of
acculturation. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offers free, group
mental health support for immigrants through the care of a licensed
counselor. Catholic Charities of Atlanta offers therapy on a sliding
scale basis provided by a professional therapist. However, in order to
alleviate depression within Mexican immigrants, it is important to
provide culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, community approaches
that are deeply rooted in Mexican cultural and religious values.
Without access and engagement in mental health services, this
population is at risk of homelessness, substance use and self-neglect.
In order to address the barriers present for this population, I propose
an intervention that considers and targets the Mexican values of
“fatalismo”, “familismo” and machismo”, using narrative theory tools.
Narrative theory honors the lesser-told story, examining the cultural
values and beliefs held within a person and recognizing the dominant
systemic forces that might negatively influence a person’s view of
their own life. It accounts for cultural differences, such as language,
family structures and patterns of thinking, social injustices,
immigration and acculturation issues. Narrative theory views the
individual as the expert on his or her life, with a plethora of
multifaceted stories that can establish new perspectives on identity
and mental health. It provides a culturally sensitive framework, as it
recognizes that culture is the most influential determinant in a
person’s life. The intervention will develop free, community support
groups at two local Catholic churches, co-facilitated by a
Spanishspeaking mental health practitioner and a religious community
member from the Atlanta Catholic diocese. Narrative theory will
require the co-facilitators to take a critical stance in providing
individuals with skills that will deconstruct dominant norms. This will
aim to normalize mental health and move from the labeling of “loco”
to recognizing the resilience that Mexican immigrants foster during
their transition to America. Utilizing narrative theory, Spanish-
speaking therapists can help individuals reframe their stigmatized
narratives while breaking language barriers. At the same time, the
cofacilitation from religious leaders will have a meaningful impact on
increasing acceptance and encouraging involvement, thus shifting the
“fatalismo” ideology.
In order to successfully engage the Mexican immigrant community
and prevent negative perceptions around mental health, community
support groups will not be labeled as “therapy”, but as “spiritual
counseling. ” Groups will not highlight depression and its afflictions.
Instead, they will aid in combating and normalizing symptoms by
promoting overall wellness through community rituals with faith,
food, music, craft-making, and storytelling. Bilingual informational
signs and brochures will be circulated within both Catholic churches,
with intention to increase awareness and access to the program’s
services. Culturally, discussing feelings with a stranger has not been
an effective way to reduce depression symptoms among global and
local Mexican populations. Thus, strengthening “familismo” by
encouraging individuals to share personal narratives with other
members of the group may help break down the stigma surrounding
mental health. Connecting individuals to others who may have similar
experiences may help individuals alter the “machismo” mentality,
build social supports and reauthor a new narrative, alleviating the
burdens of depression.
Research has proposed that creating cultural groups within religious
settings that support personal identity formulation can be critical to
alleviate depression in Mexican immigrants. Constructing faithbased
community support groups which utilize narrative theory tools could
appropriately counter depression by fostering mental health awareness
through creative expression in a population that is under resourced.
