Effects of PTSD on Anxiety and Depression Among Recently Arrived Venezuelan Immigrants in the US and Colombia: A Comparison Study

Introduction

Large-scale immigration from Venezuela began in 2014 as the Maduro regime tightened its grip on power. Figures from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has shown a dramatic increase in Venezuelan asylum applications from about 500 in June 2014 to 8000 in May 2017. Venezuelans are the fastest growing immigrant population coming to the United States and other countries, such as neighboring Colombia. Unfortunately, we know very little about the Venezuelan immigrant population and their needs during these times of crises.

This study is among the first to be conducted on Venezuelan immigrants. We sought to collect information on pre-migration, current risk and supportive factors in their current communities (US and Colombia) from recently immigrated Venezuelans ages 18 years and older who have children. The information we collected will be used to design preventive and other services for this population.

Method

In this pilot study, we collected a sample of 507 Venezuelan immigrants (288 in South Florida, where the majority of Venezuelan immigrants are settling, and 219 in Bogotá, Colombia. These immigrants were very recent (1.28 years since immigration in the US and 1.31 years in Colombia; 82% and 75%, respectively, had been in the US and Colombia for less than 1 year. Participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling, which is often used to study hidden or hard-to-reach populations. Initial seed participants were recruited through community organizations aiding immigrants.

We assessed cultural stressors, familial stressors and self-report of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Assessments were conducted via online survey. The survey was designed to take 15-20 minutes to complete and included both Likert-scale and open-ended questions.

Results and Discussion

Participants in Colombia reported significantly more discrimination [t(395) = 5.94, p < .001] and a more negative context of reception [t(496] = 8.79, p < .001] compared to participants in the US. Participants in the US reported significantly greater post-traumatic stress symptoms [t(490] = 3.50, p < .001] compared to participants in Colombia. No significant country differences emerged for ethnic identity, national identity, anxiety symptoms, or depressive symptoms.

In both the US and Colombia, discrimination and a negative context of reception were positively linked with anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms.

Contrary to our expectations, Venezuelan immigrants in Colombia (which is culturally similar to Venezuela) reported significantly more discrimination and negative context of reception than did Venezuelan immigrants in the US. However, Venezuelans in the US reported greater PTSD symptoms. This pattern may reflect the longer history of receiving immigrants in the US, as well as the multicultural environment of South Florida. The adjustment to a new language and cultural environment may be associated with more symptoms of PTSD.

Despite these mean differences, in both countries, experiences of discrimination and negative context of reception were linked with anxiety, depressive, and PTSD symptoms. These findings suggest that negative immigration-related experiences are associated with internalizing symptoms among parents at both sites.