Hispanics suffer more stress than other people (especially women) in the US: why?

Americans have a lot to worry about. According to a recent survey by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), inflation, the possibility of a recession, and gun violence are the top three concerns in a long list of issues causing anxiety among the United States population.

But when asked to think about what could happen through 2024, Hispanics were less likely than usual on eight of the nine topics suggested in the APA’s Healthy Minds survey conducted Dec. 2-4 among 2,202 adults in 2023. Reported feeling more stressed than the general population.

The state of personal finances caused concern among 62% of Hispanics who sought counseling, while 59% of non-Hispanics expressed concern. The gap was even greater when it came to job security, an issue that caused anxiety among 42% of Hispanics, compared to 27% of the non-Hispanic US population.

Psychiatrist Ruby Castilla Puentes, who has dedicated part of her career to working for the mental health of the Hispanic population and served as president of the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry (ASHP) in the 2020-2022 period, Told that economic problems are increasing. Migrant populations and especially Hispanic women are more concerned because in addition to working at their jobs, they also have to take care of household tasks, children, and the elderly.

“Many times these women have no way of financially helping people living in their country of origin,” Castilla Puentes said.

This pressure increases even more when the economic condition of the host country worsens. Immigrants feel vulnerable to worsening economic stability in the United States, where experts predict great instability in the coming months after 2023, ending with higher inflation and rising interest rates.

That approach has significant implications for the finances of American households. Castilla Puentes said the panic is even greater among Hispanic women, who not only have to juggle the needs of their family in the United States, but also have to be aware of what relatives they left behind in Guatemala or Mexico. What will happen.

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“Black or white women don’t have this problem because their relatives live in the United States,” Castilla Puentes said.

importance of mental health

The only aspect that the general population was more concerned about than Hispanics was physical health (48% non-Hispanics – 46% Hispanics). But this trend reversed when they were asked about mental health. 45% of Hispanics said they felt worried about their mental health, compared to 37% of non-Hispanics.

Castilla Puentes said that traditionally the immigrant population has not had access to mental health services, but for some years now, awareness campaigns have been launched for the Hispanic population about the importance of addressing mental health problems.

The expert believed that far from being interpreted as a negative fact, this increase in the Hispanic population’s concern for their mental health shows that the campaigns have had an impact and that Hispanics are more concerned about their emotional well-being. Are aware. He also said this should be seen as an opportunity to further educate communities on this important issue.

The two faces of the family unit

37% of Hispanics had strain on relationships with family and friends, compared to 29% of non-Hispanics.

Castilla Puentes highlighted the importance of cultural factors and the need to understand the meaning of family and community for Hispanics.

“When one person has a problem, everyone in the family is affected. This differs between white and African Americans, who respect personal space more and are often more discreet when it comes to exposing their financial problems,” Castilla Puentes said.

In that sense, the psychiatrist said that the Hispanic family unit has its positive aspects and also its risk factors.

the tragedy of gun violence

Looking to 2023, the economy was the leading source of emotional distress for Americans, with inflation clearly in first place (80%), followed by recession (72%). According to the APA survey gun violence was the third biggest concern (70%).

Castilla Puentes said that the population continues to decline due to armed violence, although shootings occur so frequently that people have normalized it and are no longer afraid to go out on the streets or send their children to school as they did before the attacks. It happened after. 1990s.

According to data from the Gun Violence Archives, access to firearms is the main cause of this problem, leading to 18,554 deaths and 36,338 injuries in the United States in 2023.

Regarding controls preventing a person with an illness from purchasing a firearm, Castilla Puente said it is a complex issue because there are many people with mental illnesses who have not been diagnosed and who have the legal right to purchase weapons.

There are also people who have a diagnosis, but since mental illnesses are cyclical, a patient may be in a stable moment in which it is very difficult to determine if they have some type of mental alteration.

People with diagnosed mental disorders have strict controls to prevent exposure to any type of weapon that could harm the patient or other people.

However, Castilla Puentes said it is important not to be stigmatized because many perpetrators of shootings have no diagnosed mental illness.

Key to maintaining good mental health

The expert said that we should not be afraid of having a little stress, because it is the force that wakes us up to go to work, school and motivates us every day. But we must be careful to prevent this stress from increasing and reaching a limit point that prevents us from developing an anxiety disorder.

Puente Castilla suggests following these 4 recommendations to maintain optimal mental health:

1. Go to the gym or do some kind of physical exercise at least 3 times a week, Exercise is an excellent help in the treatment of mild depression, from which patients usually recover without the help of drugs.

2. Create a routine, especially for sleep. Sleep has an important restorative power that allows a person to function properly in his daily activities.

3. Expectations less than two. We should be careful about setting goals that are too high, which may generate anxiety. The best thing is to try to live day by day and enjoy the present without looking too far into the future because we will not know if it will come or not. It is important to live in the here and now and allow yourself to be imperfect and vulnerable.

4. Stay positive. There are some people who only see the bad side. If you are one of them, it is worth learning that everything in life has two sides. Instead of thinking that everything is a problem, it is better to look at the positive side and believe that there is a solution to everything.

Source: APA, Ruby Castilla Puentes, Gun Violence Archives

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