Margaret Caughy, an OIBR Distinguished Scholar and Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Family Health Disparities at the University of Georgia, is leading a research initiative to understand how societal stressors impact the mental health of Latinx youth. Supported by a $3.9 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), this project examines the connections between external stressors—such as anti-immigrant rhetoric and the COVID-19 pandemic—and mental health challenges like anxiety and depression in Latinx youth. The project, set to continue through 2029, is expected to deliver valuable insights into the mental health challenges faced by one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S.

This project builds on Caughy’s extensive research in child development and family dynamics within African American and Latino communities. Known for her strength-based approach, Caughy focuses on resilience and adaptability in minority families, shifting away from the deficit model commonly used in research.

Addressing a National Crisis

In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about the youth mental health crisis, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Latinx youth, in particular, face disproportionately high rates of anxiety and depression due to race, ethnicity, and socio-economic vulnerabilities.

Caughy’s study explores how historical, societal, and ecological conditions throughout childhood and adolescence affect mental health outcomes. The study examines societal stressors like immigration policies, marginalization, and family-level challenges tied to the pandemic.

“We’re looking at how societal stressors directly affect youth, but also how the stressors their families face—economic challenges, health impacts from COVID, or discrimination—filter down to impact mental health,” explains Caughy.

An Innovative Approach

The study utilizes Integrated Data Analysis (IDA), pooling data from five longitudinal studies of 2,515 Latinx mother-youth pairs from 2010 to 2026. This method enables the research team to examine a wide age range—tracking youth from ages 2 to 22—and assess the long-term mental health impacts of societal stressors.

“By combining multiple data sets, we can create a pseudo-cohort that allows us to study youth development in ways not possible with a single data set,” Caughy explains. “This lets us identify key periods where societal stressors have the greatest impact.”

The study also incorporates social media analysis, utilizing historical Twitter data to measure anti- immigrant rhetoric. This analysis, led by Itai Himelboim, an OIBR Affiliate, and Thomas C. Dowden Professor of Media Analytics at the Department of Advertising and Public Relations of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, measures how online discourse may amplify real- world stress for Latinx families. “Utilizing cutting-edge computational methods, this study aims to understand the relationship between Twitter/X conversation about Latinx immigrants and immigration and mental health indicators. Using these techniques, we will extract specific negative sub-conversations, such as hate speech, racism, abusive language, identity attacks, and threats, and examine how they have changed over a decade and a half,” said Himelboim.

Collaborating Across Institutions

Caughy’s project is a collaborative effort, bringing together experts from the University of Texas at Austin, George Washington University, and Arizona State University. Key collaborators include Dr. Esther Calzada, Dr. Kathleen Roche, and statistician Dr. Kevin Grimm. This multidisciplinary team integrates child development, mental health, social media analysis, and statistical modeling.

“Our team is diverse, both in terms of academic disciplines and the data we bring to the table,” Caughy notes. “It’s exciting to work with colleagues who bring unique perspectives to this important issue.”

Informing Real-World Interventions

Caughy’s research goes beyond academic discovery, with the potential to inform interventions that mitigate the effects of societal stressors on Latinx youth. A primary goal is to understand protective factors—such as parental cultural socialization and youth self-regulation—that can buffer against mental health challenges.

“The hope is that this research will lead to new or refined interventions aimed specifically at Latinx families,” Caughy explains. “We want to help families build resilience, even in the face of overwhelming societal challenges.”

As Latinx youth make up over one-quarter of all U.S. youth, the study’s findings will have significant implications for mental health interventions and public policy. The results will help policymakers, educators, and healthcare providers better understand the unique challenges faced by Latinx youth and develop culturally tailored support systems.

A Vision for the Future

Caughy is optimistic about the project’s potential to shape both academic knowledge and public health initiatives. She also hopes to inspire future generations of scholars to continue studying minority families through a strength-based lens.

“We’ve made progress in shifting the narrative around ethnic minority families, but there’s still more to be done,” Caughy says. “I hope this research contributes to that ongoing conversation and paves the way for future scholars to build on what we’ve learned.”

For Caughy, the goal is not only to highlight the challenges Latinx families face but also to emphasize their resilience and strengths in overcoming adversity.

Written by Andrea Horsman Nov. 1, 2024

• Category: Articles