“Estar Bien Consigo Mismo” and the Mental Health of Latino Farmworkers in NC

PROBLEM: Latino Farmworkers (LFW) in the United States experience high levels of depression, stress, and poor mental health. Services and social support resources are limited due to structural and economic factors. Research studies using standardized surveys and scales provide important information. However, they may not fully capture how mental health is socially constructed and navigated by migrant and seasonal farmworkers due to linguistic and cultural factors. Therefore, there is a need to develop research protocols and data collection instruments that are culturally appropriate and can describe and analyze how LFWs socially construct their mental and behavioral health and well-being. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to investigate how LFWs in North Carolina conceptualize and socially construct their mental and behavioral health using research protocols culturally grounded in their work-life conditions. METHODS: This exploratory assessment uses data collected during the Spring and Summer of 2024 from eight focus groups in four North Carolina (NC) counties. A total of 85 LFWs (41 males and 44 females) participated in the study. Conversations in Spanish and the semi-structured process enabled focus group participants to respond in ways that highlighted their culturally based conceptualizations of work, family, and well-being. RESULTS: LFWs in this study described mental health as the ability to be at peace with oneself (estar en paz consigo mismo), suggesting an individualistic condition or endeavor. However, the strategies they employed to address negative mental health outcomes were also embedded in communal practices. Additionally, the data highlight differences in the way Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers use social support to address negative mental and behavioral health outcomes stemming from migration and separation from their families. CONCLUSIONS: It is important that researchers and practitioners understand the social construction of mental health and the communal strategies employed by LFWs to sustain and support themselves. Culturally and linguistically appropriate research protocols and instruments that enhance data collection are key components for basic and applied interventions that are aimed at improving LFWs' health and well-being.