1. Mental Health Issues & The Latino Migrant Farm Worker
Presenter
Martha Olaya-Crowley, M.Ed., LCSW
Wake County Human Services

2. Human Health & Well Being
Abraham Maslow ( 1943, 1954) in his research to understand human motivation developed a hierarchy of human needs. He based those needs on two groups; deficiency needs and growth needs. Within the deficiency needs, each lower need must be met before moving to the next higher level. If and only if the deficiency needs are met is the individual ready to act upon the growth an d reach or achieve psychological well being.

3. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Deficiency Needs
Physiological: hunger, thirst, bodily comfort etc
Safety/Security: out of danger
Belongingness and Love: affiliate with others,
be accepted.
Esteem: to achieve , be competent, gain approval
and recognition

4. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Growth Needs
Cognitive: to know, understand and
explore
Aesthetic: symmetry order and beauty
Self-actualization: to find self-fulfillment
and realize one’s potential

5. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs & Latino Migrant Farm Worker conditions
Physiological Needs
Latino Migrant Farm Workers live in
poverty,
substandard, unsanitary housing,
lack of toilets,
lack of hand washing facilities in the fields,
exposure to toxic agricultural chemicals,
hunger and thirst,
heat exposure and stroke
If we look at the migrant worker community and apply Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, we will find the migrant and farm worker community deficiencies in basic human needs are striking and grossly under achieved and therefore the psychological well being of the migrant worker in jeopardy.
Migrant farm workers suffer mortality and morbidity rates higher than any other group in the US.

6. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs & Latino Migrant Farm Worker conditions
Safety/security needs: out of danger;
exploitation,
discrimination and abuse,
sporadic work, hard/demanding work,
financial concerns and instability,
illness,
community violence.

7. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs & Latino Migrant Farm Worker conditions
Belonging & Love needs: affiliate with others,
be accepted;
transient lifestyle,
frequent moves
isolation,
fragmented or discontinued contact with family,
lack of friendships,
lack of health care,
lack of educational resources
lack of familiarity w/ social services systems
lack of contact with the broader Latino community.
While many immigrants in urban settings have the opportunity to meet other people, learn to use and appreciate what the host culture has to offer, the migrant farm worker often remains isolated, marginal, discriminated and under served. While in the United States, Latinos and migrant farm workers are often subjected to discriminatory practices and abusive situations. Work with no pay or under pay, exploded with high rents, and high price for goods, poor housing, targeted for robbery and other assaults, denied access to services and opportunities.

8. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs & Latino Migrant Farm Worker conditions
Esteem Needs:
be competent, gain approval and recognition;
language barriers,
isolation,
discrimination,
mistreatment,
poorly paid,
demanding work,
losses due to migration.

9. Migration: A Process of Uprooting
Migration involves at least three forms of
uprooting:
Physical
Social
Cultural
Stress is always involved in migration if one considers that stress occurs when an individual confronts a situation where his/her usual modes of behavior or coping are insufficient and the ability to adapt is limited or unsuccessful or impaired.

10. Migration: A Process of Uprooting
Physical uprooting…..
“..is living without the familiarity of people’s faces,
the sound of their voices, the feel of the streets,
the comfort of the houses, the odors of the foods,
the cold and heat of the air, the myriad of smells,
sounds, and sights including the configuration
of stars in the sky at night, and the landscape
that has been internal and external…”
The Latino Families in Therapy (Falicov, 1998)

11. Migration: A Process of Uprooting
Social uprooting……..
“..is living without family, friends,
church, working environment, resources,
like transportation, medical, and financial.
Social uprooting causes social marginality
and social isolation leading
to decreasing self-esteem and depression.”
Latino Families in Therapy ( Falicov.1998)

12. Migration: A Process of Uprooting
Cultural uprooting.
The disruption of lifelong attachments and
stabilities.
Meanings are uprooted internally and
externally.
The uprooting of established ways of thinking and
doing, and the massive, abrupt exposure to a new
language, and a new way of life, precipitate
psychological distress most commonly referred as
“culture shock”.
Latino Families in Therapy (Falicov.1998) 
The most fundamental and disruptive consequence of migration is the uprooting of cultural meaning. With the disruption of lifelong attachments and stabilities, meanings are uprooted internally and externally.

13. Migration: A Process of Uprooting
Culture Shock
Culture shock is a reactive process that results
from the coexistence of two factors:
The disconcerting, stressful, anxiety provoking
encounter with the new culture, paired with the
Painful mourning for the loss of the physical,
social and cultural aspects of the old culture.
Tha Latino Families in Therapy.( Falicov,1998)
The migrant farm worker work with no pay or under pay, While many immigrants in urban settings have the opportunity to meet other people, learn to use and appreciate what the host culture has to offer, the migrant farm worker often remains isolated, marginal, discriminated and under served. While in the United States, Latinos and migrant farm workers are often subjected to discriminatory practices and abusive situations. Work with no pay or under pay, exploded with high rents, and high price for goods, poor housing, targeted for robbery and other assaults, denied access to services and opportunities. Ongoing maltreatment causes “On going Traumatic Stress” with devastating consequences in the well-being of the farm worker, his family and the community.

14. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Flashbacks
Recurrent dreams and nightmares
Fear and Anxiety
Inability to concentrate
Sleep disturbances
Helplessness
Hyper-vigilance
Ongoing maltreatment causes“On going
Traumatic Stress”
Ongoing maltreatment causes “On going Traumatic Stress”
with devastating consequences in the well-being of the farm worker, his family and the community. Many Mexican women and men are raped and robbed while attempting to cross the border, often by smugglers who promised to help them for a sum of money. Cases have been reported of women being sexually and physically abused by employers, usually older men who pay for transportation after promising to employ her as a domestic. They end up working without pay and are sexually abused.

15. Coping With Uprooting Loneliness Anxiety
Not feeling safe Alcohol use/abuse
Palpitations Domestic Violence
Difficulty breathing Panic Attacks
Agoraphobia Dizziness
Phobias Paranoia
Depression Insomnia
Feelings of worthlessness
Feelings of inferiority
Gastrointestinal Problems
Chronic stress weakens the immune system predisposing the person to disease and illness.
The process of acculturation is different depending on the age, education, and the social opportunities and interactions the person has with the host culture.
It is extremely important in the early stages of migration and acculturation to recover the physical, social and cultural aspects of the familiar culture by searching for the food, clothing, music, contact with others from your own land, and promote and maintain their own values while learning about the host culture.

16. Remedies To Assist Migrant Farm workers Cope With Migration
· Promote, advocate and support the provision of decent,
adequate and appropriate living conditions
·   Support and validate the farm worker’s efforts to
retain and celebrate the physical, social and cultural
aspects of their culture.
·   Promote and support social interactions with each
others in the community. Build new friendships.
·   Facilitate involvement and participation in church.

17. Remedies To Assist Migrant Farm workers Cope With Migration
Support and facilitate access to books, magazines,
newspaper in Spanish.
Promote, support and facilitate supportive
interactions through discussion groups, and social
gatherings.
Provide and facilitate transportation to reach out
and interact with the community.

18. Remedies To Assist Migrant Farm workers Cope With Migration
Promote, support and facilitate English classes and literacy classes.
Promote Support and organize leisure activities, movies, games, TV, sports, soccer games etc.