Traumatic migration experiences and the development of PTSD in Latino youth: A scoping review

Latin America is a region that has been plagued by civil unrest, state corruption, gang violence, and economic instability for decades. These circumstances have influenced or forced many individuals, including children and adolescents, to journey north. However, the experience is often filled with its own kinds of dangers: robbery, kidnappings, extortion, physical assault, sexual assault, human trafficking, environmental hazards, and dangerous transportation methods are frequent occurrences. Exposure to these dangerous and violent encounters may lead to the development of mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially in vulnerable populations like youths. There is substantial evidence for pre-migration trauma and mental disorders in Latinos. However, there is a gap regarding migration trauma and the potential onset of PTSD, as well as how children and adolescents may be impacted by trauma exposure during migration. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the literature to discover if traumatic migration experiences led to the development of PTSD in Latino youths and if rates differed when youths were accompanied or unaccompanied. The term “Latine”, a gender-neutral term that has roots in Spanish-speaking countries, will be used throughout the review alongside “Latino”. PubMed, PsychInfo, PsycArticles, and Google Scholar were used to extract articles. Studies were eligible for inclusion if the population of interest were Latino immigrant children or adolescents, the exposure was migration trauma experienced or witnessed, and the outcome was PTSD. Articles were excluded if they focused on adults, non-migration trauma including pre- or post-migration, or did not focus on PTSD as an outcome. After duplicates were removed, 202 articles were left to screen. Only three articles were eligible. Significant correlations were observed between trauma exposure during migration and PTSD. Specifically, physical assault exposure and child physical abuse during migration were found to significantly predict PTSD symptoms. No differences in PTSD rates were reported between youths who traveled accompanied versus unaccompanied. Youths who were exposed to traumatic events during migration are at an increased risk of developing PTSD. It should be noted that there was a dramatic gap in the literature on migration trauma exposure and PTSD outcomes in Latine youths. More funding and research are needed to understand the complexity of trauma exposure, migration, and mental health in Latino youths to better provide and support these individuals once they arrive in the U.S.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Community Health

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Lopez, Gabriella Mina

Contributors dc:contributor

• Lara-Cinisomo, Sandraluz

• immigration
• migration
• trauma
• PTSD
• Latino
• youth

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Gabriella Lopez

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129277

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129277