The Work, Economic, and Remittance Stress and Distress of the COVID-19 Pandemic Containment Policies: The Case of Venezuelan Migrants in Argentina and Chile

Journal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
ISSN
1660-4601
Date Issued
2023
Author(s)
Deisy Del Real
Felipe Crowhurst-Pons
Lizeth Olave
Type
Resource Types::text::journal::journal article
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85148965445
DOI
URL
URL Institutional Repository
Abstract
<jats:p>According to the social stress process model, global crises are macro-level stressors that generate physiological stress and psychological distress. However, existing research has not identified immigrants’ COVID-19 containment policy stressors or examined the social stress of sending remittances amid crises. Drawing on in-depth longitudinal interviews with 46 Venezuelan immigrants—half before and half during the pandemic—in Chile and Argentina, we identified the COVID-19 containment policies’ stressors. We focused on Venezuelan immigrants because they constitute one of the largest internationally displaced populations, with most migrating within South America. We found that the governmental COVID-19 containment measures in both countries generated four stressors: employment loss, income loss, devaluation of employment status, and inability to send needed remittances. Moreover, sending remittances helped some migrants cope with concerns about loved ones in Venezuela. However, sending remittances became a social stressor when immigrants struggled to simultaneously sustain their livelihoods and send financial support to relatives experiencing hardships in Venezuela. For some immigrants, these adversities generated other stressors (e.g., housing instability) and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Broadly, for immigrants, the stressors of global crises transcend international borders and generate high stress, which strains their psychological well-being.</jats:p>
Subjects
covid-19 containment policies

; 

health disparities

; 

mental health

; 

psychological well-being

; 

remittance stressor

; 

social stress process

; 

venezuelan migration

; 

argentina

; 

chile

; 

covid-19

; 

developing countries

; 

economics

; 

emigration and immigration

; 

housing

; 

humans

; 

pandemics

; 

policy

; 

population dynamics

; 

transients and migrants

; 

venezuela

; 

argentina

; 

chile

; 

covid-19

; 

epidemic

; 

health care

; 

health policy

; 

mental health

; 

migrants remittance

; 

psychology

; 

anxiety

; 

argentina

; 

article

; 

chile

; 

coping behavior

; 

coronavirus disease 2019

; 

depression

; 

distress syndrome

; 

employment status

; 

financial stress

; 

health care policy

; 

health disparity

; 

housing instability

; 

human

; 

immigrant

; 

job stress

; 

migration

; 

psychological well-being

; 

social distancing

; 

social stress

; 

venezuelan

; 

developing country

; 

economics

; 

housing

; 

migration

; 

pandemic

; 

policy

; 

population dynamics

; 

venezuela