Community Building for Health and Mental Wellness: Testing a Peer-Led Stress Management Intervention with Latino Immigrants

Latino immigrants experience considerable physical and mental health disparities and are the racial group with the highest level of reported stress. There is a well-established link between high levels of stress and worse physical and mental health including higher rates of major depressive disorder, anxiety, and substance abuse. Compared to well-established immigration destinations, Latino immigrants in nontraditional cities such as Cincinnati can face even higher rates of discrimination and social exclusion, both of which have been linked to worse mental well-being and higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. A recent study confirmed that Latino immigrants in Cincinnati reporting lower perceived social acceptance had worse self-reported mental health. Further compounding the problem is the systems issue of very few Spanish-speaking mental health providers (psychologists, therapists, counselors) in Cincinnati. In partnership with Latinos Unidos por la Salud (LU-Salud), we propose to address two aims: test the effectiveness of the adapted peer-led group LU-Salud Intervention in improving coping and building a sense of community; establish that coping and community support are linked to improved mental health and well-being for Latino immigrants. In addition, we will conduct a process evaluation to establish the adapted intervention’s fidelity, acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.