Deportation and mental health among migrants who inject drugs along the US–Mexico border

ABSTRACT

This study describes the prevalence and factors of depressive symptoms among a sample of persons who inject drugs (PWID) with a history of deportation from the US in Tijuana, Mexico. In 2014, 132 deported PWID completed a structured questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CESD-10) screening instrument. Eligible participants were ≥18 years old, injected drugs in the past month, spoke English or Spanish, and resided in Tijuana. Multivariate analyses identified factors associated with depressive symptoms. Among deported PWID, 45% reported current symptoms of depression. Deported PWID who were initially detained in the US for a crime-related reason before being deported (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 5.27; 95% CI: 1.79–15.52) and who perceived needing help with their drug use (AOR: 2.15; 95% 1.01–4.61) had higher odds of reporting depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight the need for effective strategies targeting deported migrants who inject drugs to treat mental health and drug abuse in Tijuana. Investing in the mental health of deported PWID may also be a viable HIV prevention strategy.

KEYWORDS:

• Deportation
• migration
• injection drug use
• mental health
• US–Mexico border

Acknowledgments

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health [Award number D43TW008633], [Award number R25TW009343]; National Institute on Drug Abuse [grant number K01DA025504], [grant number R37DA019829], [grant number R37DA019829-S1]; National Institute on Mental Health [grant number K01MH095680], [grant number T32AA007240], Graduate Research Training on Alcohol Problems, by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; the University of California Global Health Institute; and a fellowship from the UCSD Centre for US-Mexican Studies