Honors Program Theses

Award/Availability

Open Access Honors Program Thesis

First Advisor

Jennifer Cooley

Keywords

Immigrants--Mental health; Postville Immigration Raid, Postville, Iowa, 2008; Guatemalans--United States; Post-traumatic stress disorder;

Abstract

Group interviews were conducted with small groups of Guatemalan women who were affected by the immigration raid in Postville, Iowa. During these interviews, participants responded to questions about emotional reactions in the months following the raid, as well as current emotional states and functioning. The women reported several negative effects, including emotional, social, and economic hardship during the months between the raid and the interviews. The way in which these responses correlate to the traditional model for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder allows insight into the appropriateness of diagnostic criteria. As similar raids are conducted, it is vital to have an understanding of not only the legal and economic ramifications, but also the psychological effects. A full comprehension of the emotional consequences of the Postville immigration raid would allow for appropriate action to be taken to both prevent as well as treat any psychological harm caused by this type of event.

Year of Submission

2009

Department

Department of Modern Languages

University Honors Designation

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

5-2009

Object Description

1 PDF file (36 pages)

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