Lab for Immigrant Rights & Mental Health

Our research examines the impact of anti-immigrant policies and xenophobia on the well-being of immigrants, as well as how immigrants leverage activism to protect their mental health in this hostile context. Representative studies: 

• Cadenas, G.A., Autin, K., Garcia, E. (2023). Social justice activism and critical agency among undocumented students: Coping mediators between discrimination and depression. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000495
• Cadenas, G.A., Campos, L., & Minero, L. (2022). The psychology of critical consciousness among immigrants: Reflection and activism responding to oppressive immigration policy. Current Opinion in Psychology, 47, 101433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101433  
• Cadenas, G. A., & Nienhusser, H. K. (2021). Immigration status and college students’ psychosocial well-being. Educational Researcher, 50(3), 197-200. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20962470
• Cadenas, G. A., Peña, D., Minero, L. P., Rojas-Araúz, B. O., & *Lynn, N. (2021). Critical agency and vocational outcome expectations as coping mechanisms among undocumented immigrant students. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 9(2), 92 – 108. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000178
• Cadenas, G. A., Bernstein, B. L., & Tracey, T. J. (2018). Critical consciousness and intent to persist through college in DACA and US citizen students: The role of immigration status, race, and ethnicity. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(4), 564. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000200

Our interventions have been piloted and validated to promote positive outcomes among minoritized young people, community members, educators, and mental health providers. Sample intervention studies: 

• Cadenas, G.A., Neimeyer, G., *Suro, B., Minero, L. P., Campos, L., Garcini, L. M., Mercado, A., Paris, M., Silva, M., & Domenech Rodríguez, M. M. (2022). Developing cultural competency for providing psychological services with immigrant populations: A cross-level training curriculum. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 16(2), 121–129. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000380
• Cadenas, G. A., Cantú, E. A., Sosa, R., Carroll, S., Lynn, N., Suro, B., & Ruth, A. (2023). An educational program affirming immigrant entrepreneurship, critical consciousness, and cultural strengths. The Career Development Quarterly, 71. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12335
• Cadenas, G. A., Cantú, E. A., *Lynn, N., Spence, T., & Ruth, A. (2020). A programmatic intervention to promote entrepreneurial self-efficacy, critical behavior, and technology readiness among underrepresented college students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103350
• Cadenas, G. A., Cisneros, J., Todd, N. R., & Spanierman, L. B. (2018). DREAMzone: Testing two vicarious contact interventions to improve attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(3), 295–308. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000055
• Cisneros, J., & Cadenas, G.A. (2017). DREAMer-ally competency and self-efficacy: Developing higher education staff and measuring lasting outcomes. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 54(2), 189-203. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2017.1289098

Our frameworks are developed by integrating critical consciousness theory, liberation psychology, and social justice lenses to advance psychological science and practice in multiple settings and contexts. Sample theoretical frameworks: 

• Cadenas, G.A., Sosa, R., Mora Ringle, V., Aguilar, C., Akoto, M., Bahadori Fallah, Mohammad, & Hamilton, K. (Accepted). Practice guidelines for ALIVE co-mentoring: An approach to liberating psychology education and training from the inside out. American Psychologist. 
• Garrison, Y. L., Cadenas, G. A., & Ali, S. R. (2024). A framework of community-engaged vocational research methodologies from liberatory perspectives. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 149, Article 103970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103350  
• Cadenas, G.A., Martinez Orozco, R., & Aguilar, C. (2023). Critical consciousness development among undocumented youth: State of the science, historiography of immigration policy, and recommendations for research and practice. In Godfrey, E.B. & Rapa, L.J. (Eds.), Developing Critical Consciousness in Youth: Contexts and Settings (pp.266-291). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 
• Cadenas, G.A., Morrisey, M.B., Cardenas Bautista, E., Miodus, S., Hernandez, M., Daruwalla, S., Rami, F., & Hurtado, G. (2022). A model of collaborative immigration advocacy to prevent policy-based trauma and harm. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001330
• Cadenas, G.A., & McWhirter, E.H. (2022). Critical consciousness in vocational psychology: A vision for the next decade. Journal of Career Assessment, 30(3), 411-435. https://doi.org/10.1177/10690727221086553

We have developed supportive recommendations to guide policy, advocacy, and practice that may promote the mental health of immigrant communities. Sample recommendations: 

• Nienhusser., H. K., Cadenas, G. A., Sosa, R., & Moreno, O. (2023). UndocuCare: Strategies for mental health services that affirm undocumented college students’ psychological needs. New Directions for Higher Education, 203, 93-108. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20479
• Silva, M., Domenech Rodriguez, M., Garcini, L., Mercado, A., Cadenas, G.A., Venta, A., & Paris, M. (2022). VALOR: Cultural considerations when assessing Central American immigrant women in behavioral health settings. Practice Innovations, 7(3), 268-279. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000186
• Cadenas, G.A., Cárdenas Bautista, E., Morrisey, M.B., Miodus, S., Hernández, M., Galleta, A., Raimi, F., Steinberg, L., Marotta, S., McNeil, B., Hernández, E., Garcia, E.A., Hurtado, G., Daruwalla, S., Treptow, R.L., & Ginez, D. (2021). Protecting immigrants from harm: Collaborative advocacy strategies for mental health professionals and community activists. Interdivisional Immigration Project Commissioned by the Committee of Divisions/APA Relations. https://www.div17.org/connect---immigration-collaborative-advocacy-report
• Cadenas, G.A., Campos, L., Minero, L.P., Aguilar, C. (2020). A Guide for Providing Mental Health Services to Immigrants Impacted by Changes to DACA and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Informed Immigrant: https://www.informedimmigrant.com/guides/daca-mental-health-providers/