Abstract
Latine immigrants may experience a heightened degree of stress related to their immigration status. This is particularly true for immigrants who are in the country unauthorized. Individuals who are unauthorized may experience unique psychosocial stress compared to authorized individuals. The current study aimed to elucidate the differences in the psychosocial stressors and psychological well-being resulting from documentation status between authorized and unauthorized Latine immigrants. The study has a cross-sectional design in order to compare the experience of psychosocial stressors and four measures of well-being across two groups with differing immigration statuses. Authorized and unauthorized immigrants were surveyed to assess differences in psychosocial stressors and the impact of authorization status on well-being. Based on the findings, unauthorized Latine immigrants experienced more psychosocial stressors compared to authorized immigrants with regard to migration, fear of discovery, employment concerns, legal issues, and limited access to services. No differences were found in other measures of well-being. Unauthorized immigrants experience more psychosocial stressors compared to their authorized counterparts; however, this did not have implications for their overall mental health. Findings suggest the resilience and strength of the Latine immigrant population.