Living the Decisions of Migration for Mexican Immigrant Farmworkers

This study explores six biopsychosoical dimensions (working conditions, housing, health and mental health, social support, values, and migration experiences of documentation and language) of the ecological context of Mexican immigrant farmworkers as they live out the decision of migration in Northern California. A convenience sample of 38 Mexican immigrant farmworkers were interviewed using likert scales assessing the nutritive value of the ecological contexts of home and the receiving community. Twenty-nine participants completed the audio-taped interview of an additional fourteen open-ended questions to further explore subjective experiences of lived migration. Findings of the study reveal the complexity of migration life while highlighting the strengths and resilience of those who migrate. Further, results of this exploratory study point to the inadequacy of the either/or perspective in the study of migration. The process of migration is not an “either/or” proposition but is a continual “both/and” experience.