Healing Together: Advocating for Community Mental Health Through Restorative Circles in Low-Income Latine and Pre-Columbian Indigenous Immigrant Communities.

Authors

Evelyn Vázquez, Arianna Zimmer, Martin Pallares Perez, Connie Marmolejo, Muriel Casamayor, Maria Pozar, Laysi Da Silva Zacarias, Ann Cheney

Published in

Journal of health care for the poor and underserved. Volume 37. Issue 1. Pages 143-165.

Abstract

Low-income immigrant communities experience significant trauma and structural health inequities, particularly in mental health access, quality of care, and outcomes. This study evaluates the effects of restorative circles as a community-driven intervention for psychological trauma among low-income Latine and Pre-Columbian Indigenous immigrants in rural California. We conducted three focus groups (N=34), each representing a distinct immigrant community. Findings revealed diverse, community-specific challenges: Relocated immigrants (n=14) reported post-COVID-19 trauma, economic precarity, and the psychological toll of undocumented status. Farmworkers (n=10) identified school violence and substance abuse as key concerns. The Purépecha community (n=10), a Pre-Columbian Indigenous group, highlighted suicidality, mental health stigma, and severe resource scarcity. Across all groups, participants described discrimination and school-based bullying as persistent issues. These findings emphasize the urgent need for culturally responsive, community-based mental health interventions co-developed with rural immigrant populations.

PMID:
42766509
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Sep 2026.

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