IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v14y2025i7p433-d1701797.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Hesitation to Seek Healthcare Among Immigrants in a Restrictive State Context

Author

Listed:
  • Elizabeth Aranda

    (Immigrant Well-Being Research Center, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa Campus, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CPR 107, Tampa, FL 33620, USA)

  • Liz Ventura Molina

    (Immigrant Well-Being Research Center, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa Campus, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CPR 107, Tampa, FL 33620, USA)

  • Elizabeth Vaquera

    (Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute, Department of Sociology, The George Washington University, 2114 G St NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA)

  • Emely Matos Pichardo

    (Immigrant Well-Being Research Center, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa Campus, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CPR 107, Tampa, FL 33620, USA)

  • Osaro Iyamu

    (Immigrant Well-Being Research Center, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa Campus, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CPR 107, Tampa, FL 33620, USA)

Abstract

This article focuses on how rising nativism, manifested through immigrants’ experiences of everyday discrimination, and Florida’s legal context (ascertained through immigrants’ fears of deportation), are related to immigrants’ hesitation when seeking healthcare services. Hesitation to seek healthcare, or healthcare hesitancy, is examined in the context of Florida’s SB1718, a law passed in 2023 that criminalized many aspects of being an immigrant. Based on a survey of 466 Florida immigrants and U.S. citizen adult children of immigrants, logistic regression analysis reveals that everyday experiences with discrimination are associated with a reluctance to seek healthcare services among this population. In particular, those with insecure legal immigrant status (i.e., undocumented and temporary statuses), those with financial hardship, and women demonstrate reluctance to engage with healthcare systems when controlling for other sociodemographic factors. Findings from this study exemplify how immigration policies that restrict access to healthcare and social services not only create logistical barriers to seeking care but also foster a climate of fear and exclusion that deters even those with legal status from seeking medical attention.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth Aranda & Liz Ventura Molina & Elizabeth Vaquera & Emely Matos Pichardo & Osaro Iyamu, 2025. "Hesitation to Seek Healthcare Among Immigrants in a Restrictive State Context," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-25, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:433-:d:1701797
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/7/433/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/7/433/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pont-Grau, Alex & Lei, Yu-Hsiang & Lim, Joel Z.E. & Xia, Xing, 2023. "The effect of language training on immigrants’ integration: Does the duration of training matter?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 160-198.
    2. Tilman Brand & Claudia R. Pischke & Berit Steenbock & Johanna Schoenbach & Saskia Poettgen & Florence Samkange-Zeeb & Hajo Zeeb, 2014. "What Works in Community-Based Interventions Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Eating? A Review of Reviews," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-23, May.
    3. Asad, Asad L. & Clair, Matthew, 2018. "Racialized legal status as a social determinant of health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 19-28.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Erin R. Hamilton & Caitlin Patler & Robin Savinar, 2022. "Immigrant Legal Status Disparities in Health Among First- and One-point-five-Generation Latinx Immigrants in California," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(3), pages 1241-1260, June.
    2. Tiffany Denise Joseph, 2025. "The Documentation Status Continuum and the Impact of Categories on Healthcare Stratification," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-27, January.
    3. Ottosson, Lillit & Vikman, Ulrika, 2025. "Bilingual caseworkers and on-the-job training: A pathway to integration?," Working Paper Series 2025:9, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    4. Dahlberg, Matz & Egebark, Johan & Vikman, Ulrika & Özcan, Gülay, 2024. "Labor market integration of refugees: RCT evidence from an early intervention program in Sweden," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 614-630.
    5. Marquez, Beatriz Aldana & Marquez-Velarde, Guadalupe & Eason, John M. & Aldana, Linda, 2021. "Pushing them to the edge: Suicide in immigrant detention centers as a product of organizational failure," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    6. Patrick Cloos & Elhadji Malick Ndao & Josephine Aho & Magalie Benoît & Amandine Fillol & Maria Munoz-Bertrand & Marie-Jo Ouimet & Jill Hanley & Valéry Ridde, 2020. "The negative self-perceived health of migrants with precarious status in Montreal, Canada: A cross-sectional study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, April.
    7. Jana Rueter & Susanne Brandstetter & Janina Curbach & Verena Lindacher & Berit Warrelmann & Julika Loss, 2020. "How Older Citizens in Germany Perceive and Handle Their Food Environment—A Qualitative Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, September.
    8. Brazil, Noli & Chakalov, Bozhidar T. & Ko, Michelle, 2024. "The health implications of neighborhood networks based on daily mobility in US cities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 354(C).
    9. Diaz, Christina J. & Samayoa, Erick & Chavez, Sergio & Bejarano, Victoria, 2024. "Away from home, into the fields: Assessing the health of undocumented and indigenous farmworkers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 360(C).
    10. San Juanita García & Taylor Trummel & Monica Cornejo & Katherine Maldonado & Ana Ojeda & Humberto Flores & Bruce G. Link, 2021. "Immigrant Health Inequities: Exposing Diversions and White Supremacy," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-22, September.
    11. Rosa Weber, 2022. "Apprehension and educational outcomes among Hispanic students in the United States: The impact of Secure Communities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(10), pages 1-26, October.
    12. Thoa V. Khuu, 2024. "Mapping Immigrant Health Trajectories: Investigating the Implications of Institutional Selection and Post-arrival Support Across Legal-Entry Pathways," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(1), pages 1-28, February.
    13. Meghan L. Wilson & Thomas E. Strayer & Rebecca Davis & Samantha M. Harden, 2018. "Use of an Integrated Research-Practice Partnership to Improve Outcomes of a Community-Based Strength-Training Program for Older Adults: Reach and Effect of Lifelong Improvements through Fitness Togeth," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.
    14. Richard Patti & Courtney Boen, 2025. "State Immigrant Policies and Intersectional Inequalities in Health," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 44(2), pages 1-43, April.
    15. Padilla, Tatiana & Reyes, Adriana, 2024. "Hitting closer to home: State policies’ impacts on health by race and legal status," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 343(C).
    16. Tiffany Joseph & Tanya Golash-Boza, 2021. "Double Consciousness in the 21st Century: Du Boisian Theory and the Problem of Racialized Legal Status," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-25, September.
    17. Scott T. Leatherdale & Kathleen E. Burns & Wei Qian & Guy Faulkner & Valerie Carson, 2021. "Evaluating the Impact of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge (HKCC) on Physical Activity of Older Youth," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-12, March.
    18. Jimenez, Anthony M., 2021. "The legal violence of care: Navigating the US health care system while undocumented and illegible," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    19. Armenta, Amada & Sarabia, Heidy, 2020. "Receptionists, doctors, and social workers: Examining undocumented immigrant women's perceptions of health services," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    20. Morey, Brittany N. & García, San Juanita & Nieri, Tanya & Bruckner, Tim A. & Link, Bruce G., 2021. "Symbolic disempowerment and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election: Mental health responses among Latinx and white populations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:433-:d:1701797. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.