DUELO MIGRATORIO Y SU RELACIÓN CON LA ANSIEDAD Y DEPRESIÓN EN INMIGRANTES LATINOAMERICANOS

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze the relationship between migratory grief and levels of anxiety and depression in Latin American immigrants residing in Ecuador. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational design was used. The sample consisted of 384 immigrants over 18 years old, selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling and living in different cities of the country. Data were collected using an online questionnaire administered via a virtual form, which included the Migratory Grief and Loss Questionnaire (MGLQ), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Descriptive statistics were calculated, and correlation tests were conducted to examine the hypothesized associations among the variables. The results showed positive and significant correlations between migratory grief and anxiety, as well as between migratory grief and depression, with coefficients of moderate magnitude. These findings indicated that higher levels of migratory grief were associated with an increase in anxious and depressive symptoms in the studied sample. The study provided empirical evidence of relevant emotional distress in this population and underscored the need to incorporate the assessment of migratory grief into clinical practice. However, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the non-probabilistic sampling, the cross-sectional design, and the imbalance in some subgroups of the sample, factors that limited the generalization of the findings and the inference of causality.