Trends in trauma: Increasing rates of sexual and domestic violence among female Latin American asylum seekers

The last 10 years of scientific research analyzing asylum-seekers' mental health has established high rates of trauma exposure throughout the migratory trajectory. However, limited studies have identified gender-based violence among Central American asylum-seeking women. The purpose of this study was to identify the frequencies of gendered-base violence among asylum-seeking women from Central and South America at a humanitarian respite center (USA) and a tent encampment (Mexico) on both sides of the United States-Mexico Border using data from three independent studies in 2016, 2019, and 2023, respectively. Visual trend analysis identified a peak in domestic violence in 2019, a stable frequency of sexual assault across the three studies, and a downward trend in Study 3 compared to Study 1 for all types of gender-based violence except for domestic violence. Age stratification revealed diverse patterns in trauma rates. Trends in domestic violence differed between the 18-25 (56%) and 26+ years age groups (70%), in one study, substantially higher than the prevalence of the 29% rate among US female community samples. The data highlights the need for immigration reform addressing women's human rights and provides insights for mental health service providers to promote trauma-informed care for this vulnerable immigrant group.