Identifying Psychosocial Stressors of Well-Being and Factors Related to Substance Use Among Latino Day Laborers

Day labor is largely comprised of young Latino immigrant men, many of who are undocumented, and thus vulnerable to a myriad
of workers’ rights abuses. The difficult work and life conditions of this marginalized population may place them at heightened
risk for mental health problems and substance use and abuse. However, factors related to Latino day laborers’ well-being and
substance misuse are largely unknown. This article utilizes ethnographic and focus group methodology to elucidate participant
identified factors associated to well-being and substance use and abuse. This study has implications for informing public
health and social service programming as it provides thick description regarding the context and circumstances associated
to increased vulnerability to substance abuse and lack of well-being among this hard-to-reach population of Latino immigrants.