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Optimism predicts future economic mobility among hurricane maria migrants
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DOI：10.1080/17565529.2026.2664557.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
In the United States, the frequency and severity of climate-related disasters continue to rise, leading to increased displacement of individuals and families. Those forcibly displaced often face heightened uncertainty, vulnerability to mental and cultural stressors, and economic insecurity. Economic mobility during and after resettlement may, to some extent, be a function of migrant adaptation, mental health, and psychological functioning. However, the underlying mechanisms linking these factors remain poorly understood among climate crisis migrants, many of whom, despite pre- and post-migration adversity, achieve upward economic mobility in their new environments. To explore this issue, we estimated a longitudinal structural equation model, using five waves of data from 319 adult Puerto Rican migrants displaced to the U.S. mainland by Hurricane Maria. We examined the predictive effect of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on economic mobility, as well as the mediating roles of optimism/pessimism, cultural stressors, and internalizing symptoms in this predictive association. We found that PTSS was significantly and positively associated with economic mobility over time, but this relationship was associated exclusively through components of optimism (specifically, coping with uncertainty). No significant associations were observed through other components of optimism/pessimism, cultural stress, or internalizing symptoms.
Keywords:
Optimism
pessimism
depression
anxiety
discrimination
cultural stress
trauma
crisis migration
income
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