Neighborhood Cohesion and Parental Knowledge in Latina Immigrant Mothers: Mental Health As a Mediator.

Latina immigrant mothers living in emerging immigrant destinations often face geographic isolation, discrimination, and socioeconomic stress that adversely affect parenting and mental health. This longitudinal mixed-methods study examined whether neighborhood cohesion contributed to parental knowledge among Latina immigrant mothers in predominantly rural Midwestern communities and whether maternal mental health mediated this relation. Quantitative data (N = 232, Mage = 38.7 years, 60% married, median household income = $30k-$40k) showed that higher neighborhood cohesion at Wave 1 was associated with greater parental knowledge at Wave 2, indirectly through lower levels of maternal mental health problems. Qualitative interviews (N = 19) enriched these findings by revealing that even weak social connections could provide meaningful instrumental, informational, and emotional support. However, barriers like racial discrimination and resource scarcity limited the potential benefits of neighborhood cohesion for some mothers. Together, these findings highlight the indirect role of neighborhood cohesion in supporting parenting by reducing psychological distress and underscore the importance of strengthening community-based support systems for Latina immigrant mothers in emerging immigrant destinations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).