Melissa Bates

Biographic Data

ID3995560
NAMEMelissa Bates
GIVEN NAMESMelissa
FAMILY NAMEBates
SIGNATUREBATES M
AFFILIATIONSUniversity of Florida
VERIFIEDNo
TOTAL WORKS27
TOTAL CITATIONS3
WORKS AS AUTHOR27
WORKS AS EDITOR0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2022
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX1

  • The role of sociocultural context in the mental health of Venezuelan crisis migrants

    Open AccessC P Salas-Wright, J Schwartz et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry2026

  • Measuring trauma

    Sumeyra Sahbaz, Duyen H Vo et al.ARTICLEClimate and Development2026

    This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the adapted Spanish version of the Hurricane-Related Traumatic Experiences (HURTE) scale among Puerto Rican adults (N = 312) who relocated to the U.S. mainland after Hurricane Maria. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Item Response Theory (IRT), the study assessed the scale’s reliability, validity, factor structure, and item characteristics. EFA revealed a two-factor structure aligning …

  • Hunger Exposure and Post‐Traumatic Stress Among Venezuelan Youth

    Open AccessMaría Fernanda García, María F Pineros‐Leano et al.ARTICLEJournal of Adolescence2026

    INTRODUCTION: The Venezuelan pre-migration context has exposed millions of people to extreme hardship, with youth particularly vulnerable to the psychological toll of forced displacement. The present mixed-methods study investigates the relationship between pre-migration hunger and post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms among Venezuelan migrant youth resettled in Colombia and the United States (U.S.). METHODS: Using an explanatory sequential design…

  • Familial Experiences of Crisis Exposure and Cultural Stress With Depressive Symptoms Among Venezuelan Parent‐Adolescent Dyads in the United States

    Open AccessSeo Woo Lee, Aigerim Alpysbekova et al.ARTICLEFamily Process2026

    Studies suggest that Venezuelan migrant families in the United States face both pre‐migration crisis exposures and post‐migration cultural stressors, both of which may influence their depressive symptoms. However, few studies have examined how familial pre‐ and post‐migration stressors additively and interactively predict depressive symptoms among Venezuelan parents and adolescents. We examined whether (a) pre‐ and post‐migration stressors can be…

  • Optimism predicts future economic mobility among hurricane maria migrants

    M Duque, Yara Acaf et al.ARTICLEClimate and Development2026

    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. Howeve…

  • How do pre-migration crisis exposures and post-migration cultural stressors shape mental health symptoms among Venezuelan youth in the United States and Colombia

    Open AccessSeo Woo Lee, Christopher P Salas-Wright et al.ARTICLESocial Science & Medicine2026

  • Exploring the influence of cultural identity on mental health and cultural stress in Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria surviving families

    Open AccessCarolina Scaramutti, Carolina Scaramutti Gladfelter et al.ARTICLEJournal of Latinx Psychology2026

  • Pre- and Post-Migration Religiosity and Mental Health Among Puerto Rican “Maria Migrants” on the United States Mainland

    María Pineros-Leano, Pablo Montero‐Zamora et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social Service Research2026References: 43

  • Optimism and language proficiency predict incidence of and remission from PTSD among climate migrants

    Open AccessM Duque, T K Lee et al.ARTICLEPsychological Trauma Theory…2025

    We observed a rapid initial remission from positive PTSD screen for a substantial portion of the sample. Participants who are proficient in English language may be most likely to screen positive for PTSD over time and least likely to remit from a positive PTSD screen. Findings underscore the importance of optimism and higher English proficiency for both decreased incidence of and increased remission from PTSD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 A…

  • Thriving amidst adversity

    M Duque, Yara Acaf et al.ARTICLEApplied Developmental Science2025

  • Navigating Crisis

    Open AccessMaría Fernanda García, María Pineros-Leano et al.ARTICLEJournal of the Society for Social…2025Cited by: 1References: 2

  • Something lost, something gained

    Open AccessMaría Fernanda García, James C Hodges et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry2025

    in the lives of Puerto Rican migrants: As they departed their homeland, they exchanged social connections, support networks, and the vibrant social fabric of Puerto Rico for the promise of economic stability, reduced crime, and enhanced prospects for themselves and their children in the United States. This study represents a crucial contribution to the understanding of Puerto Ricans who have embarked on the challenging journey of relocating in th…

  • Hunger and Repression

    Open AccessC P Salas-Wright, J Schwartz et al.ARTICLEJournal of Community & Applied…2025References: 1

    Venezuela's national collapse has been one of the most remarkable in recent history. Marked by widespread scarcity, deep poverty, and persistent concerns about authoritarian governance, the crisis has prompted the emigration of ~8 million people since 2015—more than 25% of the once‐prosperous nation's population. We examine the roles of pre‐migration hunger, government repression, and their interaction in predicting post‐migration post‐traumatic …

  • A new approach to exploring agency in migration research

    Open AccessJaviera Garcia-Meneses, Christopher P Salas-Wright et al.ARTICLEChildren and Youth Services Review2025Cited by: 1References: 1

  • Intrapersonal, Cultural, and Community Assets among Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria Survivors

    Open AccessCory L Cobb, Christopher P Salas-Wright et al.ARTICLEJournal of Cross-Cultural…2025References: 49

    In September 2017, Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the mass migration of hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. mainland. Because of these events, Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria survivors on the U.S. mainland are at risk for depressive symptomatology. The purpose of this study was to examine sources of protection against depressive sympto…

  • The impact of cultural stress on family functioning among Puerto Rican displaced families and the effect on mental health

    Open AccessMaría Fernanda García, Pablo Montero‐Zamora et al.ARTICLEFamily Process2024

    Hurricane María caused significant devastation on the island of Puerto Rico, impacting thousands of lives. Puerto Rican crisis migrant families faced stress related to displacement and relocation (cultural stress), often exhibited mental health symptoms, and experienced distress at the family level. Although cultural stress has been examined as an individual experience, little work has focused on the experience as a family. To address this gap, w…

  • The experience of cultural stress in the school system among Puerto Rican Hurricane María migrant families

    Open AccessMaría Fernanda García, James C Hodges et al.ARTICLEJournal of Latinx Psychology2024

    Hurricane María prompted a large-scale migration from Puerto Rico to the United States. Among other changes, this entailed a disruption to youths' education and necessitated navigating a new educational system. While prior research indicates that school environments are important influences on migrant adolescents' behavioral health, the specific mechanisms of this influence remain underexplored. Guided by cultural stress theory, we conducted qual…

  • The Crisis Migration Experience Scale

    Open AccessC P Salas-Wright, J Schwartz et al.ARTICLEPsychological Trauma Theory…2024

    Crisis migration is an increasingly important construct frequently referenced in the literature on migrant health and by international humanitarian organizations. The number of crisis migrant groups worldwide is increasing, with Ukrainians and Afghans recently added to the list of such groups, along with Venezuelans, Syrians, South Sudanese, Iraqis, and Central Americans. Developing and validating the CMES-16 with Venezuelan crisis migrants opens…

  • The Last Straw

    Open AccessMaría Fernanda García, María Pineros-Leano et al.ARTICLEJournal of the Society for Social…2024References: 2

  • Interplay of premigration crisis exposure and postmigration cultural stress on depressive symptoms among Venezuelan crisis migrants in Colombia

    Open AccessC P Salas-Wright, Juliana Mejía‐trujillo et al.ARTICLECultural Diversity & Ethnic…2024Cited by: 1

    Our research provides new insights into the experiences of Venezuelan migrant youth and adults in Colombia. It provides further support for the importance of drawing from a crisis-informed cultural-stress framework when working with crisis migrant populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

  • Longitudinal determinants of thriving in Puerto Rican climate crisis migrants on the U.S. mainland

    Open AccessM Duque, Duyen H Vo et al.ARTICLESocial Science & Medicine2024References: 8

  • Social Protections and Climate Migration

    Open AccessJames C Hodges, Maria F García et al.ARTICLESocial Work2024References: 4

    As climate change continues to displace greater numbers of people, transnational ties are important sources of social protection for climate migrants. Migrants assemble unique configurations of formal and informal social protections depending on the resources available within their sending and receiving communities. However, the specific constellations of social protections that climate migrants use following disaster and displacement remain unde…

  • Online xenophobia and mental health among Venezuelan migrant youth in Colombia

    Open AccessC P Salas-Wright, J Schwartz et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry2024

    026). Interaction effects (Online × In-Person) revealed a pattern in which greater exposure to online xenophobia was associated with greater distress, but only at relatively low levels of in-person discrimination. Findings provide new insights regarding (a) the properties of an increasingly relevant measure of cultural stress, (b) how online xenophobia relates to mental health, and (c) the interplay of online and in-person cultural stressors vis-…

  • Hurricane stress, cultural stress, and mental health among hurricane Maria migrants in the U.S. mainland

    Open AccessPablo Montero‐Zamora, Christopher P Salas-Wright et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry2023

    Hurricane Maria (2017) caused great damage to Puerto Rico, undermining people's quality of life and forcing thousands to migrate to the U.S. mainland. Identifying individuals at elevated risk of suffering mental health problems as a function of being exposed to hurricane and cultural stress is crucial to reducing the burden of such health outcomes. The present study was conducted in 2020-2021 (3-4 years postdisaster) with 319 adult Hurricane Mari…

  • The impact of hurricane trauma and cultural stress on posttraumatic stress among hurricane Maria survivors relocated to the U.S. mainland

    Open AccessJames C Hodges, Mildred M Maldonado-Molina et al.ARTICLECultural Diversity & Ethnic…2023

    Findings underscore the importance of providing mental health and other psychosocial supports to hurricane survivors and evacuees beyond the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and the need to consider both premigration trauma and postmigration experiences in terms of the mental health of crisis migrant populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)