Coping with stress and anxiety: an ethnographic comparison of labor and health vulnerabilities among Dominican deportees in two transnational industries

This study explores how the labor practices and experiences post-deportation contribute or exacerbate health vulnerabilities for deported Dominican male. Using an ethnographic approach and drawing from the participant's narratives, we seek to describe and compare the labor and health vulnerabilities for Dominican deportees in the two Dominican industries where they are most likely to work - call centers and tourism. We argue that these health vulnerabilities are caused by a combination of their labor environments and from the stigma and discrimination that Dominican deportees face because of previous migratory experiences. We found that Dominican male deportees that work as call center employees or as informal tourism workers are stuck in a cycle of stress and anxiety, which can lead to depression and unhealthy coping patterns like frequent drug and alcohol misuse. This article contributes to existing research on the health and social cost of deportation and provides an experience-near case study of how health vulnerabilities arise post-deportation.