RESUMO
The Latino population is one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States, with the majority being of Mexican descent. Whether immigrating to the US is positive for the well-being of Mexican immigrants and future generations is an important question. We examined how nativity status and quality of life indicators relate to life satisfaction among foreign-born and US-born Mexican descent Latinos living in California. Participants (N = 893) were from the California Quality of Life Survey, a population-based mental health survey of the California population. Multiple regressions examining sociodemographic and indicators of life satisfaction found higher life satisfaction among the foreign-born compared to US-born: (US-born first generation: Wald F = 18.70, p < 0.001; US-born second generation and higher: Wald F = 12.09, p < 0.001), females (Wald F = 7.05, p < 0.01), and individuals reporting more social support (Wald F = 40.20, p < 0.001), absence of frequent distress (Wald F = 41.46, p < 0.001), and better physical health (Wald F = 15.28, p < 0.001). Life satisfaction was lower for US-born Mexicans than for Mexican immigrants. Research, interventions, and policies are needed for mental health equity that address this lack of well-being in US-born Mexican Latinos.
RESUMO
Studies indicate that U.S.-born Latino teens exhibit higher rates of alcohol use compared with their foreign-born counterparts. Different hypotheses have been advanced to explain the mechanisms underlying this immigrant paradox, including the erosion of protective cultural factors across generations and increased exposure to risky peer environments in the United States. The present study examined whether the immigrant paradox applies to drinking initiation and problematic drinking among Latino adolescents, and tested whether generational differences in family protective factors and peer risk factors might explain the immigrant paradox. A nationally representative sample of Latino teens (N = 2,482) of Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican origin from 3 immigrant generations (21% first generation, 33% second generation, and 46% third and later generations) was obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Logistic and negative binomial regression models indicated that early drinking initiation and problematic alcohol use were more prevalent among later-generation youth, supporting the immigrant paradox. Erosion of family closeness and increased association with substance-using peers mediated the relationship between generation and alcohol use patterns in this sample. Results provide support for culturally sensitive interventions that target peer perceptions of substance use and bolster protective family values among Latino adolescents.
Assuntos
Comportamento do Adolescente/etnologia , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/etnologia , Emigrantes e Imigrantes/psicologia , Família/etnologia , Hispânico ou Latino/psicologia , Adolescente , Comportamento do Adolescente/psicologia , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/psicologia , Cultura , Família/psicologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Americanos Mexicanos , National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health , Prevalência , Porto Rico/etnologia , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Estados UnidosRESUMO
PURPOSE: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome surveillance data are critical for monitoring epidemic trends, but they can mask dynamic subepidemics, especially in vulnerable populations that underuse HIV testing. In this case study, we describe community-based epidemiologic data among injection drug users (IDUs) and female sex workers (FSWs) in two northern Mexico-U.S. border states that identified an emerging HIV epidemic and generated a policy response. METHODS: We draw from quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional and prospective epidemiologic studies and behavioral intervention studies among IDUs and FSWs in Tijuana, Baja California, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. RESULTS: The recognition that the HIV epidemic on Mexico's northern border was already well established in subgroups in whom it had been presumed to be insignificant was met with calls for action and enhanced prevention efforts from researchers, nongovernmental organizations, and policy makers. CONCLUSIONS: Successful policies and program outcomes included expansion of needle-exchange programs, a nationwide mobile HIV prevention program targeting marginalized populations, a successful funding bid from the Global Fund for HIV, TB, and Malaria to scale up targeted HIV-prevention programs, and the establishment of bi-national training programs on prevention of HIV and substance use. We discuss how epidemiologic data informed HIV prevention policies and suggest how other countries may learn from Mexico's experience.