RESUMO
Few studies have examined the associations between health and the cross-border ties that migrants maintain with their family members in communities of origin. We draw on theory related to social ties, ethnic identity, and mental health to examine cross-border ties as potential moderators of the association between migration-related stress and psychological distress among Latino migrants. Using data from the National Latino and Asian American Survey, we find that remittance sending is associated with significantly lower levels of psychological distress for Cuban migrants, and difficulty visiting home is associated with significantly greater psychological distress for Puerto Rican migrants. There were significant associations between migration-related stressors and psychological distress, although these associations fell to nonsignificance after accounting for multiple testing. We found little evidence that cross-border ties either buffer or exacerbate the association between migration-related stressors and psychological distress. We consider the findings within the current political and historical context of cross-border ties and separation.
Assuntos
Emigrantes e Imigrantes/psicologia , Emigração e Imigração , Família/psicologia , Hispânico ou Latino/psicologia , Resiliência Psicológica , Estresse Psicológico/psicologia , Cuba , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Saúde Mental , Porto Rico , Migrantes , Estados UnidosRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Researchers have posited that one potential explanation for the better-than-expected health outcomes observed among some Latino immigrants, vis-à-vis their US-born counterparts, may be the strength of social ties and social support among immigrants. METHODS: We examined the association between nativity status and social ties using data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study's Latino subsample, which includes Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and other Latinos. First, we used ordinary least squares (OLS) regression methods to model the effect of nativity status on five outcomes: informal social integration; social network diversity; network size; instrumental support; and informational support. Using multilevel mixed-effects regression models, we estimated the association between Latino/immigrant neighborhood composition and our outcomes, and whether these relationships varied by nativity status. Lastly, we examined the relationship between social ties and immigrants' length of time in the USA. RESULTS: After controlling for individual-level characteristics, immigrant Latinos had significantly lower levels of social ties than their US-born counterparts for all the outcomes, except informational support. Latino/immigrant neighborhood composition was positively associated with being socially integrated and having larger and more diverse social networks. The associations between two of our outcomes (informal social integration and network size) and living in a neighborhood with greater concentrations of Latinos and immigrants were stronger for US-born Latinos than for immigrant Latinos. US-born Latinos maintained a significant social ties advantage over immigrants - regardless of length of time in the USA - for informal social integration, network diversity, and network size. CONCLUSION: At the individual level, our findings challenge the assumption that Latino immigrants would have larger networks and/or higher levels of support and social integration than their US-born counterparts. Our study underscores the importance of understanding the contexts that promote the development of social ties. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding Latino and immigrant social ties and health outcomes.
Assuntos
Emigrantes e Imigrantes/psicologia , Hispânico ou Latino/psicologia , Modelos Teóricos , Apoio Social , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Chicago , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , México/etnologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Porto Rico/etnologia , Pesquisa Qualitativa , Análise de Regressão , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Evidence suggests that, despite their lower socio-economic status, certain health outcomes are better for first-generation Mexican immigrants than their US-born counterparts. Socio-cultural explanations for this apparent epidemiological paradox propose that culture-driven health behaviors and social networks protect the health of the first generation and that, as immigrants acculturate, they lose these health-protecting factors. However, the prominence granted to acculturation within these explanations diverts attention from structural and contextual factors, such as social and economic inequalities, that could affect the health of immigrants and their descendants. The aim of this study is to offer a conceptual redirection away from individual-centered acculturation models towards a more complex understanding of immigrant adaptation in health research. To this end, 40 qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with first- and second-generation Mexican immigrant women in Southeastern Michigan. The women's narratives highlighted a key process linked to their integration into US society, in which the second generation experienced a more pervasive and cumulative exposure to "othering" than the first generation. The findings point to "othering" and discrimination as potential pathways through which the health of immigrants and their descendants erodes. The paper concludes by proposing a conceptual model that locates "othering" processes within a structural framework, and by drawing implications for research on immigrant health and on discrimination and health.