A life-course perspective on legal status stratification and health

Abstract

Scholars have expressed growing interest in the relationship between legal status stratification and health. Nevertheless, the extant research often lacks theoretical underpinnings. We propose the life-course perspective as a theoretical lens with which to understand relationships between legal status stratification and health outcomes. In particular, the life-course perspective guides researchers׳ attention to historical contexts that have produced differential social, political, and economic outcomes for immigrants based on legal status, and to the potentially long-term and intergenerational relationships between legal status stratification and health. We review four key dimensions of the life-course perspective and make recommendations for future directions in public health research on legal status and health.

Exploring the Influence of Neighborhood-Level Factors on Adolescent Birth Rates in California: A Social-Ecological Approach

“…The relationship between immigrants' legal status and health has increasingly become a topic of public health concern (Castaneda et al, 2015;Hardy et al, 2012;Martinez et al, 2013;Menjivar & Kanstroom, 2014;Torres & Young, 2016;Young & Pebley, 2017). For example, studies have found that undocumented immigrants, compared with citizens and documented immigrants, are less likely to have health insurance and receive timely preventative or, in the case of pregnant women, prenatal care, and are more likely to experience depression or psychological distress (Arbona et al, 2010;Korinek & Smith, 2011;Ortega et al, 2007;Potochnick & Perreira, 2010;Roche, Vaquera, White, & Rivera, 2018;Rodriguez, Bustamante, & Ang, 2009;Stevens, West-Wright, & Tsai, 2010;Vargas Bustamante et al, 2012).…”

Should Immigration Status Information Be Included in a Patient's Health Record?

“…4 Immigration status is increasingly recognized as a social determinant of health. 5,6 Being undocumented is associated with multiple social and mental health conditions known to negatively impact health outcomes such as poverty, limited access to health insurance, limited employment opportunities, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. 7 Children of undocumented parents are similarly affected, regardless of personal immigration status.…”

Growing up Without Status: The Integration of Children in Mixed‐Status Families

“…So the health of unauthorized immigrants is affected by the same policies that affect families, social networks, and economic resources and opportunities, which are key social determinants of health (Hummer & Hamilton, 2019). The immigrant health advantage identified by the paradox literature tends to disappear across generations; however, this process may be especially rapid and profound for children of unauthorized immigrants (Torres & De Trinidad Young, 2016).…”

“…The experience of being unauthorized is stressful and alienating, which can take a toll on health. These impacts unfold across the life course (Cebulko, 2014;Torres & De Trinidad Young, 2016). As children age, growing awareness of the implications of unauthorized status translates to an experience of "interminable liminality," meaning being stuck indefinitely in an in-between social position where one's social identity (as an immigrant or an American) is not recognized or reflected by society (Abrego, 2006;Gonzales & Chavez, 2012;Gonzales, Suárez-Orozco, & Dedios-Sanguineti, 2013;Suárez-Orozco, Yoshikawa, et al, 2011: 443).…”