Determinants of Subjective Social Status and Health Among Latin American Women Immigrants in Spain: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

This qualitative study was carried out to better understand factors that determine the subjective social status of Latin Americans in Spain. The study was conducted following a theoretical framework and forms part of broader study on subjective social status and health. Ten immigrant participants engaged in semi-structured interviews, from which data were collected. The study results show that socioeconomic aspects of the crisis and of policies adopted have shaped immigrant living conditions in Spain. Four major themes that emerged from the analysis were related to non-recognition of educational credentials, precarious working conditions, unemployment and loneliness. These results illustrate the outcomes of current policies on health and suggest a need for health professionals to orient practices toward social determinants, thus utilizing evaluations of subjective social status to reduce inequalities in health.

Perceptions, experiences and barriers to lifestyle modifications in first-generation Middle Eastern immigrants to Sweden: a qualitative study

“…Women commonly described feeling alone in their efforts to change their lifestyles. They felt that family expectations such as taking care of the children and managing the household had a negative influence on their ability to be physically active, which is consistent with what has been reported in other studies 6–8 25–27 29 31 32…”

Migration and changes in loneliness over a 4-year period: the case of older former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel

“…Qualitative findings have been contradictory; whereas some have indicated that older FSU immigrants suffer from loneliness (Khvorostianov et al 2012;Ron 2007), others stressed their adjustment and social integration (Remennick 2003). The baseline findings of the current study are consistent with various cross-sectional studies elsewhere, in which older immigrants reported greater loneliness than the native-born (Dong et al 2012;Hurtado-de-Mendoza et al 2015;Kim and Lee 2014;Sanchón-Macias et al 2016). Yet, the longitudinal findings of the present study suggest a more complex picture, which may reflect different processes involved in changes in loneliness among older immigrants over time.…”

“…These post-migration challenges, along with premigration and migration stressors, place immigrants at a risk of mental health problems (Mirsky 2009;Kirmayer et al 2011;Pumariega et al 2005), which are strongly associated with a lack of social support and with loneliness (Ahmad et al 2005; De Maio and Kemp 2010; Ponizovsky and Ritsner 2004). The problem of loneliness and social isolation among immigrants has been identified in several countries (Bhattacharya 2008;Hurtado-de-Mendoza et al 2015; Kim and Lee 2014;Ponizovsky and Ritsner 2004;Sanchón-Macias et al 2016).…”

“…Older immigrants are at a double jeopardy for loneliness because of both their age and their immigration status. They have been found to report greater loneliness than native-born persons do (Bhattacharya 2008;Dong et al 2012;Hurtado-de-Mendoza et al 2015;Kim and Lee 2014;Sanchón-Macias et al 2016). In fact, qualitative research has indicated that loneliness is a major element of the older immigrants' phenomenology (Dong et al 2012;Gardner 2006;Lee 2007) and that it is associated with dissatisfying intergenerational relationships (Dong et al 2012;Thyli et al 2014;Treas and Mazumdar 2002).…”

“…Little is known, however, about changes in loneliness among older immigrants. This is because the most up to date studies have been cross-sectional in nature (e.g., Dong et al 2012;Fokkema and Naderi 2013;Hurtado-de-Mendoza et al 2015;Kim and Lee 2014;Sanchón-Macias et al 2016), thus providing only limited insights concerning change in the phenomenon over time.…”