Disentangling immigrant status in mental health: Psychological protective and risk factors among Latino and Asian American immigrants.

Abstract

This study aimed to disentangle the psychological mechanisms underlying immigrant status by testing a model of psychological protective and risk factors to predict the mental health prevalence rates among Latino and Asian American immigrants based on secondary analysis of the National Latino and Asian American Study. The first research question examined differences on the set of protective and risk factors between immigrants and their U.S.-born counterparts and found that immigrants reported higher levels of ethnic identity, family cohesion, native language proficiency, and limited English proficiency than their U.S.-born counterparts. The second research question examined the effect of the protective and risk factors on prevalence rates of depressive, anxiety, and substance-related disorders and found that social networking served as a protective factor. Discrimination, acculturative stress, and family conflict were risk factors on the mental health for both ethnic groups. Clinical implications and directions for future research are provided.

Mental Health of Undocumented Immigrant Adults in the United States: A Systematic Review of Methodology and Findings

“…Studies are needed to understand the association between the aforementioned protective factors and specific mental health outcomes-including identifying the paths through which the aforementioned factors may ameliorate distress in this population-and their association with self-esteem and increased self-efficacy. Previous studies have identified pride in ethnic identity, bilingualism (English language proficiency), and religiosity/spirituality as protective factors among Latino and Asian immigrants (Leong, Park, & Kalibatseva, 2013;National Institute of Mental Health, 2001). Also, having a "dual frame of reference" (i.e., using worse social and/or economic conditions in the home country as a point of reference to motivate the immigrant in the United States) has been identified as associated with better mental health outcomes among Latino immigrants (National Institute of Mental Health, 2001).…”

The Relation between Acculturation and Psychological Well-Being among Adolescents of Asian Origin

“…As suggested by a recent meta-analysis study, this held true for different type of conflict and youth outcomes (Weymouth, Buehler, Zhou, & Henson, 2016). In addition, family cohesion has been found to be a protective factor for the mental health of both Asian and Latino American immigrants (Leong, Park, & Kalibatseva, 2013). Taken together, these findings converge on the notion that higher acculturation may predict higher parent-child conflict and lower family cohesion, which in turn endangers the psychological well-being among Asian American youth.…”

Depressive Symptomology Among Rural Low-Income Latina and Non-Latina White Mothers

“…In their synthesis of 18 studies that examined depression among Latinas of Mexican origin who lived primarily in urban and suburban communities, they identified variables (i.e., acculturation, geographic location, individual coping styles, separation from family, and stressors within the context of home, e.g., familyÀcultural, marital partner, and familial relationships) that mediated or moderated relationships to depression. Additionally, Leong, Park, and Kalibatseva (2013) found that discrimination and family conflict resulting from parentÀchild acculturation differences compromise mental health.…”

“…While Shattell et al (2008) found that Latinas experience more depression than White or African American women, other researchers (Alegrı´a et al, 2008;Probst, Moore, & Baxley, 2005;Riolo, Nguyen, Greden, & King, 2005) found depression rates to be lower among Latinas. The "immigrant paradox" (Alegrı´a et al, 2008, p. 359;Leong et al, 2013) suggests that being an immigrant may serve as a protective factor against poor mental health despite immigrants being more likely to experience discrimination, needing to learn a new language, and being uninsured (Hall & Farkas, 2008), all of which place them at risk for depression (Riolo et al, 2005) and are barriers to accessing mental health services (Alegria et al, 2007;Lazear, Pires, Isaacs, Chaulk, & Huang, 2008). However, studies reveal that the longer the immigrants reside in the United States, the more their health deteriorates (Carter-Pokras et al, 2008).…”