Is there an association between marital exogamy of immigrants and nonmigrants and their mental health? A two-partners approach

Abstract

We study mental health in immigrants and nonmigrants, distinguishing between people in exogamous and endogamous marriages. Our theoretical considerations are based on concepts of the economics of marriage, resources, and conflict. We test two competing hypotheses: Intermarriage may be associated with a gain effect or it may be related to a negative strain effect. METHODS We use SHARE data from waves 1, 2, and 4-6 (2004-2015). Our sample consists of 20,383 individuals living in nine European countries (15% migrants, 85% nonmigrants). The dependent variable is depression measured in the EURO-D scale; we applied mixed-effects linear regression models for repeated observations. RESULTS Overall, we found that migrants in exogamous marriages were more likely to report lower levels of depression than their counterparts in endogamous marriages, whereas nonmigrants in an exogamous marriage reported higher levels of depression. Several types of independent variables explained the total effect of the marriage type on mental health for migrants and nonmigrant men; for nonmigrant women the negative effect remained small but significant. CONCLUSIONS Our results support partially the hypothesis of a gain effect of a mixed marriage for mental health among immigrants, while at the same time suggesting that being in an exogamous marriage has a negative strain effect on mental health for nonmigrants.

For better or for worse mental health? The role of social networks for exogamous older couples

“…In line with earlier findings reported by Milewski and Gawron (2019), we find a large and persistent difference in the mental health of exogamous native women compared to their endogamous counterparts, despite little evidence for selection of natives into exogamous unions.…”

“…This paper builds on a recent study by Milewski and Gawron (2019), which examined associations between exogamous marriages between immigrants and non-immigrants and depressive symptoms. They used cross-country data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).…”

A different perspective on exogamy: Are non-migrant partners in mixed unions more liberal in their attitudes toward gender, family, and religion than other natives?

“…This is somewhat surprising, as the literature promotes the perception that people in mixed marriages could be "seen as the ultimate boundary breaker" (Rodríguez-García 2015: 13). This basic assumption, however, has rarely been contested (Milewski/Gawron 2019). Our paper is of an explorative nature and aims to increase our knowledge about the native partners in such unions, who are as diverse as the immigrants themselves.…”

Crossing Social Boundaries in an Immigration Context: Exogamy and Gendered Employment Patterns in Unions in Germany

“…Due to selection into mixed migrant-non-migrant unions, the characteristics of the partners in exogamous unions differ from those of the partners in endogamous unions in terms of their socio-demographic determinants and attitudes [ 10 , 26 , 39 , 75 ]. The migrant partners are subject to particular legal conditions and have migration-specific characteristics that have long-lasting effects on their post-migration life course.…”

“…Of the few studies that took the non-migrant partner into account, most had qualitative research designs [ 36 ]. However, in some recent quantitative studies on European countries, the theoretical link between migrant assimilation and mixed unions has been challenged [ 10 , 75 , 97 ]. Power imbalances between the non-migrant and the immigrant partners have been recognized.…”