Journal of School Health
Volume 88, Issue 2, 2018, Pages 167-175

Comparing Mental Health of US Children of Immigrants and Non-Immigrants in 4 Racial/Ethnic Groups (Article)

Kim J.* , Nicodimos S. , Kushner S.E. , Rhew I.C. , McCauley E. , Vander Stoep A.
  • a Seattle University, 901 12th Avenue, P.O. Box. 222000, Seattle, WA 98122-1090, United States
  • b Developmental Pathways Research Program, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th Street, Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98115, United States
  • c Kitsap Public Health District, 346 6th Street, Bremerton, WA 98337, United States
  • d Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, 1100 NE 45th Street, Suite 300, Office 317 Box 35944, Seattle, WA 98105, United States
  • e Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th Street, Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98115, United States
  • f Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences/Epidemiology, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th Street, Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98115, United States

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To compare the mental health status of children of immigrant (COI) and non-immigrant (NI) parents and to determine whether differences in mental health status between COI and NI vary across 4 racial/ethnic groups. METHODS: We conducted universal mental health screening of 2374 sixth graders in an urban public school district. To screen, we administered well-validated adolescent depression and disruptive behavior problem questionnaires. We evaluated associations between child mental health, parent immigration status, and race/ethnicity using binomial regression. RESULTS: Among Asian American/Pacific Islanders and Latinos, COI had significantly higher depression and disruptive behavior scores compared to NI. For Blacks/African Americans, children of NI parents had significantly higher disruptive behavior scores compared to COI. For European Americans, scores of COI and NI did not differ and were relatively low. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that how the emotional health of COI is faring relative to children of NI depends on the child's race/ethnicity. © 2018, American School Health Association

Author Keywords

disruptive behavior Depression Ethnicity race Children of immigrants

Index Keywords

depression Caucasian Continental Population Groups ancestry group mental health human Ethnic Groups ethnic group Health Surveys ethnology African American Hispanic Americans Cross-Sectional Studies cross-sectional study migrant Humans Hispanic problem behavior Asian Americans male Emigrants and Immigrants Asian American Socioeconomic Factors female socioeconomics European Continental Ancestry Group African Americans Child health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85040685514&doi=10.1111%2fjosh.12586&partnerID=40&md5=195e004656cdeca6d6b674c716b746ea
DOI: 10.1111/josh.12586
ISSN: 00224391
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English