Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 14, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 156-165

Different outcomes for different health measures in immigrants: Evidence from a longitudinal analysis of the National population health survey (1994-2006) (Article)

Setia M.S.* , Quesnel-Vallee A. , Abrahamowicz M. , Tousignant P. , Lynch J.
  • a Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada
  • b Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada, Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
  • c Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada
  • d Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada
  • e Sansom Institute, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

Abstract

The response of immigrants to new societies is dynamic. There may be an initial period of happiness followed by peaks of stressful periods. These reactions along with socio-economic changes are likely to influence their health, which may start converging towards the average health of the host population. We used a longitudinal analysis to assess the differences in health outcomes (mental health and self-rated health), separately in men and women, in Canadian born and immigrants over a 12-year period (and the associated socio-economic factors). We used random effects logistic regression models for evaluation of these health outcomes in 3,081 men and 4,187 women from the National Population Health Survey (1994/ 95 to 2006/07). After adjusting for all the covariates, nonwhite immigrants were less likely to have severe psychological distress compared with the Canadian born individuals [odds ratio (OR) Men: 0.49, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.24-1.00, Women-OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.32-0.92]. Immigrant women (white and non-white) were more likely to rate their health as poor through this 12-year period than the Canadian born women (White-OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.17-2.64; Non-white-OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.01-3.28). Immigrants in the lowest income adequacy category reported higher psychological distress and poorer health than those in the highest income categories. We did not find any significant differences in the mental health and self-rated health of Canadian men and white male immigrants throughout this 12-year period. Though, non-white immigrant women were less likely to have severe psychological distress through this 12 year period, they were the ones most likely to rate their health as poor. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.

Author Keywords

self-rated health Mental health immigrants Longitudinal study

Index Keywords

longitudinal study psychological aspect mental health human Longitudinal Studies middle aged Stress, Psychological mental stress health status Aged Health Surveys Young Adult Humans Adolescent male Canada Emigrants and Immigrants female Article adult migration health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84860558412&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-010-9408-7&partnerID=40&md5=d4b052147053408e778faaa34ff47f52
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-010-9408-7
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 19
Original Language: English