This paper examines how age at immigration influences the association between adult subjective social status and mental health outcomes. The age when people immigrate shapes the capacity and efficiency at which they learn and use a new language, the opportunities to meet and socialize with a wide range of people, and respond to healthy or stressful environments. We hypothesize that adult subjective social status will be more predictive of health outcomes among immigrants who arrive in the US in mid- to late-adulthood compared with immigrants who arrive earlier. To investigate this hypothesis, data on immigrants are drawn from the US first national survey of mental health among Asian Americans (N = 1451). Logistic regression is used to estimate the relationships between adult subjective social status and mood dysfunction, a composite of anxiety and affective disorder symptoms. As predicted, age at immigration moderated the relationship between adult subjective social status and mood dysfunction. Adult subjective social status was related to health among immigrants arriving when they were 25 years and older, but there was no association between subjective social status and mental health among immigrants arriving before the age of 25 years. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subjective social status US Age at immigration Asians Developmental context Mental health

mood disorder educational status immigrant immigrant population Interpersonal Relations anxiety disorder regression analysis demography health survey mental health human middle aged Asia controlled study health status Aged affect hypothesis testing Adaptation, Psychological Health Surveys Anxiety Disorders Psychological Tests groups by age United States North America social status Humans Adolescent Infant, Newborn Asian Americans working conditions male Aged, 80 and over Emigrants and Immigrants Infant Child, Preschool female age structure Psychometrics Article health care major clinical study adult Age Factors Asian immigrant Social Perception social class Mood Disorders Child