Soc Sci Med. 2021 Feb 16;274:113765. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113765. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE: Research has documented a robust mental health advantage among Asian and Latino immigrants to the United States relative to the native-born. The current investigation extended this line of research, asking whether Middle Eastern immigrants to the United States enjoy a similar mental health advantage.
METHODS: Drawing on pooled cross-sections from the 2007-2018 National Health Interview Surveys, we used OLS regression to examine psychological distress in Middle Eastern immigrants relative to both native-born Whites and immigrants from other global regions. We used statistical interactions to assess whether gender and period differences are contingent on region of birth.
RESULTS: Findings reveal that the average level of psychological distress is higher among Middle Eastern immigrants than among both U.S.-born Whites and immigrants from other regions. Despite changing circumstances of migration for Middle Easterners and implementation in the United States of anti-immigrant policies, we see no evidence that distress increased more among immigrants compared to native-born Whites. Results point to greater psychological distress among Middle Eastern women than their native-born White counterparts and women from other immigrant groups, as well as Middle Eastern men. In contrast, psychological distress levels for Middle Eastern and native-born White men were indistinguishable, suggesting that the Middle Eastern mental health disadvantage in the United States is borne solely by women.
CONCLUSIONS: Results show that the mental health advantage enjoyed by some immigrant groups does not extend to Middle Eastern women, contradicting the healthy migrant model and challenging the assumption of a uniform mental health advantage across immigrant groups.
PMID:33639394 | DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113765
