Examining psychological distress across intersections of immigrant generational status, race, poverty, and gender

INTRODUCTION

While many studies have documented the health outcomes of immigrants, little is known about the direct and intersectional influences of generational status on mental health.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study using data from the California Health Interview Survey from 2015-2016 (N=41,754) to examine the prevalence of psychological distress (self-reported experience in the past 12 months) across generational status. We used log-binomial regression models adjusted for demographic and health-related factors to compare the likelihood of psychological distress among first-generation immigrants and non-immigrants relative to second-generation immigrants, overall and across intersections of race, poverty status, and gender.

RESULTS

Second-generation and non-immigrant respondents had a significantly higher prevalence (10.1% and 9.4%, respectively) of psychological distress compared to first-generation immigrants (5.9%). Generational status was not statistically significantly associated with psychological stress; estimates for first-generation and non-immigrants relative to second-generation immigrants were 0.81 (95% CI 0.63-0.04) and 1.12 (95% CI 0.84-1.50), respectively.

DISCUSSION

Though no statistically significant association was shown between generational status and psychological distress, the direction of estimates across iteratively adjusted models suggests a protective effect for first-generation immigrants. Further research is needed in bigger samples to explore associations between generational status and psychological distress, overall and across intersections of the population.