How do social and demographic characteristics interact to influence the perceived mental health of Canadian immigrants compared to the total population of Canadians
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Date
0025
Authors
Thapa, Rama
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences
Abstract
The immigration process and settlement are stressful, and the mental well-being of immigrants is of particular concern. Epidemiological studies suggest that first-generation (foreign born) immigrants experience better mental health than the Canadian-born population. Still, it is unclear whether this pattern varies substantially by the intersection of science & demographic factors. Cross-sectional data from public-use Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2017/2018 was used, representing the Canadian population aged 12 years of older residing in all ten provinces. The perceived mental health of Canadian immigrants was assessed, and the influence of social and demographic factors on the mental health of Canadian immigrants was explored. Descriptive statistics and logistics regression were used to describe demographic characteristics, and their association with perceived mental health of immigrants comparing to the total Canadian population. Younger individuals in the general population and older immigrants had a higher proportion of reporting poor mental health. Immigrants with longer residency (more than 10 years) in Canada reported higher odds of poor mental health. Canadians who had a household size 2 and owned their house reported poor mental health, whereas immigrants who rented and lived alone, reported poor mental health. There was an increased odds of reporting poor mental health among the middle-aged Canadians (35-49 yrs.), while non-significant results among immigrants suggests that age plays less of a rold in immigrants. Similar results were noted for sex, sexual orienation, household size, racial background and dwelling ownership among immigrants, suggesting that results may vary due to multiple factors intersecting with each other which potentially plays a more substantial role in immigrants' mental health outcomes.
Description
Keywords
Immigrants , Mental health , Intersectionality , Canadian immigrants , Social factors , Demographic factors