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Immigration, citizenship, and the mental health of adolescents

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  • Nicole Filion
  • Andrew Fenelon
  • Michel Boudreaux

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the reported mental health outcomes of adolescent foreign-born non-citizens and adolescent foreign-born U.S. citizens compared to adolescent U.S.-born citizens. Methods: Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in the National Health Interview Survey, we compared mental health status of U.S.-born adolescent citizens to foreign-born citizens and non-citizens in the years 2010–2015, and examined how differences in emotional difficulty changed based on time spent in the U.S. Results: Results suggest that non-citizen adolescents experience better mental health outcomes than U.S.-born citizens. However, the mental health status of foreign-born citizens is indistinguishable from that of the U.S.-born, after accounting for basic socio-demographic characteristics. The prevalence of emotional difficulty experienced by immigrant adolescents increased with a family’s duration in the U.S. Conclusion: Our findings are consistent with a broader health advantage for the foreign-born, but we present new evidence that the mental health advantage of foreign-born adolescents exists only for non-citizens.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicole Filion & Andrew Fenelon & Michel Boudreaux, 2018. "Immigration, citizenship, and the mental health of adolescents," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-12, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0196859
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196859
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fernando Riosmena & Douglas S. Massey, 2012. "Pathways to El Norte: Origins, Destinations, and Characteristics of Mexican Migrants to the United States," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 3-36, March.
    2. Fenelon, Andrew, 2013. "Revisiting the Hispanic mortality advantage in the United States: The role of smoking," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1-9.
    3. Wayne A. Cornelius, 2001. "Death at the Border: Efficacy and Unintended Consequences of US Immigration Control Policy," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 27(4), pages 661-685, December.
    4. Akresh, I.R. & Frank, R., 2008. "Health selection among new immigrants," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(11), pages 2058-2064.
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    Cited by:

    1. Safak, Veli, 2020. "Profile of Worry in the U.S," SocArXiv hzm82, Center for Open Science.
    2. Jose Marquez & Louise Lambert & Megan Cutts, 2023. "Geographic, Socio-Demographic and School Type Variation in Adolescent Wellbeing and Mental Health and Links with Academic Competence in the United Arab Emirates," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(2), pages 797-836, April.
    3. Hechao Jiang & Daniel T. L. Shek & Moon Y. M. Law, 2021. "Differences between Chinese Adolescent Immigrants and Adolescent Non-Immigrants in Hong Kong: Perceived Psychosocial Attributes, School Environment and Characteristics of Hong Kong Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Diyang Qu & Bowen Chen & Iris Kam-fung Liu & Chrystyna D. Kouros & Nancy Xiaonan Yu, 2023. "Variations in Adaptation Profiles Among Chinese Immigrant Mothers and Their Children: A Dyadic Latent Profile Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1397-1418, April.

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