SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Immigration”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Illegal immigration: a supply side analysis.

"This paper analyzes the supply-side determinants of illegal immigration using a three-sector general equilibrium model of the source country. Agricultural liberalization raises illegal immigration while liberalization of the high tech sector reduces it. In contrast, capital mobility in the source country renders trade policy ineffective for controlling illegal immigration. Paradoxically, increased enforcement (by the host country) may raise source country unskilled wages, although illegal immigration falls. Finally, under capital mobility, a rise in the source country restrictions on capital inflow raises the level of illegal immigration and reduces the effectiveness of border enforcement efforts by the host country."

Demography↗

PubMed2002

Cancer risks in Nordic immigrants and their offspring in Sweden.

Numerous migrant studies on cancer have been carried out, but little data are available on cancer incidence upon inter-European migration. We used the nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database to analyse cancer risk among Nordic immigrants and their offspring in Sweden. The parental population had entered Sweden in their 20s and they had become parents in Sweden. Finns were the largest immigrant group including approximately 183,000 parents and 278,000 offspring. We calculated the standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and 90 or 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 26 cancer sites using native Swedes as a reference. Cancers in the first generation immigrants followed the rates in the countries of origin, reaching high SIRs for tobacco-related, cervical and testicular cancer among Danes and for stomach cancer among Finns. Only a few cancers, such as cervical cancer was increased in the second generation. At many sites, particularly among the Finns, protection was observed in the first generation. At three sites, breast, ovary and urinary bladder, where plausible evidence for protection was found even among offspring, this was not reinforced among the offspring of compatriot parents, which is inconsistent with heritable effects. Protection against melanoma was strongest among the offspring of compatriots, but the contribution of cultural factors cannot be excluded. As the parents immigrated to Sweden in their 20s, their cancer pattern, including habits and life style, appeared to be set before that age because the differences to Swedes persisted even in cancers that predominate in old age. Immigrant populations would appear to be attractive subjects to study etiological factors of cancer at sites where causes remain poorly understood, such as testicular cancer.

Denmark↗

PubMed2004

[Tuberculous infection from an area of high incidence of tuberculosis and with a high proportion of immigrants].

BACKGROUND: Historically the district of Ciutat Vella in Barcelona has a high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and, more recently, it is home to a considerable proportion of immigrants. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of tuberculous infection (TI) in a pediatric population from this district and evaluate the impact of immigration. METHODS: Children and adolescents aged < 16 years old were screened using the tuberculin skin test (TST) mainly in visits of the healthy child program. Proportions were compared using the x2 test and adjusted odds ratios were estimated through a logistic regression model. RESULTS: Six hundred ninety-nine children were studied. The overall prevalence of positive TST was 3.4 % (95 % CI: 2.2 %-5.1 %). Prevalence increased with age (P 5 0.009) from 1.9 % in children aged 1-5 years old to 6.4 % in children and adolescents aged 10-15 years. A total of 88.3 % of the immigrants had been vaccinated with BCG compared with 2.5 % of autochthonous children and adolescents (P < 0.001). The prevalence ratio between immigrants and autochthonous children was 2.1 (P 5 0.07). Three cases of TB disease were detected among children, but no index case was found in children with TI. CONCLUSIONS: The high TI prevalence found suggest that living in the district is a risk factor, which justifies routine TST screening of all the children living there. The present criteria for the interpretation of TST in immigrants vaccinated with BCG residing in areas of high incidence are dubious.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in older Taiwanese immigrants in Canada.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of research regarding depression in older Taiwanese immigrants in North American countries. This study in Canada therefore examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms among older immigrants from Taiwan, and psychosocial factors as predictors of depressive symptoms reported by older Taiwanese immigrants. METHODS: Ninety-eight migrants (aged > or = 55 years) from Taiwan to Canada, who were part of a multi-site study of health and well-being in a total of 2,272 older ethnic Chinese individuals in community dwellings, completed a face-to-face interview and answered questions in an orally administrated questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were measured by a Chinese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale. RESULTS: Of the 98 migrants from Taiwan, 21.5% reported at least a mild level of depression. Predictive factors for depressive symptoms were a negative attitude towards aging, poor general physical health, single marital status, barriers in terms of gaining access to health care services, poor financial status, lower level of identification with Chinese health beliefs, and low income. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depressive symptoms in older Taiwanese immigrants in Canada was higher than that reported by older adults in the general Canadian population. Thus, implications for the delivery of health care services, and possible strategies to enhance the mental well-being of older Taiwanese immigrants, are discussed.

Aged↗

PubMed1996

Psychological distress among recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union to Israel, I. Correlates of level of distress.

In most migrations some selection takes place either by the absorbing country and/or the individuals who emigrate. Israel has an open-door policy for immigrants and the recent large wave of immigrants from the former Soviet Union was made up of entire families rather than individuals. This provided an opportunity to examine the issue of migration and psychological distress more directly. A nationwide sample of 600 immigrants who arrived during the preceding year were interviewed in December 1990. Their psychological distress was measured by the PERI Demoralization questionnaire. For both genders, the mean demoralization score of the immigrant sample was found to be significantly higher than that reported for the Israeli-born population (after controlling for education). The factors that were found to be correlated with the level of distress were mostly individual characteristics of the immigrants (e.g. profession, religiousness, former residence in the Chernobyl region, previous contact with the health profession because of psychological problems). Increased distress was also significantly related to perceived lack of social support in Israel, which may in fact be partly determined by personality traits.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1981

Psychological symptom levels in Indian immigrants to England--a comparison with native English.

A national community survey of psychological symptom levels among samples of Indian immigrants and natives is reported. Using a quasi-random sampling procedure, a sample of 200 Indian-born residents of large towns in England was selected to match the age and sex structure of the total Indian immigrant population. An indigenous population, selected in the same way, was matched with the immigrants for comparison purposes. Psychological disturbance was measured with the Langner 22-Item Scale which has previously been specifically validated for use in this context. Other indices were constructed to test specific hypotheses. The pattern revealed by mental hospital admission statistics was strongly supported by the survey. Indian immigrants as a group experience far less psychological disorder than natives, despite the experiences of migration and of being an immigrant. On other measures Indians also manifested an adjustment superior to that of natives. Among the Indian sample stable psychological adjustment was related to being young at migration, being acculturated to life in England and being socially integrated. A subgroup of higher social status, Indian females who had been upwardly socially mobile, emerged as the only group with a higher than average symptom level. However, even this group was at least as well adjusted as its English counterpart.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2004

Social adversity contributes to high morbidity in psychoses in immigrants--a national cohort study in two generations of Swedish residents.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have indicated that immigrants have an elevated risk of schizophrenia as well as an increasing tendency for social exclusion. The aim of this study was to compare rates of schizophrenia and other psychoses in immigrants and their children of different ethnic groups with the majority population in Sweden in relation to social adversity. METHOD: The study population consists of a national cohort of 1.47 million adults (born 1929-1965) and 1.16 million children and youth (born 1968-1979) in family households from the national census of 1985. Multivariate Cox regression analyses was used to study hospital discharge data during 1991-2000 in relation to socio-economic household indicators from 1985 and 1990 (single adult household, adults having received social welfare, parental unemployment, urban residency, housing and socio-economic status). RESULTS: First as well as second generation immigrants had higher age and sex adjusted risk ratios for schizophrenia as well as for other psychoses (RRs 1.4-3.1 and 1.0-2.0 respectively) compared with the Swedish majority population. These risk ratios decreased considerably after adjusting for socio-economic indicators, for all groups, but particularly for the non-European immigrants. However, an elevated risk still remained in the Finnish and Eastern and Southern European study groups. CONCLUSIONS: A higher risk of schizophrenia and psychoses was found in two generations of immigrants of diverse ethnicity. The results indicate that social adversity contributes to the higher risk.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Increased rates of schizophrenia among immigrants: some methodological concerns raised by Danish findings.

BACKGROUND: Several studies during recent years have reported an increased occurrence of schizophrenia in selected immigrant groups. However, difficulties in establishing the population denominator for immigrant rates of mental disorder, selective referral for treatment, and other problems may have influenced such results. The current study aims at testing empirically the influence of some of these methodological problems. METHODS: Using nationwide case register data from Denmark, the diagnosis specific first-admission rates were compared between persons born in Denmark and other countries respectively. A case-control design was used to compare schizophrenia risk between different immigrant groups. RESULTS: Incidence rates of mental disorders among non-Danish residents calculated from admission data showed increased rates of schizophrenia (RR 1.7) and non-affective functional psychoses (RR 1.9). A case-control analysis utilizing non-psychotic admissions as control for schizophrenic admissions yielded essentially the same result, thus excluding selective referral as the sole explanation of the increased schizophrenia rate. However, this was almost exclusively due to increased rates in individuals born in countries neighbouring on Denmark. CONCLUSIONS: While selective risk factors may be operating in various groups of immigrants, caution should be warranted in the interpretation of immigrant studies as large portions of transient visitors may obscure actual rates of mental disorders.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗

PubMed2003

Reliability of the Geriatric Depression Scale for use among elderly Asian immigrants in the USA.

The increasing numbers of Asian and other immigrants in the United States have resulted in greater demands for research methodology sensitive to cross-cultural issues. A regional probability sample (n = 407) of Asian elderly immigrants of different nationalities (Chinese, Korean, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, or Japanese) residing in New York City was used to examine the reliability of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Using the 30-item GDS, about 40% of this representative sample of Asian elderly immigrants was considered to be depressed, indicating higher depression rates than in the previous studies of other Asian elderly samples in the US and in Asia. Results also showed that the 30-item GDS and 15-item GDS Short Forms were reliable measures to assess depression in community-dwelling Asian immigrant elders. Data strongly suggest that Asian elderly immigrants in the US are at risk of depression, indicating a need for the design of culturally sensitive mental health programs.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Skin diseases in immigrants seen as out-patients in the Institute of Dermatology of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' from 1989 to 1994.

In the Institute of Dermatology of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' (IDURLS) from 1989 to 1994, 2198 immigrants from countries outside the European Community were seen as out-patients. Their personal and pathological data were collected by a particular software 'Questio', set up together with colleagues of the Interdepartimental Center for Scientific Calculous (ICSC) of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza'. The number of patients has been increasing from 326 in 1989 to 436 in 1994. Most of the people were coming from Africa, but from 1989 to 1994 the number of patients from the regions of ex-Yugoslavia has been increasing. About one third of the immigrants were unemployed, whereas 40% of them had a job (worker or employee), and the remaining 20% was composed by students and housewives. Most immigrants (1474 patients) were 20-39-year-old. Their data were compared with those of a control group composed by 2100 Italian people of the same age and sex, seen as out-patients in IDURLS in the same period. The most frequent skin disorders observed in immigrants were skin infectious or parasitic diseases, above all scabies. Excluding people with scabies, both immigrants and Italian patients shared the same skin diseases typical of young adult people: many fungal infections, many contact dermatitis and very few skin malignant tumors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Bosnian immigrants' perceptions of the United States health care system: a qualitative interview study.

During the 1990s, approximately 300,000 Bosnian immigrants came to the United States as a result of the Balkan wars. In contrast to immigrants from less developed countries, Bosnian refugees were typically older, had experienced significant war related trauma, and were accustomed to universal health insurance coverage. There is little information about Bosnian immigrants' transition to the U.S. health care system. As part of a related project, 12 Bosnian immigrants were interviewed about their perceptions of the U.S. health care system and their experiences as patients. Participants were universally critical of the U.S. system and described several core issues: confusion about insurance coverage, personalized quality of care, access to primary and specialty care; and a perception of U.S. health care as bureaucratic. Participants compared their experience with prewar Bosnian health care along these dimensions. Implications of the findings and suggestions for improving care to the Bosnian immigrant population are provided.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The child immigrant.

This article uses a developmental perspective to look at the effects of immigration on the young child. Factors influencing the way in which the immigrant family negotiates the ongoing process of settling into the new country are considered. It is argued that the ability of parents to provide an adequate holding environment to protect the young child from too much loss or dislocation is probably the most critical factor in determining whether the child's internal world will be enriched or impoverished by the immigration experience. It is emphasized that immigration is an ongoing process for the entire family. Some clinical material is presented to illustrate how the child's engagement in the process of separation-individuation both shapes and is shaped by, the immigration experience.

Adoption↗

PubMed1991

Cancers of the prostate and breast among Japanese and white immigrants in Los Angeles County.

Using age-adjusted incidence rates and proportional incidence ratios, the risks of prostate cancer and breast cancer in three racial/ethnic groups - Spanish-surnamed whites, other whites and Japanese - were studied in Los Angeles County native residents and compared with those in immigrants and representative 'homeland' populations. An algorithm based on social security numbers was developed and utilised to estimate age at immigration for non-US-born Los Angeles County cancer patients. For prostate cancer, the incidence rates in Los Angeles County were much higher than those in the homelands for each racial/ethnic group. However, prostate cancer rates of immigrants were similar to those of US-born patients in the Spanish-surnamed white and Japanese populations, regardless of age at immigration. For breast cancer, the incidence rates in Los Angeles County were also high compared with those in the homelands. However, the timing of immigration to the US was important in determining breast cancer risk. When social security numbers indicated that migration occurred later in life, rates for breast cancer were substantially lower than when migration occurred early, although they were still much higher than in the homeland populations. These findings suggest that environmental factors in early life rather than in later life are important in the etiology of breast cancer and that later life events can substantially impact the likelihood of developing clinically detectable prostate cancer.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2000

Immigrants and equitable health-care delivery in rural areas.

In response to settlement patterns in Australia, most immigrant specialist services and programs have been developed in metropolitan locations and large provincial cities. However, immigrants have also settled in smaller numbers in country locations. It is of concern, therefore, to consider how responsive and equitable health-care services can be delivered in country regions when immigrants do not reach the critical mass that would warrant the development of specialist services. This paper draws on a consultation conducted in South Australia to propose a way forward in linking country health services with local immigrant communities and immigrant specialist services in cities.

Cultural Diversity↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in psychological symptoms during the adjustment of recent immigrants.

In the present study, we sought to compare the number, severity, and frequency of psychological symptoms and the intensity of perceived stressors among immigrants with previously identified positive, negative, or normal patterns of distress. We evaluated 199 recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union to Israel using the Talbieh Brief Distress Inventory (TBDI) and the Perceived Immigration-Related Stressors Scale (PIRSS) with a 1-year follow-up period. As predicted, the number, severity, and frequency of psychological symptoms and the intensity of perceived stress factors vary among immigrants showing different distress patterns. A negative pattern was associated with an increase in the total number, severity, and frequency of distress-related symptoms and persisting cultural-related stress over time. A positive pattern was associated with a reduction in the overall number and severity of symptoms, as well as a decline in the frequency of distress-free symptoms and the intensity of all but informational-related stressors. A normal pattern was characterized by the reduction of distress symptoms within a normal range along with material- and health-related stresses. Our findings confirm the validity of the suggested classification for different patterns of distress and its usefulness in establishing the prognosis for the adjustment of immigrants.

Depression↗

PubMed2000

Bone and joint tuberculosis in Denmark: increase due to immigration.

We studied the epidemiology of bone and joint tuberculosis (TB) in Denmark during the period 1993-1997, using data in the national Danish TB register. We found 95 cases, accounting for 4% of all tuberculosis cases and 15% of extrapulmonary cases, giving a mean annual incidence of 0.4 per 10(5) in the period. 26 cases were found among native Danes (3-8 cases per year) with a median age of 66 (10-92) years and giving a mean annual incidence of 0.1 per 10(5). Among immigrants, an increasing number of cases of bone and joint TB were diagnosed, increasing from 5 in 1993 to 28 in 1997, giving a total of 69 cases with a mean age of 35 (11-75) years and a mean annual incidence of 4 per 10(5) in the period. The spine was affected in half of the cases. 28 patients had active TB elsewhere in the same period. In most patients, there were no predisposing or risk factors for disease except for ethnicity. Compared to a study of bone and joint TB in Denmark in the 1980s, the total incidence is the same, but there has been a shift in patients from old Danes to young immigrants. The increasing number of bone and joint TB cases among immigrants is due to recent immigration of Somalian refugees, who have a high incidence of TB and a high proportion of extrapulmonary TB. The diagnosis was often delayed several months or years. This study shows that attention must be paid to this condition, particularly in young patients from an endemic immigrant population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Perceived intergroup threat and attitudes of host community members toward immigrant acculturation.

The authors expected the extent to which host community members (a) perceive immigrants as threatening, (b) believe that the immigrants are able to assimilate to the host community (permeability), and (c) consider their presence in the host community as legitimate to predict attitudes towards immigrant acculturation. The authors designed Study 1 to examine attitudes of Germans toward Turkish immigrants. Participants were 227 German white-collar and blue-collar workers. As expected, ethnocentric acculturation attitudes positively correlated with perceived threat and negatively correlated with perceived legitimacy and perceived permeability. However, only perceived threat contributed uniquely to the prediction of the attitudes. In Study 2, the authors applied an experimental manipulation of perceived threat. Before answering attitude questions, participants read magazine articles with a threatening, enriching, or irrelevant content. The manipulation had the predicted impact on the self-reported attitudes toward immigrants. However, the salience of threatening or enriching aspects of the Turkish culture did not affect implicitly measured attitudes.

Acculturation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cultural marginality: a concept analysis with implications for immigrant adolescents.

Society in the United States is becoming increasingly culturally diverse. In 1996, almost 1 in 10 people living in the United States was a foreign-born immigrant and the number of foreign-born in the population exceeded 25 million. However, the lack of mutual understanding between health care providers and immigrants, particularly children and adolescents, has impeded progress in research and practice for this population. To facilitate nurses' understanding of immigrant adolescents' unique experiences, this article explores the concept of cultural marginality. Cultural margin ality is defined by the author as "situations and feelings of passive betweeness when people exist between two different cultures and do not yet perceive themselves as centrally belonging to either one." Using Walker and Avant's (1995) method as a framework, my article identifies attributes, antecedents, and consequences of cultural marginality in the context of immigrant adolescents' experiences. To clarify the abstract concept, cases are provided that distill meanings of the concept in life. A conceptual model has been synthesized to illustrate relationships among attributes, antecedents, and consequences and to highlight areas for further inquiry. Concept analysis is a critical step for the develop ment of nursing knowledge. The process of concept analysis is demonstrated through clarification of the concept of cultural marginality, which offers guidance for nursing research and practice within the immigrant adolescent population.

Adolescent↗