Length of stay and mental health of the immigrant population in Spain: evidence of the healthy immigrant effect

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (19) ◽  
pp. 1972-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Rivera ◽  
B. Casal ◽  
L. Currais
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 583-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirin Montazer

This article reexamines the healthy immigrant effect in mental health—as measured by psychological distress—by incorporating the modifying roles of the level of economic development of origin-country and life-stage at arrival among a sample of immigrants to Toronto, Canada—as compared to the native-born. The analytic sample included 2,157 adults, of which 31 percent were immigrants. Multivariate results point to a healthy immigrant effect in distress, but only among immigrants from less developed origin-countries who migrated to Canada in mid-adulthood (between 25 and 34 years of age). Further, this health advantage deteriorates with increase in length of residence only among this group of migrants, in large part because of an increase in chronic stressors. Immigrants from more developed origin-countries do not experience a healthy immigrant effect, as compared to the native-born, nor an increase in distress with tenure in Canada, irrespective of the life-stage at immigration.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Li ◽  
Danielle Coombs

Abstract Background A pre-morbid mental health history is common in patients with severe burn injuries. This creates challenges in providing rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to cross examine the possible impact of psychological co-morbidities on outcomes. Methods A notes audit was carried out examining patients that were admitted to Concord Hospital Burns Unit in a 3-year period (2010–2012). Patients with total body surface area (TBSA) of 20% or greater and aged between 16 and 50 years were included. Subjects were divided into a mental health group and a control group. SPSS version 21 statistic program was used for analysis the data. Results Data collected included length of stay, time to achieve independence, %TBSA, types of burns and surgery required. Results of 69 files showed that the average length of stay per %TBSA was nearly double in the patients with a mental health problem (1.47 vs 0.88). They also had a higher rate of re-graft (52% vs 22%) due to infection and poor nutrition. The average time for patients to achieve independence in daily living activity was significantly higher (p = 0.046) in the mental health group (36.2 days) versus the control group (24.1 days). Conclusion Patients with a mental health history may have poorer general health. This may result in a higher failure rate of grafting, leading to a requirement of re-graft. Hence, it took a longer time to achieve independence, as well as a longer hospital stay. A mental health history in burn survivors can be a contributing factor for poorer outcomes in the adult population.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E Sumner ◽  
Michelle Y O'Connor ◽  
Caroline K Thoreson ◽  
Madia Ricks ◽  
Amber B Courville ◽  
...  

In decades past, African immigrants were considered to have better cardiometabolic health than African Americans. Whether this health advantage continues to exist in the 21st century is unknown. To explore differences in markers of cardiometabolic health, oral glucose tolerance tests, blood pressure (BP), visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume and the waist circumference (WC) which predicts insulin resistance were compared in 210 men (134 African immigrants, 76 African Americans, mean age 36±9y (mean±SD), range 20-64y) who self-identified as healthy. Insulin resistance was defined by the lowest quartile of the insulin sensitivity index (SI≤2•28mU/L-1.min-1). Receiver operating characteristic curves and the Youden Index were used to identify the WC which optimally predicts insulin resistance. BMI was lower in African immigrants than African Americans (27.4±3.9 vs. 29.3±5.5kg/m2, P<0.01). Adjusting for BMI, WC did not differ between groups (93±5 vs. 94±5cm, P=0.55); but African immigrants had more visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (P<0.001) higher BP (P≤0.01), higher fasting glucose (P≤0.001) and 2h glucose (P<0.001) as well as a higher prevalence of previously undiagnosed diabetes (7% (9 of 134) vs. 0% (0 of 76), P<0.01) and pre-diabetes (35% (47 of 134) vs. 22% (17 of 76), P<0.01). Degree of insulin resistance did not differ in African immigrants and African Americans (4.17±2.88 vs. 4.24±2.61 (mU/L)-1 .min-1, P=0.88). Yet, the WC which optimally predicted insulin resistance was lower in African immigrants than African Americans, specifically 92 cm and 102 cm, respectively. As African immigrants had higher VAT, BP and glucose levels than African Americans, the healthy immigrant effect may no longer be a valid concept. As insulin resistance occurred at a lower WC in African immigrants than African Americans, lower BMI in African immigrants does not appear to provide protection from cardiometabolic risk.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1244-1244
Author(s):  
C I Carrión ◽  
F Arias ◽  
M Diaz-Santos ◽  
S-A Levy ◽  
T G Hill-Jarrett ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The “healthy immigrant effect” pertains to findings that Hispanics/Latinos born outside of the US tend to be physically and emotionally healthier than individuals born in the US. However, immigrant Latino groups residing in the US have higher incidences of dementia (Tang et al., 2001). Sex/gender and years of education have been found to moderate the relationship between age of migration and cognitive functioning among immigrants born in Mexico (Garcia et al., 2017; Hill et al., 2012). While years of education has been the focus of many studies, literacy (ability to read/write) has been less frequently explored as a moderator of age of migration and cognitive change. We investigated the effect of age of migration on cognitive trajectory in a diverse Latino population and explored whether literacy influences the association between age of immigration and cognitive change. We hypothesize that literacy (ability to read/write) will buffer the effects of age of migration on cognitive (memory, language, motor speed, visuospatial) trajectory. Participants and Method Age at baseline, English fluency, country of birth, sex/gender, and years of education were included as time-invariant covariates and literacy was tested as a moderator via multiple group modeling. Results Results show that age of migration is marginally and inversely associated with baseline cognitive performance (p &lt; .01). Thus, individuals who immigrated at an older age had lower baseline cognitive scores than their counterparts. Age of migration was not associated with cognitive change. Independent of covariates, literacy did not buffer the negative effects of later age at migration on cognitive function. Conclusions Results suggest that literacy confers a small advantage in premorbid cognition, but does not protect against cognitive decline over time. These findings also suggest that adults who immigrate at an older age present with lower cognitive scores at baseline, but do not experience faster rates of cognitive change. References Tang, M. X., Cross, P., Andrews, H., Jacobs, D. M., Small, S., Bell, K., ... & Mayeux, R. (2001). Incidence of AD in African-Americans, Caribbean Hispanics, and Caucasians in northern Manhattan. Neurology, 56, 49-56. Garcia, M. A., Reyes, A. M., Downer, B., Saenz, J. L., Samper-Ternent, R. A., & Raji, M. (2018). Age of migration and the incidence of cognitive impairment: A cohort study of elder Mexican-Americans. Innovation in aging, 1, igx037. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx037. Hill, T. D., Angel, J. L., Balistreri, K. S., & Herrera, A. P. (2012). Immigrant Status and Cognitive Functioning in Late Life: An Examination of Gender Variations in the Healthy Immigrant Effect. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 75, 2076–2084. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.04.005.


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