Immigration-Related Factors and Mental Disorders Among Asian Americans
David T. Takeuchi, PhD,
Nolan Zane, PhD,
Seunghye Hong, MA,
David H. Chae, MA,
Fang Gong, PhD,
Gilbert C. Gee, PhD,
Emily Walton, MA,
Stanley Sue, PhD and
Margarita Alegría, PhD
David T. Takeuchi, Seunghye Hong, Emily Walton, and David H. Chae are with the University of Washington, Seattle. Nolan Zane and Stanley Sue are with the University of California, Davis. David H. Chae is also with the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass. At the time of this study, Fang Gong was with Indiana University, Bloomington. Gilbert C. Gee is with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Margarita Alegria is with the Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Mass and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to David T. Takeuchi, PhD, University of Washington, Box 354900, 4101 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105 (e-mail: dt5{at}u.washington.edu).
ABSTRACT
Objectives. We examined lifetime and 12-month rates of any depressive,anxiety, and substance abuse disorders in a national sampleof Asian Americans. We focused on factors related to nativityand immigration as possible correlates of mental disorders.
Methods. Data were derived from the National Latino and AsianAmerican Study, the first national epidemiological survey ofAsian Americans in the United States.
Results. The relationships between immigration-related factorsand mental disorders were different for men and women. Amongwomen, nativity was strongly associated with lifetime disorders,with immigrant women having lower rates of most disorders comparedwith US-born women. Conversely, English proficiency was associatedwith mental disorders for Asian men. Asian men who spoke Englishproficiently generally had lower rates of lifetime and 12-monthdisorders compared with nonproficient speakers.
Conclusions. For Asian Americans, immigration-related factorswere associated with mental disorders, but in different waysfor men and women. Future studies will need to examine genderas an important factor in specifying the association betweenimmigration and mental health.
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