Abstract
Recent scholarship suggests a significant association between cross-border ties, or ties maintained with family and friends in countries and communities of origin, and the mental health of immigrants and their descendants. To date, this research has been exclusively cross-sectional, precluding conclusions about a causal association between cross-border ties and mental health outcomes. In the present study we undertake a longitudinal analysis of the relationship between cross-border ties and depression measured over a ten-year period for a sample of immigrant and U.S.-born Latinos. Data are from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (1998-2008), a population-based, prospective study of Latin American-origin adults 60 years and older. We find that cross-border ties reported at baseline were significantly associated with depression in subsequent study waves, even after controlling for the presence of depression at baseline, albeit with substantial differences by gender and nativity. Specifically, communication with family and friends in Latin America and travel to Latin America at baseline were each significantly associated with greater odds of depression for immigrant women, but with lower odds of depression for U.S.-born Latina women over the study period. Travel to Latin America at baseline was significantly associated with lower odds of depression for Latino men across the study. Across all models we control for depressive symptomatology at baseline to account for the reciprocal nature of depressive symptoms and engagement with social ties, including cross-border ties. Our findings suggest that cross-border ties may represent a unique source of both resilience and risk for the long-term mental health of immigrant Latinos and their descendants.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 111-119 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Social Science and Medicine |
| Volume | 160 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1 2016 |
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Keywords
- Cross-border ties
- Depressive symptoms
- Latinos
- Social ties
- Transnationalism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- History and Philosophy of Science
Cite this
A longitudinal analysis of cross-border ties and depression for Latino adults. / Torres, Jacqueline M.; Lee, Anne; González, Hector M.; Garcia, Lorena; Haan, Mary N.
In: Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 160, 01.07.2016, p. 111-119.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A longitudinal analysis of cross-border ties and depression for Latino adults
AU - Torres, Jacqueline M.
AU - Lee, Anne
AU - González, Hector M.
AU - Garcia, Lorena
AU - Haan, Mary N.
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - Recent scholarship suggests a significant association between cross-border ties, or ties maintained with family and friends in countries and communities of origin, and the mental health of immigrants and their descendants. To date, this research has been exclusively cross-sectional, precluding conclusions about a causal association between cross-border ties and mental health outcomes. In the present study we undertake a longitudinal analysis of the relationship between cross-border ties and depression measured over a ten-year period for a sample of immigrant and U.S.-born Latinos. Data are from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (1998-2008), a population-based, prospective study of Latin American-origin adults 60 years and older. We find that cross-border ties reported at baseline were significantly associated with depression in subsequent study waves, even after controlling for the presence of depression at baseline, albeit with substantial differences by gender and nativity. Specifically, communication with family and friends in Latin America and travel to Latin America at baseline were each significantly associated with greater odds of depression for immigrant women, but with lower odds of depression for U.S.-born Latina women over the study period. Travel to Latin America at baseline was significantly associated with lower odds of depression for Latino men across the study. Across all models we control for depressive symptomatology at baseline to account for the reciprocal nature of depressive symptoms and engagement with social ties, including cross-border ties. Our findings suggest that cross-border ties may represent a unique source of both resilience and risk for the long-term mental health of immigrant Latinos and their descendants.
AB - Recent scholarship suggests a significant association between cross-border ties, or ties maintained with family and friends in countries and communities of origin, and the mental health of immigrants and their descendants. To date, this research has been exclusively cross-sectional, precluding conclusions about a causal association between cross-border ties and mental health outcomes. In the present study we undertake a longitudinal analysis of the relationship between cross-border ties and depression measured over a ten-year period for a sample of immigrant and U.S.-born Latinos. Data are from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (1998-2008), a population-based, prospective study of Latin American-origin adults 60 years and older. We find that cross-border ties reported at baseline were significantly associated with depression in subsequent study waves, even after controlling for the presence of depression at baseline, albeit with substantial differences by gender and nativity. Specifically, communication with family and friends in Latin America and travel to Latin America at baseline were each significantly associated with greater odds of depression for immigrant women, but with lower odds of depression for U.S.-born Latina women over the study period. Travel to Latin America at baseline was significantly associated with lower odds of depression for Latino men across the study. Across all models we control for depressive symptomatology at baseline to account for the reciprocal nature of depressive symptoms and engagement with social ties, including cross-border ties. Our findings suggest that cross-border ties may represent a unique source of both resilience and risk for the long-term mental health of immigrant Latinos and their descendants.
KW - Cross-border ties
KW - Depressive symptoms
KW - Latinos
KW - Social ties
KW - Transnationalism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84970024513&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84970024513&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.018
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.018
M3 - Article
C2 - 27239901
AN - SCOPUS:84970024513
VL - 160
SP - 111
EP - 119
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
SN - 0277-9536
ER -