Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T07:38:23.467Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

How do Latino Immigrants Perceive the Current Sociopolitical Context? Identifying Opportunities to Improve Immigrant Health in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2019

JANE J. LEE Open the ORCID record for JANE J. LEE [Opens in a new window]  and
YUANJIN ZHOU Open the ORCID record for YUANJIN ZHOU [Opens in a new window]
JANE J. LEE*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Washington, 4101 15th Avenue NE, Rm 225 A, Seattle, WA 98105-6250 emails: janejlee@uw.edu; yjzhou@uw.edu
YUANJIN ZHOU
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Washington, 4101 15th Avenue NE, Rm 225 A, Seattle, WA 98105-6250 emails: janejlee@uw.edu; yjzhou@uw.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Migration is an important social determinant of health for immigrants in the United States. Increased attention on Latino immigrants in recent years has sparked interest in policies that affect this population. While prior research has assessed the potential health impact of specific immigration policies, there is limited understanding of how the overall sociopolitical context shapes the health of Latino immigrants. This study examines the potential mechanisms that link the sociopolitical context and health among Latino immigrants. Specifically, we explore how perceptions of the sociopolitical context are implicated in this relationship. Qualitative interviews with community gatekeepers (n=13) and Latino immigrants (n=34) in New York City revealed general perceptions about the overall sociopolitical context, which were characterized by discrimination towards immigrants, unpredictable and mercurial circumstances, and confusion and lack of information. These perceptions influenced participants’ psycho-emotional health and health-related behaviors. Findings suggest the importance of integrating immigrants’ perceptions of the sociopolitical context into health promotion efforts. Furthermore, findings demonstrate the need for paradigm shifts in developing policy-related actions to integrate immigrants’ perspectives. We propose an integrated, multi-level framework to guide future research and practice regarding social determinants of immigrant health.

Keywords

sociopolitical contextimmigrationLatinohealthUnited States
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , January 2020 , pp. 167 - 187
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acevedo-Garcia, D., Sanchez-Vaznaugh, E.V., Viruell-Fuentes, E.A. and Almeida, J. (2012), ‘Integrating social epidemiology into immigrant health research: A cross-national framework’, Social Science & Medicine, 75, 12, 2060–2068.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alcántara, C., Chen, C.N. and Alegría, M. (2014), ‘Do post-migration perceptions of social mobility matter for Latino immigrant health?’, Social Science & Medicine, 101, 94–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baumeister, R.F. and Leary, M.R. (1995), ‘The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation’, Psychological Bulletin, 117, 3, 497–529.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borowski, A. (2000), ‘Creating a virtuous society: immigration and Australia’s policies of multiculturalism.’, Journal of Social Policy, 29, 3, 459–475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, N.T., Chapman, G.B., Gibbons, F.X., Gerrard, M., McCaul, K.D. and Weinstein, N.D. (2007), ‘Meta-analysis of the relationship between risk perception and health behavior: the example of vaccination’, Health Psychology, 26, 2, 136–145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butler, S.M. (2017), ‘Building blocks for addressing social determinants of health’, JAMA, 318, 19, 1855–1856.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Calzada, I. (2018), ‘Social protection without borders? the use of social services by retirement migrants living in Spain’, Journal of Social Policy, 47, 1, 21–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carey, G. and Crammond, B. (2015), ‘Action on the social determinants of health: views from inside the policy process’, Social Science & Medicine, 128, 134–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carey, G., Crammond, B. and Keast, R. (2014), ‘Creating change in government to address the social determinants of health: how can efforts be improved?’, BMC Public Health, 14, 1, 1087.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Castañeda, H., Holmes, S.M., Madrigal, D.S., Young, M.E.D., Beyeler, N. and Quesada, J. (2015), ‘Immigration as a social determinant of health’, Annual Review of Public Health, 36, 375–392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charmaz, K. and Belgrave, L.L. (2007), Grounded Theory, The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheung, S.Y. and Phillimore, J. (2017), ‘Gender and refugee integration: a quantitative analysis of integration and social policy outcomes’, Journal of Social Policy, 46, 2, 211–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farmer, T., Robinson, K., Elliott, S.J. and Eyles, J. (2006), ‘Developing and implementing a triangulation protocol for qualitative health research’, Qualitative health Research, 16, 3, 377–394.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fisher, M., Baum, F.E., Macdougall, C., Newman, L. and McDermott, D. (2016), ‘To what extent do Australian health policy documents address social determinants of health and health equity?’, Journal of Social Policy, 45, 3, 545–564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glanz, K. and Bishop, D.B. (2010), ‘The role of behavioral science theory in development and implementation of public health interventions’, Annual Review of Public Health, 31, 399–418.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenspan, I., Walk, M. and Handy, F. (2018), ‘Immigrant integration through volunteering: the importance of contextual factors’, Journal of Social Policy, 47, 4, 803–825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harder, N., Figueroa, L., Gillum, R.M., Hangartner, D., Laitin, D.D. and Hainmueller, J. (2018), ‘Multidimensional measure of immigrant integration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’, 115, 45, 11483–11488.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hatzenbuehler, M.L., Phelan, J.C. and Link, B.G. (2013), ‘Stigma as a fundamental cause of population health inequalities’, American Journal of Public Health, 103, 5, 813–821.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hatzenbuehler, M.L., Prins, S.J., Flake, M., Philbin, M., Frazer, M.S., Hagen, D. and Hirsch, J. (2017), ‘Immigration policies and mental health morbidity among Latinos: A state-level analysis’, Social Science & Medicine, 174, 169–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, C.E., Thompson, B.J. and Williams, E. (1997), ‘A guide to conducting consensual qualitative research’, The Counseling Psychologist, 25, 4, 517–572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leonardi, F. (2018), ‘The definition of health: towards new perspectives’, International Journal of Health Services, 48, 4, 735–748.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lobo, A.P. and Salvo, J.J. (2013), The newest New Yorkers: characteristics of the city’s foreign-born population City of New York . New York: Department of City Planning, Office of Immigrant Affairs.Google Scholar
McCluney, C.L., Schmitz, L.L., Hicken, M.T. and Sonnega, A. (2018), ‘Structural racism in the workplace: does perception matter for health inequalities?’, Social Science & Medicine, 199, 106–114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morey, B.N. (2018), ‘Mechanisms by which anti-Immigrant stigma exacerbates racial/ethnic health disparities’, American Journal of Public Health, 108, 4, 460–463.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mulvey, G. (2018), ‘Social citizenship, social policy and refugee integration: a case of policy divergence in Scotland?’, Journal of Social Policy, 47, 1, 161–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Academies of Sciences. (2015), ‘Legal status and immigrant integration’, In: Waters, E.M.C. and Pineau, M.G. (Eds.). The integration of immigrants into American society, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Øversveen, E., Rydland, H.T., Bambra, C. and Eikemo, T.A. (2017), ‘Rethinking the relationship between socio-economic status and health: Making the case for sociological theory in health inequality research’, Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 45, 2, 103–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Philbin, M.M., Flake, M., Hatzenbuehler, M.L. and Hirsch, J.S. (2018), ‘State-level immigration and immigrant-focused policies as drivers of Latino health disparities in the United States’, Social Science & Medicine, 199, 29–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raphael, D. (2006), ‘Social determinants of health: present status, unanswered questions, and future directions’, International Journal of Health Services, 36, 4, 651–677.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Santos, C., Menjívar, C. and Godfrey, E. (2013), ‘Effects of SB 1070 on children’, In: Magaña, L. and Lee, E. (Eds.), Latino politics and Arizona’s immigration law SB 1070, immigrants and minorities, politics and policy (pp. 79–92), Springer, New York, NY.Google Scholar
Shutes, I. (2016), Work-related conditionality and the access to social benefits of national citizens, EU and non-EU citizens’. Journal of Social Policy, 45, 4, 691–707.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vega, W.A. and Rumbaut, R.G. (1991), ‘Ethnic minorities and mental health’, Annual Review of Sociology, 17, 1, 351–383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilensky, G.R. and Satcher, D. (2009), ‘Don’t forget about the social determinants of health’, Health Affairs, 28, 2, w194–w198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Lee and Zhou supplementary material

Table S1

Download Lee and Zhou supplementary material(File)
File 16.8 KB