Differences in Subjective Well-being Between Older Migrants and Natives in Europe

Comparing the Health Status of Immigrant and New Zealand-Born Older Adults in Aotearoa New Zealand: The Role of Socioeconomic Position

OBJECTIVES

The study investigated the health status of older migrants relative to their New Zealand-born peers. We adopted a holistic view of health (physical, mental, and social) and a structural approach to health disparities based on migrant status and socioeconomic position.

METHODS

Using case-control matching based on age, gender, and education, the health status of 357 older migrants and 357 New Zealand-born older adults was compared.

RESULTS

Older migrants reported significantly poorer social health. Health inequities were patterned by socioeconomic status. Working class older migrants had significantly poorer physical, mental, and social health than their New Zealand-born peers. Inequities in social wellbeing persisted even at the upper end of the social gradient.

DISCUSSION

Migrant background is an important social determinant of health in older age. The reduced social wellbeing of economically advantaged migrants highlights vulnerabilities regardless of socioeconomic position and the need for targeted social policies.

Deciphering temporal perspectives: A key to happiness and optimism for healthy aging in nursing practices"

BACKGROUND

With the global population of older individuals increasing rapidly, it is important to understand the factors contributing to their well-being. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between older adults' time perspective and their experiences of happiness and optimism.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a substantial sample size of 300 older adults from January to March 2023. The study utilized reliable and validated measures, including the Short Version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and the Arabic Scales of Happiness, Optimism, and Pessimism.

RESULTS

The study found that older adults with a negative view of the past (PN perspective) had lower levels of happiness (r=-0.374, p<0.01), while those with a hedonistic view of the present (PH perspective) had higher levels of happiness (r=0.266, p<0.01). Additionally, a fatalistic view of the present (PF perspective) was associated with lower levels of happiness (r=-0.178, p<0.05) and optimism (r=-0.168, p<0.05). Negative views of the future (FN perspective) were correlated with lower happiness levels (r=-0.546, p<0.01), while positive views of the future (FP perspective) were associated with higher levels of optimism (r=0.432, p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Older adults with a balanced time perspective, marked by positive and negative views of the past and an optimistic outlook on the future, reported moderate happiness and optimism. Older adults with a negative view of the past and a fatalistic view of the present tend to have lower levels of happiness and optimism. On the other hand, those who have a hedonistic view of the present and a positive view of the future tend to have higher levels of happiness and optimism. Older adults with a pessimistic outlook toward past experiences or the future may require additional emotional support and targeted interventions to foster a more positive mindset.

Healthy eating habits and a prudent dietary pattern improve Nanjing international students' health-related quality of life

Purpose

Low-quality dietary practices, such as fast food consumption and skipping meals, deteriorate the quality of life. However, the available studies on diet and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) used matrices not specific to nutrition. Moreover, how diet affects the HRQoL of international students in China is unknown. Therefore, using a cross-sectional study, the effect of dietary patterns and habits on the HRQoL of international students in Nanjing, China, was examined.

Methods

The researchers collected dietary data using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) from February to March 2022. Then, the Food Benefit Assessment (FBA) was used to access HRQoL. Finally, the effect of eating habits and dietary patterns on HRQoL was explored using multilinear regression.

Results

Approximately 454 responses were obtained, with the responses mostly from male subjects (56.4%) and those aged 26 years and above (75.6%). The quality of life according to the food consumed was about average for all the constructs except for aesthetics and disease prevention, as 65.8% skipped meals, particularly breakfast (47.8%). Furthermore, three dietary patterns were identified: prudent, Western, and animal protein patterns. Consequently, by skipping breakfast, vitality (β = -2.362, p = 0.04), wellbeing (β = -3.592, p = 0.007), digestive comfort (β = -4.734, p = 0.008), and disease prevention (β = -5.071, p = 0.031) were all reduced. However, consuming at least three meals daily enhanced vitality (β = 2.254, p = 0.003) and disease prevention (β = 4.441, p = 0.019). Furthermore, aesthetics (β = 4.456, p = 0.05), physical appearance (β = 5.927, p = 0.003), and vitality (β = 3.323, p = 0.009) were also significantly increased by healthy dietary patterns. However, a more Westernized diet led to frequent snacking (β = -4.631, p = 0.032), a decline in wellbeing (β = -5.370, p < 0.001), and discomfort with digestion (β = -5.101, p = 0.01). Finally, increased frequency of snacking (β = -6.036, p = 0.012), a decrease in wellbeing (β = -4.494, p = 0.004), digestive comfort (β = -9.940, p < 0.001), physical appearance (β = -4.926, p = 0.027), and disease prevention (β = -5.835, p = 0.043) were all associated with an increase in animal protein patterns.

Conclusion

This research indicates that healthy eating habits and patterns positively impact international students' HRQoL. Therefore, the appropriate authorities should advise students to consume healthy foods regularly to improve their HRQoL.

Healthy immigrants, unhealthy ageing? Analysis of health decline among older migrants and natives across European countries

The probability of having multiple chronic conditions simultaneously, or multimorbidity, tends to increase with age. Immigrants face a particularly high risk of unhealthy ageing. This study investigates the immigrant-native disparities in the speed of age-related chronic disease accumulation, focusing on the number of chronic health conditions; and considers the heterogeneity of this trajectory within immigrant populations by origin and receiving country. We use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe from 2004 to 2020 on adults aged 50 to 79 from 28 European countries and employ both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. For longitudinal panel analyses, we use fixed-effects regression models to account for the unobserved heterogeneity related to individual characteristics including migration background. Our results indicate that immigrants report a higher number of chronic conditions at all ages relative to their native-born peers, but also that the immigrant-native differential in the number of chronic conditions decreases from age 65 onwards. When considering differences by origin country, we find that the speed of chronic disease accumulation is slower among immigrants from the Americas and the Asia and Oceania country groups than it is among natives. When looking at differences by receiving country group, we observe that the speed of accumulating chronic diseases is slower among immigrants in Eastern Europe than among natives, particularly at older ages. Our findings suggest that age-related trajectories of health vary substantially among immigrant populations by origin and destination country, which underscore that individual migration histories play a persistent role in shaping the health of ageing immigrant populations throughout the life course.

Civic engagement among foreign-born and native-born older adults living in Europe: a SHARE-based analysis

Civic engagement is one of the cornerstones of participatory democracy and fundamental to preventing old-age social exclusion. Even though civic engagement late-in-life has received considerable attention, there is a lacuna of research on older migrants' civic engagement. This study aims therefore to examine potential predictors of civic engagement in terms of formal volunteering and participation in political organisations among foreign-born and native-born older adults in Europe. Attention is hereby given to how socio-structural resources and social capital are associated with civic engagement, and whether these associations differ between foreign-born and native-born. Data from wave 7 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe [n = 74,150; 5710 of them are foreign-born] were used in multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results show that socio-structural and social capital variables are positively associated with volunteering and participation in political organisations, both in native-born and foreign-born older adults. The study also suggests that place of birth (in Europe vs. outside Europe) and age-upon-migration play a role in predicting civic engagement among foreign-born older adults, and are therefore features worth considering when studying older migrants' civic engagement.

Evaluation of bio-psycho-social and socio-cultural problems of Syrian elderly living in Turkey

BACKGROUND

Older persons are among the vulnerable groups most affected by war and migration due to physical weakness, illness, social environment, and cultural adaptation difficulties.

AIMS

The aim of this study is to determine the economic, biopsychosocial, and socio-cultural problems of the older Syrians living in Turkey.

METHODS

Convergent mixed design was used within the scope of the research. For the qualitative phase of the research, 19 older persons migrants were interviewed. A semi-structured interview form was used to collect data in the interviews. For the quantitative phase of the research, 432 participants were reached. In order to collect data, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and Socio-cultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R) were used together with the demographic information form.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 66.2 ± 7.10 (Min: 60; Max: 91), the majority (87%) between the ages of 60 to 74 and 53.2% were male. The mean SCAS-R score of the older Syrians was 2.48 ± 0.88 (Min: 1; Max: 5) and the mean GDS-15 was 2.63 ± 3.84 (Min: 0; Max: 15). About 22.7% of older Syrian participants had mild or severe depressive symptoms. Experienced traumatic events, changing economic situation, and family relationships affected both physical and mental health of the older persons. The socio-cultural adaptation of the older persons was affected by language, temporary protection, and exposure to exclusion. The Older Syrians, who lacked information on social services, were experiencing problems with nutrition, clothing, bill payment, and rent due to economic problems. However, they mostly did not want to return to Syria because their living order in Syria was deteriorating and they were afraid.

CONCLUSION

Syrian elderly immigrants living in Turkey have biopsychosocial, economic, and cultural problems. National and international support programs and policies should be developed for elderly Syrian refugees who are expected to live in Turkey unless a safe living environment is provided.

Past trauma, resettlement stress, and mental health of older Bhutanese with a refugee life experience

OBJECTIVES

Older displaced persons often receive limited attention from aid organizations, policy-makers and service providers in countries of resettlement. The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between experiencing traumatic events and stressors prior to resettlement, current resettlement stressors, social support, and mental health of older Bhutanese with a refugee life experience.

METHOD

Study participants were 190 older Bhutanese with a refugee life experience living in a metropolitan area in New England (US) and Ontario (Canada). We used structural equation modeling to determine the association between traumatic and stressful events in Bhutan and Nepal, current resettlement stressors, and symptoms of anxiety and depression, as measured by the GAD-7 and PHQ-9. We assessed the role of social support as an effect modifier in the relationship between these variables.

RESULTS

Surviving torture was associated with anxiety (p=.006), and experiencing threats to physical wellbeing in Nepal was associated with both anxiety (p=.003) and depression (p=.002). The relationship between physical threats in Nepal and current mental health were partially mediated by resettlement stressors. Social support moderated the relationship between trauma, stress, and mental health.

CONCLUSION

Both past traumas and current resettlement stressors contribute to the current psychosocial functioning of older Bhutanese with a refugee life experience. Based on our findings, social support is critical in promoting mental health in this population.

Association Between Intergenerational Support, Social Integration, and Subjective Well-Being Among Migrant Elderly Following Children in Jinan, China

Background

In China, as domestic urbanization progresses and immigration expands, an increasing number of older people are choosing to follow their migrant children to new cities. Such people are referred to as "migrant elderly following children." However, few studies have explored the subjective well-being of these older adults. The present study aims to investigate the factors that influence the subjective well-being of this population of older adults.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 656 older migrants who had followed their children to Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Multistage cluster random sampling was used. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to explore, the relationships between intergenerational support, social integration, and subjective well-being.

Results

Overall, 96.3% of the older migrants showed good subjective well-being. Analysis of intergenerational support showed that those who had a female child (odds ratio [OR] = 0.401, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.180, 0.893) and those whose children had terrible conjugal relationships (OR = 0.223, 95% CI: 0.099, 0.504) were less likely to have better subjective well-being. Analysis of social integration showed that migrants who liked their current city (OR = 5.358, 95%CI: 1. 631, 17.599) and those who had a basic understanding of the local dialect (OR = 2.869, 95%CI: 1.203, 6.843) were more likely to have good subjective well-being. Migrants who had used in-patient service in the past year (OR = 0.216, 95%CI: 0.094, 0.497) were more likely to have poor subjective well-being.

Conclusion

Intergenerational support and social integration are positively associated with the subjective well-being of migrant elderly following children in China. Efforts should be made, including the creation of specialized policies, to improve the family atmosphere of such migrants and their integration into their new cities, as this would contribute to improving their subjective well-being.

Understanding Integration Experience and Wellbeing of Economic-Asylum Seekers in Italy: the Case of Nigerian Immigrants

The literature on migrants’ integration and wellbeing is ample, but the case of economic-asylum seekers in a protracted asylum application system is yet to receive sufficient attention. The economic-asylum seekers are a unique group who migrate with an economic motive but apply for asylum to achieve economic integration in the host country. We use the aspiration-capability framework and a mixed-method approach: participant observation, focus group discussion, and field survey, to study a group of economic-asylum seekers from Nigeria when they were waiting for their asylum decisions in Italy. We find that they evaluate their wellbeing by reflecting on their premigration aspirations, integration constraints, and capabilities. They report lower life satisfaction compared to their satisfaction in Nigeria, and were affected by several barriers including structural, psychological, economic, and social constraints. Our study generally describes what it is like to live in limbo and frustration, with a limited assurance for a better tomorrow. It gives voice to the economic-asylum seekers and contributes to the integration literature by examining their perceptions of integration constraints.

Status, relative deprivation, and moral devaluation of immigrants

Immigration has been a prominent political issue for decades, but particularly so with rising national populism. To understand current anti-immigration opinion, we turn to the concept of relative deprivation, which, we argue, is fundamentally about entitlement and is at the heart of popular backlash against immigration. Examining the United Kingdom context, we predicted that immigration attitudes would be contingent on immigrant group status, with immigrants from low-status or poorer countries (Poland, India) more likely to be perceived as encroaching on the majority group's entitlements than those from high-status or richer countries (Germany, Australia). We further proposed moral devaluation (dehumanization and distrust) as a novel mechanism (over and above prejudice) underlying the conditional effects of relative deprivation on support for formal (anti-immigration policies) and informal (hate crime) means of immigrant exclusion. A pilot study (n = 245) and cross-sectional survey (n = 490) results supported our main prediction that status matters: participants felt more deprived relative to low- than high-status immigrants, and this predicted stronger support for anti-immigration policies both directly and through higher distrust (but not dehumanization). This research highlights the need to unpack the generic 'immigrant' category and study anti-immigration sentiment in terms of group status and moral devaluation.

Association of Acculturation Status with Longitudinal Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life-Results from a Cohort Study of Adults with Turkish Origin in Germany

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) among migrant populations can be associated with acculturation (i.e., the process of adopting, acquiring and adjusting to a new cultural environment). Since there is a lack of longitudinal studies, we aimed to describe HRQL changes among adults of Turkish descent living in Berlin and Essen, Germany, and their association with acculturation. Participants of a population-based study were recruited in 2012–2013 and reinvited six years later to complete a questionnaire. Acculturation was assessed at baseline using the Frankfurt acculturation scale (integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization). HRQL was assessed at baseline (SF-8) and at follow-up (SF-12) resulting in a physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) sum score. Associations with acculturation and HRQL were analyzed with linear regression models using a time-by-acculturation status interaction term. In the study 330 persons were included (65% women, mean age ± standard deviation 43.3 ± 11.8 years). Over the 6 years, MCS decreased, while PCS remained stable. While cross-sectional analyses showed associations of acculturation status with both MCS and PCS, temporal changes including the time interaction term did not reveal associations of baseline acculturation status with HRQL. When investigating HRQL in acculturation, more longitudinal studies are needed to take changes in both HRQL and acculturation status into account.

Immigrant-Native Disparities in Happiness among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Western European Countries: The Moderating Role of Social Capital

Objective: This study investigated native-immigrant disparities in happiness among middle-aged and older adults in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands and the moderating role of social capital associated with such disparities. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 2583 respondents aged 50 years or older from 10 origin countries from the 2015 wave of the Migrants' Welfare State Attitudes survey were used to estimate linear regression models. Results: Older immigrants experienced different levels of happiness compared with native-born individuals. Immigrants' socioeconomic status and other standard predictors accounted for much of the native-immigrant gap. Depending on origin countries, social capital had differential moderating roles compared to nonimmigrants. Conclusion: Immigrants were not always worse off than native-born residents; they showed a "happiness advantage" after controlling for socioeconomic status and related covariates. Social capital plays an important role in narrowing the immigrant-native gap in happiness.

Understanding subjective well-being: perspectives from psychology and public health

Background

Individual subjective well-being (SWB) is essential for creating and maintaining healthy, productive societies. The literature on SWB is vast and dispersed across multiple disciplines. However, few reviews have summarized the theoretical and empirical tenets of SWB literature across disciplinary boundaries.

Methods

We cataloged and consolidated SWB-related theories and empirical evidence from the fields of psychology and public health using a combination of online catalogs of scholarly articles and online search engines to retrieve relevant articles. For both theories and determinants/correlates of SWB, PubMed, PsychINFO, and Google Scholar were used to obtain relevant articles. Articles for the review were screened for relevance, varied perspectives, journal impact, geographic location of study, and topicality. A core theme of SWB empirical literature was the identification of SWB determinants/correlates, and over 100 research articles were reviewed and summarized for this review.

Results

We found that SWB theories can be classified into four groups: fulfillment and engagement theories, personal orientation theories, evaluative theories, and emotional theories. A critical analysis of the conflicts and overlaps between these theories reveals the lack of a coherent theoretical and methodological framework that would make empirical research systematically comparable. We found that determinants/correlates of SWB can be grouped into seven broad categories: basic demographics, socioeconomic status, health and functioning, personality, social support, religion and culture, and geography and infrastructure. However, these are rarely studied consistently or used to test theories.

Conclusions

The lack of a clear, unifying theoretical basis for categorizing and comparing empirical studies can potentially be overcome using an operationalizable criterion that focuses on the dimension of SWB studied, measure of SWB used, design of the study, study population, and types of determinants and correlates. From our review of the empirical literature on SWB, we found that the seven categories of determinants/correlates identified may potentially be used to improve the link between theory and empirical research, and that the overlap in the determinant/correlates as they relate to multiple theory categories may enable us to test theories in unison. However, doing so in the future would require a conscious effort by researchers in several areas, which are discussed.

Changes in Self-Rated Health Right After Immigration: A Panel Study of Economic, Social, Cultural, and Emotional Explanations of Self-Rated Health Among Immigrants in the Netherlands

Immigrants are often found to rate their health better than the native population does. It is, however, suggested that this healthy immigrant effect declines with an enduring length of stay. With Dutch panel data, we investigate which patterns in self-rated health can be found among immigrants shortly after their migration. We test to what extent economic, social, cultural and emotional explanations affect the changes that immigrants report in self-rated health. Based on a four-wave panel, our results support the immigrants' health decline hypothesis, since the self-rated health decreases in the first years after immigration to the Netherlands. The major change occurs between immigrants rating their health no longer as "very good," but as "good." Shortly after immigration, self-rated health is associated with being employed and a higher income. Hazardous work and physically heavy work decrease self-rated health. Notwithstanding these effects, social, cultural, and emotional explanations turn out to be stronger. A lack of Dutch friends, perceptions of discrimination, perceived cultural distance, and feelings of homesickness strongly affect self-rated health. Furthermore, in understanding changes in self-rated health, the effects of making contact with Dutch people and changes in the perception of discrimination are definitive. However, contact with Dutch people did not decrease and discrimination did not increase over time, making them ineligible as an explanation for overall health decrease. Only the small effect that first-borns have may count as a reason for decreased self-rated health, since many of the recent immigrants we followed started families in the first years after immigration. Our findings leave room for the coined "acculturation to an unhealthier lifestyle thesis," and we see promise in a stronger focus on the role of unmet expectations in the first years after immigration.

Health of migrant care-givers across Europe: what is the role of origin and welfare state context?

Across Europe a rising number of migrants are reaching higher ages. As old age is related to care dependency, care-giving within migrant families is becoming more important. To date, little research has focused on health outcomes for migrant care-givers. Theories and empirical evidence suggest differences in the relationship of care-giving and health between migrants and non-migrants due to differences in support, income, norms and values. Furthermore, across Europe the degree of formal care supply and the obligation to provide informal care vary considerably and presumably lead to different health outcomes of care-giving in different countries. Based on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (Waves 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Waves 2–6), this paper studies the relationship between informal care-giving inside the household and health for migrant and non-migrant care-givers across Europe and analyses changes in health. In most countries migrant care-givers are in worse self-perceived and mental health compared to non-migrant care-givers. When controlling for important influences no differences in the relationship between health and care-giving for migrants and non-migrants can be found. Moreover, care-giving deteriorates mental health irrespective of origin. The country models showed that for non-migrants care-giving is most detrimental in Southern welfare states whereas for migrants care-giving is also burdening in Nordic welfare states.