Psychological distress in middle eastern immigrants to the United States: A challenge to the healthy migrant model?

Does an Immigrant Health Advantage Exist Among US Whites? Evidence from a Nationally-Representative Examination of Mental and Physical Well-Being

This study examines whether an immigrant health advantage exists among US Whites, a group often used as a reference category in research on racial and ethnic health disparities. Using recent data from the National Health Interview Survey (2019-2022), I disaggregate non-Hispanic White adults (n = 41,752) by nativity status and use logistic regression models to assess differences in six measures of mental and physical health. The analysis includes self-reported conditions (depression, anxiety, fair/poor self-rated health) and diagnosed conditions that require interaction with the healthcare system (hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD). Foreign-born Whites have a significantly lower prevalence of each health outcome relative to US-born Whites. The immigrant health advantage remains significant for depression, anxiety, fair/poor health (i.e., self-reported conditions) and diagnosed hypertension, after adjusting for sociodemographic and healthcare characteristics. In contrast, the inclusion of these explanatory factors reduces the nativity gap in diagnosed diabetes and COPD to non-significance. Overall, the results indicate important variation in health among Whites that is missed in studies that focus on US-born Whites, alone. Scholars must continue to monitor the health of White immigrants, who are projected to grow to 20% of the US immigrant population in the years to come.

The Immigrant Mortality Advantage Among Over-65 Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants to the United States

Immigrants to the United States often have longer life expectancies than their U.S.-born counterparts, however it is unclear whether a similar "immigrant advantage" exists for immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This study uses a novel machine-learning name classifier to offer one of the first national-level examinations of MENA mortality patterns by nativity in the United States. A recurrent neural network model was developed to identify MENA individuals based on given name and surname characteristics. The model was trained on more than 2.5 million mortality-linked social security records in the Berkeley Unified Numident Mortality Database (BUNMD). Mortality rates and life expectancy were estimated using a Gompertz distribution and maximum likelihood estimation, focusing on high-coverage years between 1988 and 2005 and deaths over age 65. Foreign-born MENA men over 65 showed a significant immigrant mortality advantage with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.64 and an estimated 3.13 additional years of life expectancy at age 65 compared to U.S.-born counterparts. Foreign-born MENA women also exhibited an advantage, with a HR of 0.71 and an additional 2.24 years of life expectancy at age 65. This study is one of the first national-level analyses of mortality outcomes among the over-65 MENA population in the United States, finding a MENA immigrant mortality advantage. The results suggest further research is needed to identify and disaggregate the MENA population in health research.

Mental health literacy among Arab men living in high-income Western countries: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

While interest in mental health literacy (MHL) is growing rapidly, cross-cultural research focusing on MHL is developing more slowly. This inaugural systematic review explored the recognition and beliefs about the causes of mental health disorders amongst Arab men living in high income Western countries (HIWC), their help-seeking beliefs, behaviors, and sources of help, as well as barriers and facilitators to help-seeking. Six electronic database searches were conducted using Medline, Embase, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. These searches yielded a total of 9,460 citations. After applying inclusion criteria through both database and manual hand searches, 46 studies were identified. The findings corresponded with four of the socioecological model's five factors: intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal, and institutional. Intrapersonal factors included attributing mental health illness to life and migration stressors, and religious reasons. Interpersonal and societal factors included men favoring informal help-seeking sources as stigma was a barrier to formal help-seeking. Institutional factors around the perceived cultural competence of healthcare professionals and access difficulties were obstacles to seeking formal help. The growth in Arab migration to HIWC highlights the need for culturally tailored care. Research is needed to understand the perspectives of healthcare providers working with Arab men in addition to how men's stigmatizing attitudes are an obstacle to formal help-seeking. Interventions should be designed to address the unique mental health needs of Arab men, recognizing that some explanatory beliefs may not align with current Western models of mental health. Moreover, efforts should be made to integrate men's informal sources of support into treatment planning.

Mental Health Care Access Among Arab Immigrants in the United States: Application of Public Arena Model

Arab immigrants constitute a sizable portion of the US population, and their adjustment and relocation challenges might escalate mental health issues. Nevertheless, mental health care accessibility among such populations is not recognized as policy issue. Hence, it is crucial to explore the political tools that might be employed to improve immigrants' access to mental health treatment. The Public Arenas Model (Hilgartner and Bosk, American Journal of Sociology 94:53-78, 1988) provides better understanding of how access to mental health care is defined in the public sphere, why mental health inaccessibility among Arabs has not received attention, and how stakeholders worked to raise the public's attention to such issue (Smith, Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice 10:134-142, 2009). Ultimately, several policy options are proposed to address Arab immigrants' access to mental health care issue, including increasing mental health service providers' language proficiency and cultural competency, integration of behavioral health and primary care services for immigrant populations, and considering novel modes of mental health delivery.

Mental health disorders among Middle Eastern immigrant women living in the United States: A scoping review

PURPOSE

This review aims to describe the up-to-date knowledge of the prevalence of mental health disorders among Middle Eastern immigrants women living in the United States (U.S.) and the factors affecting mental health status.

CONCLUSION

High prevalence of mental health disorders and low utilization of mental health services among Middle Eastern immigrants were reported. The factors affecting mental health disorders included socio-demographics, immigration-related factors, and previous mental and physical health problems.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Further research is needed to understand the factors affecting mental health disorders and attitudes associated with the utilization of mental health services among Middle Eastern women in the U.S.