1
|
Rai A, Held ML, Osborne E, Kapur I. Stress Among Immigrants in the United States. JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE-BASED SOCIAL WORK (2019) 2024; 21:509-528. [PMID: 38400548 DOI: 10.1080/26408066.2024.2320345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immigrants comprise a sizable proportion (15%) of the population living in the United States (U.S.). Given these proportions, it is imperative that we understand immigrant experiences of well-being and stress toward improved well-being and integration. METHODS To examine the experiences of first- and second-generation immigrants using a comparative approach, we utilized data from two surveys collected under Trump (n = 490) and Biden (n = 306) administrations. Both studies employed non-probability quota and convenience sampling techniques. Questions about experiences of stress (PSS-4), discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale), resilience (Brief Resilience Scale), border stress (Border Community and Immigration Stress Scale), immigration policies (general questions) were included in the surveys. Each study sample included diverse racial groups across both immigrant generations. We report frequencies, descriptive statistics, and ANOVAs/post hoc test results. RESULTS Findings highlight that levels of both stress and discrimination among non-White participants under the Trump administration were significantly higher than those of White participants, though neither relationship was significant under the Biden administration. Further, White participants exhibited higher resilience under the Trump administration, but not under the Biden administration. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first study to comparatively examine immigrant experiences under the two most recent federal administrations. This study is seminal in highlighting discussions and making policy recommendations to limit immigrant exclusion, curtail exclusionary policies regarding travel bans, and improve pathways to citizenship, enhancing immigrant integration in the U.S. Roles of social workers in supporting immigrant communities and pathways for future research with immigrants are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abha Rai
- School of Social Work, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mary Lehman Held
- College of Social Work, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Emmalee Osborne
- School of Social Work, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ishita Kapur
- College of Social Work, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nguyen AW, Miller D, Bubu OM, Taylor HO, Cobb R, Trammell AR, Mitchell UA. Discrimination and Hypertension Among Older African Americans and Caribbean Blacks: The Moderating Effects of John Henryism. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2021; 77:2049-2059. [PMID: 34978323 PMCID: PMC9683497 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Discrimination is a major contributor to health disparities between Black and White older adults. Although the health effects of discrimination are well established, less is known about factors that may intervene in the discrimination-health connection, such as coping strategies. The study aim was to determine whether John Henryism (JH; high-effort coping) moderates the association between racial discrimination and hypertension in nationally representative samples of older African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. METHODS The analytic sample was drawn from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview, which was conducted 2001-2003, and included African Americans (N = 546) and Caribbean Blacks (N = 141) aged 55 and older. Study variables included racial discrimination, JH, and hypertension. Logistic regressions, which controlled key sociodemographic differences, were used to test the study aim. RESULTS Among both Black ethnic groups, discrimination and JH were not associated with hypertension. For African Americans low and moderate in JH, discrimination was unrelated to hypertension; discrimination was positively associated with hypertension for African Americans high in JH. For Caribbean Blacks, discrimination was positively associated with hypertension among respondents low in JH. Among Caribbean Blacks moderate and high in JH, discrimination was not associated with hypertension. DISCUSSION The findings indicate that JH, in the face of discrimination, is associated with hypertension of older African Americans but may be an effective coping strategy for older Caribbean Blacks due to cultural and sociodemographic differences between the 2 ethnic groups. Future research should investigate the differing mechanisms by which JH influences health in heterogeneous older Black populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ann W Nguyen
- Address correspondence to: Ann W. Nguyen, PhD, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. E-mail:
| | - David Miller
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Omonigho M Bubu
- Department of Psychiatry and Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Harry O Taylor
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ryon Cobb
- Department of Sociology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Uchechi A Mitchell
- School of Public Health, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rolle T, Vue Z, Murray SA, Shareef SA, Shuler HD, Beasley HK, Marshall AG, Hinton A. Toxic stress and burnout: John Henryism and social dominance in the laboratory and STEM workforce. Pathog Dis 2021; 79:ftab041. [PMID: 34410372 PMCID: PMC8435059 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftab041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Persons Excluded from science because of Ethnicity and Race (PEERs) face chronic exposure to interpersonal stressors, such as social discrimination, throughout their scientific careers, leading to a long-term decline in physical and mental health. Many PEERs exhibit John Henryism, a coping mechanism to prolonged stress where an individual expends higher levels of effort and energy at the cost of their physical and mental health. In this article, we discuss how social dominance may increase John Henryism within the STEM community; the causes, effects and costs of John Henryism; and highlight solutions to combat these social adversity stressors within the academic institution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Rolle
- American Society of Human Genetics, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
- National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Zer Vue
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Sandra A Murray
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA
| | - Salma Ash Shareef
- Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Haysetta D Shuler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, NC 27110, USA
| | - Heather K Beasley
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, School of Graduate Studies and Research, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
| | - Andrea G Marshall
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Antentor Hinton
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Hinton and Garza Lopez Family Consulting Company, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Assari S, Boyce S, Bazargan M, Caldwell CH. African Americans' Diminished Returns of Parental Education on Adolescents' Depression and Suicide in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 2020; 10:656-668. [PMID: 32656052 PMCID: PMC7351357 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe10020048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
To investigate racial and ethnic differences in the protective effects of parental education and marital status against adolescents' depressed mood and suicidal attempts in the U.S. As proposed by the Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs), parental education generates fewer tangible outcomes for non-White compared to White families. Our existing knowledge is very limited regarding diminished returns of parental education and marital status on adolescents' depressed mood and suicidal attempts. To compare racial groups for the effects of parental education and marital status on adolescents' depressed mood and suicidal attempt. This cross-sectional study included 7076 non-Hispanic White or African American 8-11 years old adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The independent variables were parental education and marital status. The main outcomes were depressed mood and suicidal attempts based on parents' reports using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS). Age and gender were the covariates. Race was the moderator. Logistic regression was used to analyze the ABCD data. Overall, parental education was associated with lower odds of depressed mood (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.67-0.99; p = 0.037) and having married parents was associated with lower odds of suicidal attempts (OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.28-0.91; p = 0.022). In the pooled sample, we found interaction terms between race with parental education and marital status on the outcomes, suggesting that the protective effect of having married parents against depressed mood (OR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.00-2.37; p = 0.048) and the protective effect of having married parents against suicidal attempts (OR = 6.62; 95% CI = 2.21-19.86; p =0.001) are weaker for African Americans when compared to Whites. The protective effects of parent education and marital status against depressed mood and suicidal attempts are diminished for African American adolescents compared to White adolescents. There is a need for programs and interventions that equalize not only socioeconomic status (SES) but also the marginal returns of SES for racial minority groups. Such efforts require addressing structural and societal barriers that hinder African American families from translating their SES resources and human capital into tangible outcomes. There is a need for studies that can minimize MDRs for African American families, so that every individual and every family can benefit from their resources regardless of their skin color. To achieve such a goal, we need to help middle-class African American families secure tangible outcomes in the presence of SES resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-734-232-0445; Fax: +1-734-615-8739
| | - Shanika Boyce
- Department of Pediatrics, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA;
| | - Mohsen Bazargan
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA;
- Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Cleopatra H. Caldwell
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Active coping moderates associations among race-related stress, rumination, and depressive symptoms in emerging adult African American women. Dev Psychopathol 2019; 30:1817-1835. [PMID: 30451137 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579418001268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cross-sectional and longitudinal research has shown that race-related stress is associated with increased depressive symptoms among racial/ethnic minorities. Rumination has long been considered a maladaptive self-regulatory response to race-related stress, and growing evidence suggests that it may be an important link in the relation between race-related stress and depression. More adaptive forms of self-regulation, such as active coping, may counteract the negative impact of rumination. We examined the influence of rumination on the relation between race-related stress and depressive symptoms in a sample (N = 69) of young adult (mean age = 20 ± 1.5 years) African American women. We also considered the possible moderating effects of John Henryism, a form of persistent and determined goal striving, and vagally mediated heart rate variability, a purported biomarker of coping. Anticipatory race-related stress was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through rumination: estimate = 0.07, 95% confidence interval [0.01, 0.16]. Both John Henryism and vagally mediated heart rate variability moderated the relationship between race-related stress and rumination; however, only John Henryism reliably influenced the indirect association between race-related stress and depression through rumination. We discuss these findings in the context of growing research examining the interplay between cultural and biological factors in the risk for poorer mental health.
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
We describe how self-reported health (SRH) varies with gender and John Henryism (a strong behavioral predisposition to engage in high-effort coping to overcome adversity) in a low income sample of Serbian Roma. Data were collected in 2016 in several Roma settlements around Belgrade, Serbia. The sample consisted of 90 men and 112 women. In addition to John Henryism (JH), measured by a Serbian version of the John Henryism Scale, demographic data and data on SRH and family relationships dynamics were collected. SRH was positively correlated with age and JH, and negatively correlated with a history of chronic disease. Roma males and females differed significantly on JH and a number of other variables. For Roma women, multiple regression analyses revealed that a history of chronic disease, unemployment, age and daily stress level were negatively associated with SRH, while JH, SES and harmonious relationships with one's family/children were positively associated with SRH. For Roma men, there was no association between JH and SRH, but older age, being on welfare, a diagnosis of hypertension and extended family disputes were associated with poorer SRH. Hence, despite economic disadvantage and social exclusion from mainstream society, some Roma report good health and the ability to cope actively with economic disadvantage and social exclusion. This study adds to the literature on the cross-cultural relevance of JH theory for understanding health variations within socially and economically marginalized populations.
Collapse
|